He who is without sin cast the first scone....

Ok, as I am writing this, Mr. Bracken is watching The Exorcist, the one with that crazy little pre-teen girl...the revolving head, projectile vomiting, the works. Can I write a blog update recording Finn's baptism under these conditions? That said, I do have to admit the townhouse in Georgetown is sweet, but having Satan as your child is a high price to pay...crown molding and full south facing windows be damned (although the huge kitchen did give me pause. How much trouble could a satan-child be...maybe boarding school?)

So, Father Tom (FT) was gracious enough to baptize Finn at the Aquinas House under a full crowd of family, friends, and other older Mass-goers unexpectedly trapped into our family event (don't think I didn't see their eye-rolling when they walked into Aquinas and saw the baptismal bowl.) Once again, FT hit it out of the park and did an amazing job ridding Finn of that pesky original sin. We think it may have been what was keeping him from sleeping through the night, so we are very much looking forward to a sin-free baby in our home. A couple of observations...I had to block out the thoughts about Kevin and Hope's raucous wedding reception taking place in the very room where our little Finn was doing the eternal sign up with the church. Let's just say MTV would have been pleased with footage from the Cotter wedding, so I had to subvert those images on our holy day. Second, Finn was dressed like an extra from that Harrison Ford movie "Witness". That said, he looks cute in a bonnet - even if it can only cover 60% of his massive Irish cranium. He was alert and didn't cry once - which was fantastic. Godparents Anne LeMay and Kevin Bracken were properly reverent as spiritual stewards, and FT even got Shane LeMay and Katie LeMay involved in the baptism ceremony (Bridget LeMay appointed herself godmother runner-up in the event her mother could not execute her duties in the event she is befallen by a Vanessa Williams-type scandal.)

After the baptism, we gathered back at our house and had quite a little reception organized by the Reavey women catering service. Food came in from North Jersey, Connecticut, and Virginia. We had a great time hosting everyone and Father Tom blessed each room of our house with holy water, and took special requests from some parents to get extra holy water sprinkled on the more "spirited Linda Blair" like kids. There was some sizzling holy water but no head spins. The Bulls surprised us on their way back from a family event in the Poconos, and Anna Reid, the baby belle of Georgia, stopped by to chat with Finn. Thankfully, Finn has closed in on Anna Reid in the size category...you can't have your girl cousin dominating you all through your childhood.

So, the final word is that Phineas Robert is now a proud member of the Roman Catholic church and is currently sin-free. We will see how that goes. We had a great time with family and friends and we feel lucky to have so many great role models in our life, starting with Finn's godmother and godfather.

Picture Key

1. Finn, Molly and I with Father Tom at Aquinas House, Princeton University

2. Scott LeMay's artsy photo of the baptismal bowl. Simon Pearce...very nice.

3. Finn rocking his Amish outfit with godmother Anne bestowing blessings. Bridget lurking...

4. The money shot. Nice work Scott.

5. All of us with godparents Kevin Bracken and Anne LeMay. Assisted by Shane & Bridget LeMay.

6. Finn experiencing the rapture as Father Tom drops knowledge. Grandparents Bracken look on.

7. Babies Finn and Anna Reid get re-acquainted under the Christmas tree.

8. Godfather Kevin with the NC BBQ express Lisa Benfield and Matt Bracken. Uncle Jerry lurking.

9. The Crons say goodbye to Harrison, Finn, and "Hosanna" Bracken as they leave for Conn.

10. Shane LeMay and Finn rocking the matching fire truck sweaters. They both love frogs.

11. Godmother Anne Dunne LeMay and event photographer Colonel Scott LeMay.

12. Anne, Scott, Tom, Colleen. Midwest represent!