Sewing for Strangers

Of all the tests they ran on our baby Maaike the game changer was the sleep study. Connected at almost every electron Maaike looked like she was ready to enter the Matrix. To help ease the anxiety of the ordeal the nurses take the children and/or parents to a special closet filled to the brim with blankets. The kids get to choose any one they want to wrap up in during the test and then take it home with them. The blankets come in every possible color and fabric choice. All made by hand and donated so that the little ones can feel a little extra love and warmth. I choose a blue daisy blanket with yellow crocheted edges for Maaike. That night and several times since I have wondered about the woman who spent all that time to crochet the edges of a blanket so beautifully for someone she didn't know and would never see. Despite all the sewing I've done I have never learned how to crochet and quite frankly the long needles and hooks kind of creep me out. But how wonderful for this woman, somewhere, to share her talent with us.
Up until this point Maaike was fooling us all. She seemed to be doing quite well and I was planning on heading back to China to reunite with my husband and two other kids. Our ENT was set to call me with the results on that Monday and I had my return flight on Wednesday, but Monday came and went without a phone call. I called their office on Tuesday and got a, "I'm not sure. We'll let him know you called." Tuesday afternoon the ENT's nurse called back to say that the doctor would like me to come in on Wednesday morning to get the results. So Tuesday night, feeling ticked off at the world, I put my flight on hold and let my husband and kids know I would not be coming back on Wednesday, but hopefully Friday. But, of course, my fly day would never come as the results showed that Maaike was dropping below healthy oxygen levels more than 100 times an hour. She would need to go on oxygen right away and schedule a tracheostomy.
Now the dreams would have to change. Out was the adventure of raising our children in China, exploring the far East, our children learning Mandarin, and our apartment view from the 35th floor. I'm not sure what comes next or what we are to learn from this experience, but as I snuggle Maaike up in her daisy blanket I feel assured that there will be kind and generous people to help us along the way. At least I have one new dream, to start sewing for strangers.