And here it is....

The blanket I made Evan is finally finished!  I can't take all of the credit for it though!  Once I had the idea in my head, my mom helped me do all the things I hate so much...like cutting all those squares and stuff!  She also sewed the heart on the middle square for me.  Thanks mom!

Lying awake in bed the other night I came up with the idea to make him this little flannel rag quilt for him to take to the hospital with him.  I made one of these for Ellie when she was a baby, and she still loves it to this day!  (Poor Jordyn and Hayden never got one because honestly, I really hate cutting all those squares out!  Sewing isn't really my forte!)  Anyway...back to the blanket....  The heart in the middle symbolizes Evan and his special little heart.  I wanted the hand prints of his family members on the blanket too so when he is all wrapped up in the blanket, he can feel all of us loving and hugging him.  On the blanket we have Hayden, Ellie, Gramma across the top row.  Daddy and Mommy right next to the heart in the middle.  And Grampa, Jordyn, and cousin Haley across the bottom. 



Front of "rag" quilt

I know it looks a little funky with all of our big ol' hand prints on there, but that's how I like it!  The kids really feel good about it, and I think it's one more way of them feeling like they are "there" for him, even though they can't be there for the surgery.



Back of Quilt



I feel like people must think I'm "Obsessed" with Evan's upcoming surgery.  Really though, I probably AM.  It's just about all I can think about.  No matter how many times people tell me they know someone who had the same thing done, and it was JUST fine....I still can't help but think how horrible it's all going to be.  EVEN with everything happening perfectly as it should, it's still upsetting to me that it has to happen at ALL.   Making the blanket, collecting the beads, figuring out what I'm going to pack for our hospital stay....these are the things that are keeping me from going absolutely crazy, so I guess if it makes me seem obsessed,  oh well.   I do realize there are other things going on in the world, but right now this seems like the most important one to me.