Bundles of Joy gift bags

The Neonatal Intensive Care unit (N.I.C.U.) is a special place in many hospitals that cares for preterm and critically ill infants. Many families will spend months in the NICU waiting for their newborn to come home. These days and weeks are filled with uncertainty and fear but also hope that their precious child will recover and lead a normal life.

Four of my five children were born prematurely. My first child spent 126 days the NICU, two hours from our home. She experienced many things typical of a child born four months premature weighing only 1 lb 7ozs. Kate is now a normal, healthy second grader that is a living example of God’s miracles.

Four years later, my triplets were born 10 weeks early and spent over two months in the NICU here in Athens. The triplet’s course in the hospital was much smoother than Kate’s partially because of their gestational age (30 weeks vs. Kate’s 24 weeks) but also a result of advanced medications and neonatal equipment made possible through the March of Dimes.

In honor of those families sitting beside incubators watching monitors track their infant’s progress, I am visiting Neonatal Units across the state of Georgia. My desire is to visit with families, listen to their stories and share my experience-a story of hope, faith and miracles.

I addition to my visits, I wish to bring each baby in the Neonatal Unit a Bundle of Joy gift bag. These bags are filled with love and useful items donated by volunteers in our community.

The Bundles of Joy gift bags are donated by the March of Dimes and will contain:

* A homemade fleece blanket (or a newly purchased one)

* New teddy bear

*Precious promises CD made by the children’s music ministry at First United Methodist

Church

* Devotional- donated by First United Methodist Church

* handmade rag doll donated by K.T. Duds

* Letter from Sherri with suggestions of things I found helpful during my NICU

experience

* March of Dimes brochures

* Personal fold over note

Volunteers are needed to make the fleece baby blankets and purchase a new teddy bear.

These blankets require NO sewing and are very simple to make. The only tool you will need is a pair of scissors. Each blanket takes approximately 30 minutes to make. The easy directions are printed below. Hancock Fabric located at 3190 Atlanta Highway is offering a 10% discount on your fleece purchase if you show this letter.

If you would like to help, please take a Bundle of Joy gift bag with you today, make the blanket (or purchase if you prefer), purchase a teddy bear and use the provided fold over note to write your own personal message to the family. Please return your bag to the church office as soon as possible.

Thank you for your willingness to help with this project! Please call me with any comments or questions you may have. I would love to hear from you! :0)

Sherri Goggin

Home: 706-543-8743

Cell: 706-202-4967

Instructions for making NO-SEW Blanket

Purchase ¾ yard of fleece fabric of your choice. This will make one baby blanket.

(Some people prefer their blanket be the same on both sides; others like to select two different colors of fleece-one pattern and one solid color fleece. If you want your blanket to be two colors you will need to buy ¾ yards of each fleece. This will yield two blankets.) Hancock Fabrics will have examples to show you.

Cut fabric in half down the fold and stack both pieces together. If you have two

different colors of fleece, lay main fabric on top of contrast fabric. Cut selvage

edges and straighten cut edges if needed.

Cut a 4 inch square from each of the corners.

Cut 2 ½” to 3” lengths every ½” along the edges. (like you are cutting fringe)

Tie the Main and contrasting fringe together into a square knot (right over left, left over right). Continue tying all fringes.

Now your blanket is complete! Thank you!