Birthday Blessings – Explained

I’ve had a lot of questions and interest in Annabelle’s Birthday Blessings (that’s what I’m calling it here on out… we want Annabelle to be a blessing to others!)

So I thought I’d clarify a few things:

TIMEFRAME

I’d like to have everything “in” by August 3rd, two weeks after Annabelle’s birthday, so I can begin to put together the “Blessing Bags” that weekend.

HOW TO GET ME YOUR DONATION

This will vary. I’ve had quite a few non-local people (yeah!) ask how they could help, too, so I want to give options for both.

If you’re local, I’d be happy to pick up your donation from you or arrange a time to meet! Or, if you’re in my area, you’re more than welcome to drop it by the house. We are going out of town on a mini-vacation soon (not giving the dates for obvious don’t-rob-my-house reasons) so we’ll just have to work around that, which should be no problem! Please email me privately so we can make arrangements.

If you’re out of the area and would like to donate something, you can email me and I’ll provide you with our address that you can mail it to.

If your local or out of area, and would like to send a monetary donation, you send it via paypal.

For both emailing purposes or paypal purposes, my email is krista at kristaphillips dot com.

WHY

No one has asked this question, but I was thinking about it today and wanted to explain further.

Being in the hospital, I observed many babies pass through the PICU. (They have glass walls… it isn’t hard to observe!) While there were certain parents who were able to shower their babies with pretty blankets and the niceties of home, many where not.

Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital gets the most severe cases of heart defects from a very large surrounding area. Many parents, especially low income ones, aren’t able  to stay with their child the whole time, and aren’t able to provide them with the niceties of home.

Many also find it difficult to “shop” for their baby. I can tell you first hand that shopping for your heart baby, knowing your child might not live long enough to wear/need the item, is HARD.

Not to mention that they are facing a future with some major medical bills, so many can’t afford to provide their little love with the things they’d like.

My hope/goal/dream is for Annabelle’s Birthday Blessings to provide a smile both for the baby who gets to be loved on by a soft blanket or cute little socks or what not, as well as for the parent who can see their baby in something that represents, just maybe, a little bit of hope.

ANOTHER ITEM TO ADD TO THE LIST

I thought of another item to add to the list! Baby lotion! The hospital has lotion they provide for the babies, but to be honest, it’s a bit greasy and just not all that “good.” Our heart heroes deserve soft, good smelling skin as they fight!

I saw more than one nurse use their own lotion they buy for the babies they take care of for the exact reason. I always kept a bottle of Aveeno Baby lotion in Annabelle’s room, and gladly shared with other babies who didn’t have any!

My hope is to add a bottle of baby lotion to ever Blessing Bag too!

CARE PACKAGE FOR PARENTS

While my focus this year is providing for the babies, I’d love to include a few things for their parents as well! A few have asked for suggestions on what to donate on that end. Below are a few items I came up with, but fellow heart parents, feel free to add other suggestions that you can think of!

Ideas include:

• Snacks. Including cracker packets, chocolate (this was my personal favorite… although if you’re mailing your donation, leave this one out, HA!), granola bars, trail mix, etc.
• Gum
• Gift Cards (there is a Subway and a Taco Bell in the hospital)
• Books
• Crossword puzzles/word search books
• Pen
• Shampoo/conditioner/soap/deodorant

REMINDER: Even on the parents list, all things must be new to help minimize the risk of germs. So… no used snacks or half-used deodorant, kay? HA!

My plan is for each care package to be unique, so whatever donations we’ll receive, we’ll just divide up evenly between however many bags we’re able to fill. 

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS?

If you have any other questions, feel free to leave a comment or email me directly!

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