A few months ago, not to long after baby Katea was born, Ova and I had this converstation. He asked me if I wanted to bless baby at the hospital. I was quiet and didn't respond at first....a million things were running thorough my mind. I was thinking yes, and then no, and then yes.....and then I just started crying. It's funny because even though I had that converstation silently in my mind, Ova knew exactly what I was thinking. Yes, I did want to bless her, give her a name and a blessing that would help her continue to fight and grow and overcome all the obstacles she will face.....but at the same time No. No because some small part of me thought that if we blessed her in the hospital, instead of waiting until she came home, it might mean that we think she won't make it home. It sounds stupid and silly, I know.....but the feelings were real and I just didn't want to think about that, especially since we had just buried Cindy's little body. We talked about it for a little while and went back and forth between yes and no. Basically he was feeling and thinking the exact same things I was, and our final decision that day was to wait at least until she got out of her incubator, when people can actually touch her.....and then we'd talk about it again.
She's been in an open crib now for almost 2 months. Even though it's been on my mind since the day she got out of her incubator, the conversation never came up. One day, a few days ago, when baby Katea wasn't having the best day.....I had an overwhelming feeling that she NEEDED her blessing. She has done so amazingly well, she's overcome so many things and grown so much, but I felt like she needed that extra little push to help her out, keep her going, and to get her home. I talked to Ova about it, and we talked to our Dad's and we decided we we would do it on Sunday January 15th.
The NICU limits visitors to only 3 people in the room at one time, and one of those 3 has to be the parent, but they make special exceptions when it comes to blessings. You can have as many people as you want for a blessing, the only stipulation was that nobody could be sick....no coughs, no runny noses, no itchy throats....and nobody in their houses could be sick........and they couldn't be in there too long. I think that was one of the things that had me hung up on whether we should do it in the hospital, or waiting until she came home, I had a really strong feeling that our families needed to be a part of it. Hearing that they would allow more than just the 3 visitors made me so happy. I obviously wasn't going to invite a ton of people....that would just be crazy, but we are polynesian and we have BIG families....all we wanted was our Bishop, our dad's and our brothers......and that's exactly who we had. It was perfect!
My father-in-law gave the blessing. It was beautiful and I cried the whole time. He blessed every single part of her body....and he named them one by one as he blessed them. He talked about how she was a blessing, a miracle, and the way she came into this world was a lesson.....a lesson for her grandparents, her cousins, her aunts and uncles.....but especially for her parents. He blessed that through her our testimonies would be strengthened and our faith would grow. It was a beautiful blessing and the spirit in that little hospital room was so strong.
I always thought she'd be ok. But now I KNOW in my heart that she will be ok.
So grateful for the Power of the Priesthood and for worthy priesthood holders who surround me all around. And I'm so grateful for my precious baby girl....a miracle, a blessing, a lesson! I've already learned so much from her in the almost 4 months she's been here. I'm grateful, I'm blessed!
Only the men giving the blessing were in the room during the blessing, and then after it was done everyone had to go out and we followed the rules of only 3 visitors in the room at a time. She had A LOT of visitors and A LOT of love that day. People came in groups of 2, and everyone that had been waiting for so long to meet and kiss her, finally got their chance. It was a very special and very memorable day. The Power of the Priesthood and family is all we need! :-)
She's been in an open crib now for almost 2 months. Even though it's been on my mind since the day she got out of her incubator, the conversation never came up. One day, a few days ago, when baby Katea wasn't having the best day.....I had an overwhelming feeling that she NEEDED her blessing. She has done so amazingly well, she's overcome so many things and grown so much, but I felt like she needed that extra little push to help her out, keep her going, and to get her home. I talked to Ova about it, and we talked to our Dad's and we decided we we would do it on Sunday January 15th.
The NICU limits visitors to only 3 people in the room at one time, and one of those 3 has to be the parent, but they make special exceptions when it comes to blessings. You can have as many people as you want for a blessing, the only stipulation was that nobody could be sick....no coughs, no runny noses, no itchy throats....and nobody in their houses could be sick........and they couldn't be in there too long. I think that was one of the things that had me hung up on whether we should do it in the hospital, or waiting until she came home, I had a really strong feeling that our families needed to be a part of it. Hearing that they would allow more than just the 3 visitors made me so happy. I obviously wasn't going to invite a ton of people....that would just be crazy, but we are polynesian and we have BIG families....all we wanted was our Bishop, our dad's and our brothers......and that's exactly who we had. It was perfect!
My father-in-law gave the blessing. It was beautiful and I cried the whole time. He blessed every single part of her body....and he named them one by one as he blessed them. He talked about how she was a blessing, a miracle, and the way she came into this world was a lesson.....a lesson for her grandparents, her cousins, her aunts and uncles.....but especially for her parents. He blessed that through her our testimonies would be strengthened and our faith would grow. It was a beautiful blessing and the spirit in that little hospital room was so strong.
I always thought she'd be ok. But now I KNOW in my heart that she will be ok.
So grateful for the Power of the Priesthood and for worthy priesthood holders who surround me all around. And I'm so grateful for my precious baby girl....a miracle, a blessing, a lesson! I've already learned so much from her in the almost 4 months she's been here. I'm grateful, I'm blessed!
Our princess is blessed.....and so are we!
Grampa & Gramma Fangupo and Gramma & Grampa Makai
Uncle Misi Pou Uncle Safi
Uncle Misi Uncle Daniel
Uncle Patrick & Aunty Leslie
Aunty Pola Aunty Lexi
Aunty Marie Aunty Leka
4 comments:
I love the priesthood and am always amazed at the blessings that come from priesthood holders. Katea looked like an angel in her pictures, absolutely beautiful! Congratulations on such a wonderful precious moment. Love ya
What a special day for her... beautiful! you look fabulous.. :) xoxoxoxoxoxo
Awww Kateas dress is so beautiful, she looks so chunky, how cute!! I'm glad u decided to have her blessed. & how nice ur family got to share that moment...beautiful :)
What a neat experience for your whole family. She looked so adorable in her blessing dress too! Can't believe those chubby cheeks of hers too. She is too cute. Love all the pictures! Thanks for sharing.
What a comfort those blessings bring. So amazing to have that many priesthood holders in one room all together blessing your sweet baby. What a special day.
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