Baby Eliana’s Baptism. St Athanasios Greek Orthodox Church, Paramus, NJ

Some time passed since I got the chance to post anything here. We’ve had house construction , our interns left us in the Fall, holiday season was here. Then Flu season came, and I’m really flabbergasted (fancy word huh?) at how many times our family was sick in these past 3 months. In any case here you are trying to see stuff for your christening and you’re bored already 🙂

Nonetheless, I’m here to tell you about how the big day was for this little piece of Haven called Elianna Ioanna and a bunch of other last names that are Greek to me 😉
I must tell you that even though I have 2 of the coolest Boys you’ll ever meet(one’s too bright, one’s too handsome :), I always wanted a girl for some reason.
Might be one of those things that you only want because you don’t have or maybe you always wonder how it would have been. I guess it’s time to look forward to being a grandad down the road :)))
In any case…. I just loved Eliana Ioanna. I do click with lots of kids, but she was special. I got the chance to hold her for a few minutes before the ceremony at the church. Later ,during the ceremony I had to break eye contact and turn aside because she was asking for me ( imagine that!) Heart melting 🙂
I always loved children and when I was a teenager living in my home Romania, I’ve always spent time with the smaller kids on  my block playing all sorts of silly games and tricks. I think smaller kids make it a big deal for an older teenager to give them importance. (My older son always sticks to teenagers visiting us)
Going back , baby Eliana was a really smart and sweet girl. It’s mesmerizing to see how much of a character and knowledge we are born with. I’m talking reading people comes natural to kids, body and sign language comes natural to kids. Games and making rules, they even make their own language man! That’s EPIC. I strongly believe that the more we grow the less smart we turn, hence kids have an intelligence that is hard to achieve. Of course they are naive and can get in harm’s way, but they have something that can be called an archetypal intelligence passed down through parents and generations of thousands of years..

 The Church Ceremony even though seemed slightly long (2 priests) for me it’s always good because it is very intense with many happenings and emotions are flowing all around. I like that. A lot. As a matter of fact the church service at a baptism is what keeps me flowing and creative. I always strive to outdo myself, and find more creative angles, all the while I’m on the lookout for any emotional gesture on the parent’s faces (or guests)
  I always keep a keen note on family dynamics and bet all my money on it :))) In the sense that so much happens without words, if one only wants to notice… but that’s subject of another blog post that you might want to check out in my other section.

 The Reception, 
 It got to rain by the time we got to The Terrace, and even though this family owned place has a great rooftop, we couldn’t take advantage of it. It also got dark outside due to the winter solstice (fancy words huh?;) 
  Of course Alex Kouros was there! I really love that guy. He’s one of the real DJ’s that is in the greek community.(I’ve been to many greek events so far believe me) He’s always cordial and vegetarian ;)), No really this guy must have mirrors at home 😉
   Well, to wrap things up, I’ve got the chance to spend a little more time with baby Eliana ,(see selfie photo with her and DJ Kouros  Dot Com 🙂 
  As a last note, I want to say that I had a very good vibe from the entire family, that they are ALL hard working and 21century members of society, that Kaliopi the mom is nothing short of surprising in terms of being a mom, a great resourceful and kind woman and that she, Mr Leou (the Dad) and the girls came right out of a magazine cover. No Joke, not fair man! 🙂 

 Thank you to all the family and All the guys that let me be around them that day, it was a joyous experience. One that matters. 

Here is s short Photo Slideshow I’ve shared with the family:

 

And here, some of my Favorite Highlights of the day (remember I like moody dramatic photos mostly, but it’s a matter of your prefference)