Oy - Sami is a Jew :)

So Sami is officially Jewish. The morning went really well. I woke Sami up early, and my mom, my sister, Glenda, and our niece, Rachel, came to our house around 7:20 a.m. By 7:30 a.m. we were in the car on our way to the beach. Traffic was terrible, and it took us a full hour to get there. When we arrived, there were a lot of families already gathered together awaiting their big day.

Sami was the first one converted. She was in very good spirits all morning, happy to see her grandmother, aunt and cousin so early in the morning. She had no idea what was coming. She soon learned. I carried her into the water. The rabbi advised me to immerse her completely under water one time, take her out and then he would say a few prayers. After that I was to immerse her two more times. He said that if I blew on her face just before I dunked her in the water, she would hold her breath. So after the first time, she came out screaming and crying. I felt terrible, and after I finally got her calmed down, it was of course time to dunk her two more times. After those two times, she actually didn't cry, just looked at me stunned, as if to say "I can't believe you just did that to me again!"

After that, Steven held Sami for a few minutes while I helped a woman who was converting to Judaism by holding her bathing suit and standing behind her while she went under the water three times. Her husband is Jewish, and their two children are being raised Jewish.

Then, while the rabbi moved on to convert all of the other people who were there waiting, I took Sami to the car and got her dressed. We came back by the beach, where Sami had her baby-naming ceremony. When the rabbi announced Sami's Hebrew name as Schmuela Leah, I began to cry, thinking of my father as she was named after him. I thought about how much he would have loved to be there, and how much I miss him. I hope he was there watching, but even if he was, it's not the same. I am proud that Sami will carry his name. This weekend I plan to take Sami to the cemetery.

So everything I was so nervous about is all over. The rest of the day I spent working while Sami was napping. She slept much more than usual today, maybe because I woke her so early and she had such a busy morning. So I was able to get a little more work done than usual. And any time she was awake, I spent holding her and kissing her, reliving this morning's ceremony. My heart is filled with love today, for Sami and for my father, who I know was there in spirit with us.