Monday, September 7, 2009

Many hands make light work....










As you can tell by the pictures, our blanket project is off to a fabulous start. Thanks to my amazing family who have all jumped in and helped. We have a fairly efficient system down, one that Matt is certain we can improve on, and we seem to be able to bang out a blanket in about 40 minutes. Today alone we completed 3. A huge thank you goes our to a most loving and generous friend of mine, you know who you are, who went out with me and purchased enough fabric to make 9 blankets. That kind of selflessness and generosity continues to astound me. At this point between today and what I purchased Saturday we have 17 blankets, 11 of which still need to be completed. The minimum number of blankets I need for a delivery is 26. I would love to go with at least 30 so I know that say a teenager doesn't end up with a pattern suited more for a small child. I feel really good about this. I am feeling as though my initial hope of making 4 deliveries a year will be more then within our reach. Caitlin is working on the Name of our project as well as a small write up type thing that will go along with Zoey's picture and will be attached with each blanket. I am truly excited about this and feel so blessed to have so many people once again joining in and supporting us to ensure it's success.

That is all for tonight. I am needing to get to bed. Beyond tired. A few days ago I was prescribed some medication, two in fact and what transpired after taking each of them was absolutely terrifying. No exaggeration. It is a seriously far too complex and time consuming saga to get into now but I can say, without hesitation, that I have never been so scared in all my life. I will probably post about it in a few days because tomorrow is the all about Joe show! Tomorrow my little guy will turn 6. Joe is still such a little guy in so many ways but he so wants to be one of the big kids. I wish I could convince him that being grown up is far too overrated. I wish I could place a kindergartner's mindset into my little kindergartner's body but he will have nothing to do with it and anyway, if I did convince him, he wouldn't be Joe, and Joe is what keeps this place hopping. And you all thought that was Zoey ... fooled you.

Zoey has been so darling lately. She seems to be going through a growth spurt of sorts. She is really trying hard to communicate with us using her body language and gestures. We are becoming more and more able to decipher a few of her wants and needs. She does have some more teeth coming in which is making her cranky but if you ask her if her teeth hurt she'll make a sad face and put her hands in her mouth. Zoey is also wearing her Sure Steps all day without any complaints and we hope that it begins to give her some stability while being placed in a standing position. She also has this new nifty high chair that attaches to the counter which is her new favorite hang out and if you ask her if she wants to sit in it, she moves her whole body up and down to let you know yes! Zoey loves the computer and hanging with anyone that is near one. Saturday Taylor and her roommate Mackenzie came for the day and we spent a great deal of time on the computer with Mackenzie's 13 year old sister Grace who just happens to have Down syndrome. Zoey was blowing her kisses in the picture. Grace is simply amazing and I wish you could have all seen the magnificent things Grace shared with us: Like her cheerleading moves, signing songs from Wicked and Phantom of the Opera. The message she left for Mack that said, "Be safe and I'm praying for you. I miss you and I love you," were only parts of it. Or how today when Taylor talked to Grace on the phone, they talk a lot, Taylor said Mack had a headache and Grace proceeded to tell Taylor to tell Mack to,"Lie down for 25 minutes and 13 seconds because that is what the doctor said." This child is incredible, and what a gift to have this family in our lives ... this was no coincidence that Taylor and Mackenzie became roommates. We love you Kile family.

14 comments:

Stephanie said...

The blankets look beautiful!!! I knew you would do this and do it BIG!!!!!
You're freaking me out ... a little with your med issue.Please be well.
And the first thing I noticed in the pic of Zoey is how big she looks. And beautiful! And Happy!!
Love and Kisses!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful as usual! The blanket project is amazing!

Look's like Zoey's face muscles are stronger, too.

Barbara

Googsmom said...

{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}} Your family is the greatest!! Beautiful blankets too. The children will love them.

Jeana said...

The blankets look AWESOME! I'm so glad you guys are getting closer and closer to you goal.

Lacey said...

Zoey looks so grown up with her shoe's on. I noticed in that video that she was scooting on her bum instead of rolling. Maybe it was the grass. That girl will be walking before you know it.

Tish said...

Thank you for the post, Heather. I'm blessed to be able to hop onto the computer and see you in action with your beautiful family.

God bless you as you create each blanket, while enveloping those precious children in love and comfort.

Hope said...

I love the blanket project. The pic of Zoey on her computer with the others is adorable!

Peter Olson said...

Great work on those blankets!
Beautiful job!
Zoey is such a beautiful person!
May God bless your whole family!
You have been a blessing to all of us, and me especially! Thank you!
I'm so glad of your decision about keeping your blog public. :-)

Cammie Heflin said...

I LOVE all of the new pix of Zoey! She looks great! Your blankets are an awesome idea, Addy always got one from the nurses and I cherish them, they bring back memories, not always pleasant ones, but knowing that somebody made them out of love for a child is very touching.

Scrappy quilter said...

How beautiful to have a family and friends so willing to help you in the wonderful cause. I absolutely love Zoey's chair and the pictures of her in it. As always praying for Zoey.

almcl said...

Hey Needhams!! The blankets look great!!! If Jess can email me how you guys do them, me and the kids I am watching right now will LOVE to make two blankets for you guys! I'll be able to ship them out in the next week. The kids and I check the blog everyday and they love reading about Zoey! Brandon came home 2 days ago talking about his new friend Joe, who has Cerebral Palsy. He said he felt more comfortable talking approaching Joe after reading the blog and that Joe & Zoey are kids that want to have fun & friends, too! Just thought I'd share that your blog is bringing a lot of awareness into our house :)

Miss you guys a LOT, a LOT!

Kristy said...

Those blankets are so beautiful! Such a good job for a so needed cause. Zoey looks so great and happy especially in her new seat up with the computers!! I'm so happy to see everything so happy at the Needhams. YAY!! xoxo

Unknown said...

My goodness those blankets are wonderful! So glad the project is off to such a strong start my friend! Look at Miss Zoey...perfect photo of her in her chair at the counter...love it! I will call again in a bit...it's still early there! Hope to talk toyou today...miss you my friend...miss you tons! xo

Mary said...

Wow, that's so great!