Earlier this year when Katie and I started to discuss Caleb turning eight, we were unsure if we would baptise Caleb this year or not. Caleb isn't nearly as comfortable in the water as Caitlyn is and we wanted to try and make the experience a positive one for him. We decided earlier this year that we would proceed forward with everything and began talking about baptism in detail during our Family Home Evenings.
The day before the baptism, we were able to spend some time in a swimming pool at Mari and Chris' house where Caleb and I were able to do some practice runs. I quickly discovered that the best way to do the baptism was to wrap my arms around Caleb and have him hold on to me then whisper "1-2-3" in his ear and sit down in the water until we were both submerged. With his arms wrapped around me, he had the confidence to actually let his head go all the way under the water.
The day of the baptism went very smooth. We prepared a simple program that you can see HERE and ran a few errands. We got Caleb dressed in the suit that I purchased for him about 6 years ago while I was in Mexico (I had no idea about kid sizes back then) and he was looking sharp! While he was getting dressed, he started to get a little nervous and was unsure about everything, but we pressed forward. When we got to the church, Caleb's nerves had increased to some serious anxiety, but he was still hanging in there. I showed him the font and gave him a quick run-through of everything.
We got Caleb dressed in his baptism clothes and Jeremy got dressed as well. Jeremy was going to be in the font with me to help make sure that all of Caleb made it under the water the first time and we were very grateful for Jeremy's willingness to get wet to help us out! Since I was conducting the program, I didn't get changed at first. We began the service with a song, prayer, and a simple talk by Grandma Tomsik (see program). During the talk, I slipped out and changed into the baptism clothes and was amazed just how good looking I was even in a 1960's white jumpsuit with a moderate case of camel toe. :-)
After getting dressed, I headed back to the primary room where Mom Tomsik was just finishing her talk. From there, we proceeded to the baptismal font. Caleb got really nervous at this point. He was hesitant to get in the water and I was afraid for just a moment that all this attention may be too much for him. I stepped in the water, and with a firm grip on Caleb's hand, I guided him in the water and as soon as he felt that the water was warm, he relaxed a bit and joined me in the font. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, all our training kicked into gear and Caleb started putting his own head under water and I had to tell him a few times that he needed to wait for the prayer!
The baptism went very smoothly, we only had to do it one time and Caleb did a great job. It was such a relief to have had everything go smoothly, I hope he will carry positive memories from the experience, I know I will.
After the baptism, we got dressed again and Caleb was noticeably relaxed and in a very good mood. We rejoined the group in the Primary room and finished the program with another talk by Grandma Carver and the confirmation of the Holy Ghost. It was a very spiritual program and I think everyone in attendance was edified, I know I was at least.
After the program, we all went to the gym to have dinner and celebrate the August birthdays in attendance. It was a great end to a great day. Thank you to everyone for your support and prayers on Caleb's behalf, he is so lucky to have the family that he has!
-Cim
Caleb is looking sweet in his new suit!!!
A quick group photo before starting the program. You can see from Caleb's face that he is a little anxious.
Mom and Dad Carver were there to support the baptism of their first grandchild.
Chris and Mari made the drive as well and it was great to have them there. We were so glad we were able to use their pool to practice with Caleb, it really made such a difference!
Here we are just before the beginning of the program. Caleb really is nervous right now, but he was hanging in there and doing great!
Here is Joshua opening one of his presents; a Diego helmet!
