birthday blankets and the PICU

My birthday is in February. For the past few years, I've used my birthday as an opportunity to give to others. The first year, I made a donation to First Candle, in honor of a friend whose child was stillborn. First Candle is dedicated to helping babies survive to their first birthday.

The second year, I made a donation to our local food bank.

This year, I decided to donate to Project Linus, which provides homemade blankets to children in need. This includes children in hospitals, foster care, or other difficult situations. A lot of times, a Project Linus blanket is the only comforting item these children possess.

I would have loved to donate quilts, but I've never made one before, so I decided to start with something nice and easy: no-sew fleece blankets. I got three no-sew blanket kits for half-off at Joann's. My son came down with another cold this past weekend (anybody else enjoying cold and flu season this year?) and was sleeping a lot, so I took the opportunity to start putting one of the blankets together.

I had no idea that my son would receive a blanket from a similar organization the very next day.

I got the first blanket almost done and checked on my son. He tends to get asthma symptoms when he is sick. This time he also had labored breathing and was very lethargic, so we decided to take him to the ER. We fully expected to be told that he had a cold and to continue giving him asthma treatments. Instead, they quickly hooked him up to oxygen and an IV and sent him to the pediatric intensive care unit.

It was a really hard couple of days, but he responded well to the treatment and showed continued improvement. At some point, a nurse stopped by with toys, stickers, and a no-sew fleece blanket with a tag that said "Real Giving by TownePlace Suites by Marriott". I had to smile when I saw it. And now, as I lie next to my sleeping son under this warm, homemade blanket, I can really appreciate how comforting these blankets are to children and their parents.

Don't worry, his other leg hasn't been amputated, I just neglected to include it in this picture. (Note to self: when composing photos, include both limbs if they exist, especially when taking pictures in hospitals.)

Relaxing with toys and fleece blanket

PICU's not so bad when Bumpa is around

I'm so grateful for the blanket that someone made for me to put over my sick child. 
I'm grateful for the many wonderful doctors and nurses who have taken such good care of our son.
I'm grateful for two sets of grandparents and an aunt who jumped in the car and rushed to be here with us.
I'm grateful for the love and prayers of friends and family.

Note: Our son is home now and recovering well.