A Mother Blessing

This past Friday was our Mother Blessing. I cannot express how meaningful and beautiful this was for me. For those of you unfamiliar with the idea, it's a way of celebrating new life, of blessing the mother and her baby as they make the transition from mother and baby as one, to mother and baby as two. Mom, Dad, Katie, Jonny, Lisa, and many friends were there to celebrate.

I was gifted with the belly ball necklace just before the blessing started and was told that although Pete was not able to be here, he was with me, and with the baby, in spirit...




We enjoyed delicious food. We lit candles representing the time during labor and birth (even though Austin kept trying to blow them out hehe)
Each person in the circle shared with me a unique and special bead and blessing.



I'll string all the beads onto a necklace to wear during labor and birth to remind me of the blessing, of the strength and encouragement that each bead represents.








We bound our wrists together with cord and then each person was cut free and will wear them & think happy thoughts until I am in labor or have had our baby, then untie them!
























Sara decorated the baby belly with henna in a design I'd dreamed about...a combination of a willow tree, so supple and strong, and a crashing wave...a visualization often referred to by women in labor during the surges (contractions).















Austin also got to have his tummy painted with Uncle Jon while Sara worked on my design...he he...






































Later in the evening we did the ring test, an old wives tale that requires your wedding band on a strand of hair. The strand is held motionless over the belly and you wait. If the ring moves side to side they predict boy. If the ring moves in a circle, girl. I was under the impression that it wouldn't move if I don't...but somehow, slowly but surely it gained momentum, until it was swinging spectacularly in a wide circle...we shall see!




It was so beautiful and magical. I felt so connected, so grounded, so celebrated with our baby.

Dad spent some time taking photos too, so I'll add those once I've seen them!