To 'dop,' or not to 'dop...'

[Dop = Christenings.. Infant baptisms..]

Right after Fredrik and I met (almost 9 years ago!), we had decided right away and very easily that we didn't want to have a Swedish "dop."

But Karl-Astrid's youngest cousin, Kalle, recently had his 'dop' and with having a child of our own, it brings up the question again on if we want to have one or not.

There are reasons for having one and reasons for not having one.. :/ :)

Religiously:

1. I don't believe in infant baptisms religiously.

2. Fredrik is an atheist, so he doesn't believe in anything. :D

Tradition:

- Swedish tradition to have a 'dop' - not for religious reasons, but culturally. It is seen as a name-giving ceremony. And now-a-days people are leaving the church and doing them other places, like outside or in their homes. (A priest still performs the name-giving ceremony.)

- Name the Godparents. (But we don't have any Godparents.. :/)

Difficult, though, because no family really lives very close by. :/ If we were in Nyköping, I think it would have been a little easier to have one, with Farmor and Farfar nearby, and plenty of Fredrik's cousins nearby, etc.. And plenty of friends, schoolmates and workmates probably would want to come. But here, there is no family and we've not had time to make any friends!

Fredrik really doesn't want one - he doesn't really care, I think he would prefer to not have one. :) I don't really care either, but only that it would be nice to have that tradition for the child.. We probably won't have a "dop" ... :/ If we had still been living in Nyköping, I think we might would have, though.


Speaking about Karl-Astrid's cousins, they really vary in age. :/

At his/her birth, the age range is going to be from the oldest, Amanda at 22 years, and the youngest, Kalle at 6 months! He/She will have 7 cousins in total: 22, 21, 20, 9, 5, 5, 6months. :)


The contractions are getting much more intense, more painful and lasting longer. I think that there is still the same distance between them, but I don't think it will be very long before we make our trip to the hospital.