Our first gowns!!!

Here is a precious hospital gown made with care and prayer by Jennifer Woodward.

You can see the post below but a week or so ago I posted a request for anyone who could sew to begin thinking and praying about making cute hospital gowns for babies and toddlers who are in the hospital. They would be particularly for high level care kids who have too many wires, tubes, etc to be able to wear their own clothes and who are in the hospital for an extended stay.
Go to Jennifer's blog to see her post on this (worth reading!) and more pictures and details.
http://doctrineanddiapers.blogspot.com/2009/06/gowns-are-on-their-way.html
This has me beyond excited!
A mom I whose daughter I see when I work told me about her own daughter being blessed by similar dresses while she was in the hospital for an extended stay. Some women got together and donated a few for her daughter in Ohio. I thought that I might as well try to duplicate the process here at a local hospital where Jordan has spent time (CHOC, UC Irvine and UCLA).

The challenge for me is that I'm a beginning seamstress and due to Jordan's care etc. I don't have much time to get this started. Honestly I was a bit discouraged thinking about how many weeks it would be until I could spend time finding and working on a pattern, trying to figure it out so that I could send it out to other women who sew who have offered to help.

Tonight I got a call that Jennifer already dropped a few off at a friend's house for me!

I visted her blog and saw so many comments by other women who also want to help!!

I am so encouraged and so moved by everyone's enthusiasm and care.

I am beginning to pray about the hospital to contact for donations. Originally I assumed it would be CHOC (Children's Hospital Orange County) but I've been really drawn to UCLA Medical Center since first thinking about this.

Some of you don't know that Jordan spent nearly a week in the PICU there on a ventilator, sedated with tubes all over and all I wanted was my baby back - the way I knew her (in her own clothes, in her own bed, awake, etc.). In an effort to share the true Jordan with her caregivers I hung pictures of her, put bows in her hair and laid "Piggy" next to her along with her quilt that was handmade from our church's quilting ministry that had an angel pin given to Jordan by her Great Aunt BJ. I hung pictures of Noah along with his cards for her, all to remind myself and the staff that this patient was not our girl, not the girl we know. There were families there whose children would not be going home or who were facing months of hospitalization who could've benefitted even more.

All this to say that the bows, the blanket, the pictures and Piggy really weren't needed at UCLA because it is a place where the staff truly cares! I drive up to that hospital and I have a feeling of comfort and love for them. We went back to visit after we were released and they were so excited to see Jordan. One year later we were back for another surgery and I ran into some of the PICU staff in the cafeteria and they recognized us! They were so sweet and so kind. In thinking back to our time there I really feel I'd like to donate the gowns to them with a special letter thanking them. I'll keep praying and any of you who sew start sewing! I'll get the pattern from Jennifer (hopefully) and let you all know where you can find it or duplicate it.

Here is Jordan the first night in a gown.

And here she is with nothing on but her bows, her best friend and a diaper. :)
If you want to read back through these posts you can find them on the right hand column of the my main blog page - This was October 2007.

Thank you everyone!

Anyone else interested please post here and stay tuned for a pattern! Forward this to anyone you know who sews!