After we left Chicago, we headed to the Space Coast of Florida. I had never lived in the Space Coast specifically, although I had lived in multiple places in the state. However, Julia had grown up there, and I had visited so many times, it already felt like home.
During the final months of Julia’s pregnancy, we got to spend some really great quality time with Julia’s family. We all enjoyed getting some intentional time with just Victoria before the new baby was born. It was a very special time for us.
A Space Coast Birth
Then, the day came. We believe there are so few exciting and happy surprises left these days, so just as we did with Victoria, we didn’t find out the sex of the baby ahead of time. We had picked names out for both a boy and a girl, and we were excited about the possibility of either. When the baby was born, I held him up to Julia and said, “Meet Dominic!”
Victoria immediately loved him.
The Baptism
After the birth ,we took him home. My Dad and sister had to head home, but my mom stayed with us for a couple of weeks to help us get settled. Then, a few weeks later, my Dad was able to come back for the baptism. Julia’s whole immediate family, my parents, and Dominic’s Godparents, all came. It was beautiful. We had the baptism at the church we had been attending in the area, St. John of the Cross. I specifically love the stained glass stations of the cross in this church. But, more than that, the priest, Father Campbell, was a great priest. We loved attending Mass with him, and getting to have him Baptize Dominic was a great gift.
About 5 months later, we were ready to start our next adventure. We decided to start our faster nomadic travel with a short stint back in Ohio for Christmas.