close to my heart

I remember when Marcus and I were walking the halls at the hospital as we attempted to speed things along our walking route contained the NICU hallway. And during our 1st round of walks as we walked by the NICU I told Marcus our goal is to not end up in there. As my family has quite the NICU track record, my uncle, sister (Jamie Elaine 12/24/78-4/1979), my cousin and I really didn't want to add to our record. They do however have a great NICU as Memorial's NICU is the regional referral center for north central Indiana and a portion of southwestern Michigan. I at the time had no idea how highly they were rated when it comes to NICU's. Anyways if you recall Ian did end up having to camp out in the NICU as he had a few things to figure out and needed close monitoring as he got the hang of things. You can read about his stay here.

During our 2nd visit with Ian we were given a blanket that we still have and is part of Ian's history. We don't know who made this blanket: and they don't know who received it All I know is someone took the time to make a beautiful blanket and my baby was lucky enough to receive it. It occupied him in his car seat as he needed extra support around his lil noggin. We were actually given 2 blankets one for around his noggin and another to cover him while in the car seat during transporting him from the hospital to the car and then from the car to the house. We gave the 2nd blanket back to the NICU for another family to have.

Now, I don't knit or sew but I do crochet and I know the time it takes to make blanket let alone a blanket that is even on all sides and has the right gauge in each stitch and it's not easy. Not only did someone donate their time to make a blanket but they also donated the materials and good yarn/fabric can be pricey especially when you are talking about blankets for babies who have sensitive skin.

According to Memorial's website they have over 400 newborns admitted to their NICU each year. That means over 400 blankets are given to families each year. Blankets that have been made especially for the NICU babies, to offer comfort and warmth to the families as they receive the care necessary in order to get their babies home.

Did you know there is a way you can help? You yourself can donate blankets to the NICU. No time or not crafty enough? Then Courtney from Courtney Bock Designs can help you, help the NICU. She has started Operation Warm Christmas which is an amazing project that the NICU will benefit from greatly. Click HERE to read more about it. You have that hard to person to buy for or trying to figure out what to get for the person that has everything? Then help the NICU and donate a blanket in their name. You can contact Courtney here

Want to share Courtney's project with others? Go for it, she's ready to be locked in her sewing room for days upon days with her dog Lola.