As promised, I wanted to give a full account of Aviva's baby naming ceremony.
Although Aviva was nearly ten months old during this trip to the US, we still wanted to have a formal ceremony to welcome her into the world, her family, and its traditions. Most Jewish families circumcise their newborn boys on their eighth day of life, and many reform Jews hold baby naming ceremonies for their newborn girls soon after they are born. However, while my (Callista's) parents were in South Africa with us soon after her birth, Peter's side of the family was not. Then, when we returned to the US in March, Peter's Grandma Frances (Aviva's Great Grandmother) was not able to travel to Connecticut, so it made sense to postpone it once more.
Anyway, on Sunday, July 10, 2011, we gathered as many family members as we could at Richard and Susan's house (Peter's father and stepmother) to celebrate Aviva's arrival into the world.
Beforehand, Aviva socialized with her Aunt Brianne...
..and with her Uncle Henry.
Cousin Seamus and our family friend, Joel Jacobson, played with a giant ball in the background.
We tried, with limited success, to get Aviva and Seamus to pose for photos in their matching outfits, along with their fathers. It seems we could either get the kids looking up...
...or the dads, but not both.
During the ceremony, we explained how we chose Aviva's name. We explained that we wanted to choose a name that was unusual, but not unpronounceable, and that we wanted to choose a name that would be suitable for a newborn, a little girl, and a woman. Here's an excerpt of the email Peter sent when she was born:
"First, Aviva means spring— which besides being a pretty name, is the season that just began in southern Africa. Second, the middle initial R is in memory of my dad’s father, Robert. Conveniently, the combination gives rise to a few other honors as well. My paternal great-grandparents were named Abraham and Rose. They were the first US-based couple in the Ehrenkranz family tree. Abraham immigrated from Eastern Europe in an epic family story involving an escape from the Russian Army and a change in his name. Rose was also the name of my grandmother Miriam’s eldest sister who passed away many years ago."
I also explained the choice of Aviva's Chinese name, which is translated as "Ai Qing Qing," (pronounced "Eye Ching Ching"). The first word is a transliteration of Ehrenkranz. The next syllable is the Chinese word for clear or pure, and the last word means the color of grass. Aviva was born in the year of the Tiger, and so she needed a name that would be suitable for a tiger baby. As my father, Aviva's Agong explained it, "Tigers are comfortable in the grass."
Aviva's two great grandmothers on Peter's side, Nana Frances and Great Grandmother Miriam, read blessings.
Aviva's Uncle Henry and Aunt Brianne read, as did her Grandpa Richard, with Susan looking on from the side.
Peter and his brother Jeff did the blessing over the children, and Grandma Ellen closed the ceremony by reading an adorable poem she had written for both Aviva and Seamus. You might not be able to tell in the photo below, but I was blinking back tears.
It was nice to have so many family members together.
Afterward, Aviva relaxed in the grass. Fortunately, the only wardrobe malfunction of the day occurred after the ceremony had ended.
Thanks to Brianne and Henry for many of the photos. I've just realized there are so many photos of this event that I'll have to put together a third post of them!
A very special thank you to Richard and Susan for hosting us at their beautiful home and treating us to a wonderful summer meal-- strong sangria and all! We had perfectly cooked beef tenderloin, marinated zucchini/summer squash with basil, mint, and scallions, a cranberry/nut quinoa salad, and a lovely cheese plate. For dessert there was blueberry/strawberry shortcake and fresh whipped cream.
Also thanks to everyone who helped to make this such a special day for us! More pics to come tomorrow.
...and with Grandma Ellen.
Cousin Jerry came to visit, along with his wife Pam, and daughters Miriam and LeeAnn. First, Aviva visited with Pam.
She watched Jerry for a while.
LeeAnn held her for a bit, as well.
Unfortunately, we didn't get a photo of Aviva with Miriam, so that will have to happen next time. At the end of the visit, Aviva got to snuggle with Bow and Grandma Ellen at the same time.
As you can see here, Aviva didn't always want to share her Grandma with Bow.
We miss everyone already!
Ok, I know she looks a bit odd in these photos. We didn't have much time today, so we just slipped the BabyLegs on over what she was wearing - which we later realized was an outfit that is way too small. For the record, her pink hoodie is 3-6M by babyGap, her pants are 12M from Macy's, and her lavender hat is 3-6M from babyGap. We had also just put some Vaseline on her face to protect her from the wind (we were getting ready for a walk.) So she looks a little shiny.
...to lots of swimming with Peter, Grandma Ellen, and Cousin Seamus, Aviva really loved all the warm weather activities.
We grown-ups (Peter, Ellen, and I) got to go kayaking, right in Westport.
Seamus, however, is quite advanced. Observant readers may recall a photo of Seamus eating watermelon at about this same time last year. Click here to see one pic from the archive, and here to see more on Seamus' blog.
Aviva's Uncle Henry and Aunt Brianne read, as did her Grandpa Richard, with Susan looking on from the side.
It was nice to have so many family members together.
