EACH BLANKET HAS A STORY

Fall is here. Mornings and evenings are cold and dark, but oh so beautiful days. Our boy's hands and feet are starting to be constantly cold. We need to monitor his temperature more closely due to Jacob suffering from dysautonomia. This means he has a hard time regulating his body temperature among other things. Blankets are everywhere in the house ready to be wrapped around our boy.

As I have been keeping Jacob warm lately, I have taken a closer look at the blankets surrounding us all. I don't think I have ever bought a blanket for Jacob. Each blanket comes with a story of love and generosity.

This is my favorite blanket. A former Greek employee and friend of mine Nektaria brought it into our lives. I remember her bringing it to our home in Highlands Ranch for Sarah. It was used for Sarah for years, and also carried Jacob through many cold days.

This is a blanket I have mixed feelings about. Too many stays at Children's got us a few too many of them at home. I can't count the time I have swaddled Jacob in one of them. 

This is the blanket we have used the most. It's a happy, happy blanket. It's a green blanket full of dogs! We got it during the Snow pile event at Children's in 2008. This is an amazing event where you get to go Christmas shopping for all your kids without money!

You can call me superstitious, but this blanket has helped Jacob through some really scary times. It's called the ICU blanket in our home. He received it the first time he had a mitochondrial crash, and no one was sure if he was going to survive or not. The year was 2009. This blanket has also helped two other very special children to fight through their battles in the PICU. This blanket is always stored away in a drawer in Jacob's room, ready to get out only when absolutely necessary.

This is a very special blanket. It comes from Mito quilts of Hope. This project was founded by Christine Knox who has Mito herself and wanted to do something to help raise awareness. The woman who created Jacob's Mito blanket is a former nurse who lives in Las Vegas. The quilt is beautiful, but more than anything it's so soft and warm. It's definitely made for a Mito child.

This was a special Christmas present for Jacob. A collage of his family. I love when we spread it out on the floor, it's like a big pile of love.

It's hard to fit an actual jacket on Jacob in his fitted wheel chair. A smart mom started creating these wheelchair ponchos. The blanket snaps to the side of the wheel chair and keeps Jacob warm even in the coldest temperatures.

This is our latest addition. Jacob's para made this special blanket knowing Jacob loves his Minions. It's warm and cozy, and fits our boy perfectly.

As we go into yet another winter, I am going to cherish each blanket I will wrap around our boy.

Love, Maria.