Baby J's Amulet....Protection

Ryan's parents came in town last weekend to celebrate Christmas and the upcoming addition to the family. We were supposed to travel to Virginia for the holidays this year, but with bedrest on my agenda, the trip got nicked at the last minute. While we would have been there, Ryan's mom was going to host a little family baby shower for Baby J. She still held the baby shower in our honor and brought a piece of the shower to Nashville.

I am grateful for ALL the gifts we received. MawMaw even made Baby J a blanket!! There's this one that I keep going back to and picking up. An amulet.

Amulets have been made for a long time....they date back even to the Early Egyptians. They are designed for protection. I think amulets are "supposed" to be worn, but ours will hang in the nursery (also for parental protection....don't think Baby J should be wearing the amulet yet. Plus, my mom-in-law would probably shoot me if she showed up and saw it around the babe's neck. I've already been warned of a possible shooting if I let my child climb all over the back of grocery carts like we witnessed at Target).

Moving on. Correct me Morgan family if I'm wrong, but I believe Aunt Linda made the amulet. They kept saying it was her first one; I thought it looked great. The center piece is a belt buckle from Grandma Morgan's old belt (Ryan's great grandmother), and Ryan's grandparents, aunts, and cousins tied on blessings in the form of a bead or a charm of some sort for the baby. They wrote them all down, so we could have a copy of it.

I'll just mention a few....there are different color beads representing the Earth's elements for protection by the Earth's spirits and that Baby J will grow up with a love and appreciation for all of nature's miracles. A cousin tied on a seashell that she picked up while she was on vacation with her mom; she wishes that Ryan and I will always treasure the small moments with Baby J. There was a charm of the word Hope, and charms of butterflies and dragonflies: symbolizing the baby's health, happiness, and a love for the outdoors. A Love charm encouraging Baby J to Love one another and to know that he/she will have the love of the family. That was just a few of them.

Well, I can guarantee Baby J one thing for sure....that the little muffin is already LOVED by his/her family so much!!!