Today I Decided....

That I could hold Lily in my arms and we could stand there staring and smiling at each other

all

day

long.

And it would never grow old.

A BLESSED Day

On Sunday, December 6, we blessed Lily. It turned out to be a beautiful day and we cannot express enough thanks and love to all of our family members and friends who were able to be a part of it.

Lily Grace Erickson.

That is our daughter's official name, and yes, it is different than her name on her birth certificate. There will need to be a change made down at the Vital Records Office. We even surprised our entire family and didn't tell them what her name was going to be until they heard it in the blessing. When discussing what her name should be, Bryan put it so perfectly, "I like Lillian, I think it's pretty; but that's not my daughter's name."

He's right. It just didn't quite fit.

Grandma Pam (Bryan's mom) was gracious enough to make Lily's blessing dress. Almost eight years ago when my neice was blessed, Pam made her blessing dress and then and there I begged Pam to one day make my daughter's blessing dress. She does amazing work, and this past Sunday she didn't disappoint. She finished the dress at 2:30 AM Sunday morning and she brought it to the church where we dressed Lily. It was worth the anticipation. It is simple, yet elegant.

Bryan gave Lily an incredible blessing, one to be remembered. My favorite part: the very beginning when he said, "We take this beautiful girl in our arms..." with emotion in his voice. I love that man and I love that he adores our daughter.

Lily was so content, happy, and alert the whole day. She was perfect and the day was perfect as well. Thank you again to all those who helped make it so special.