has a happy ending. This one does and in the present world, that is something to rejoice over.
About a year ago, my younger grandson informed me he had gotten engaged and I met his sweet lady through Facebook. At 29, Jarrod was surely old enough to make a good choice and to know what he wanted. I approved totally. Then early in this year they announced they were 'expecting.' This was thrilling news and of course I was delighted when they asked me to make a special quilt or blankie for the little one. They did a gender reveal as soon as the ultra sound came through clear. The new baby was going to be a girl!
I talked with Kat a bit about colors and such and we agreed we both loved shades of purple and I suggested aqua/teal/turquoise went well in the mix. Next step was a virtual visit to my favorite fabric dealer, eQuilter.com in Colorado. I've been a customer for at least 12-15 years and most of my quilt projects have centered around their fantastic offerings. For this one I chose a fairy and butterfly theme which would be okay for a baby and better as she grew older. I was already in a sewing mode having just done two wall hangings for my brother, one for his music room, and one for his lady friend at the time in a Native American motif. When the new fabric arrived I could hardly wait to get started.
The baby was due in August and I was determined to beat the deadline a bit. I took photos as I went along and shared some of them. I thought it came out really lovely and I even had enough pieces left over to do a little trave-wrap size one too. Then I found an old piece of fleece I had bought ages ago and never quite knew what to do with. Lilac with butterflies in darker purple, rose and white, it was about a 48-50" square and perfect for a blanket! I fringed the edges and it was good to go. The three projects were duly packed in a box and sent off early in July by Priority Mail. Now is when it gets to the challenge or dark moment part of the story!
Unbeknownst to me, Jarrod and Kat found a new and larger apartment closer to his work and wanted to move before the baby arrived. Busy and rushed, they had neglected to let me know. Then at the end of the move, Kat's blood pressure shot off the charts. Preeclampsia--a not uncommon but potentially dire pregnancy complication. She was hospsitalized at once and after about 36 hours of monitoring, the doctor decided to induce labor since both mom and baby were being endangered. That meant little Leia Rose made her entrance five weeks early on July 9. She had to stay in neo-natal ICU for a few days but thrived and soon was able to go home. What a relief (once I heard!!)
I had begun to worry then since the expected "Oh wow" when the package arrived had not come! I texted and learned Kat was in the hospital and then the baby had been born. Time passed and still no package. There was some confusion since the relief mail carrier (at least I assume it was not the regular one) did not get word on the address change or something else went wrong. The package had supposedly been delivered to their old door but had fallen into a black hole. I wrote and they tried to get it tracked but it had just vanished. I was shattered and said I would try to do another when I could; meanwhile I had another (a major surprise) great-grand due later in the year and had to get a quilt done for it too--that mom did not do gender reveals or want to know in advance.
Skip ahead a couple of months or more. Last week I got a hand written note in the mail from someone who lived at the old address where Jarrod and Kat had lived. He claimed to have a box and a large envelope of photos for them plus some other mail that had never been picked up. I got on line at once and texted them. "Hey, go get your stuff before he takes the package to a thrift store!" Visualizing my labor of love meeting that fate was appalling. The next day they rescued it! And the "Oh wow" did come through. My sigh of relief probably echoed from here to Winston Salem!
As of today, November 9, the other new baby has yet to appear but should be born this week. So I will soon know what quilt to make. I had gotten some unicorns and pegasi in purple and blue-green shades to try to redo Leia Rose's gift, so if this baby is a girl, that will be hers. I also got some western and horsey themed fabric which would work for a little boy. All I can say is what started well has ended well and at least this one odd little story has a happy ending!
Daddy Jarrod will be 30 this coming Saturday and I am very happy for him and his lovely young family.There could even be another November 14 birthday which he already shares with Great Uncle Charlie who had shared it with our Aunt Ruth prior to her death some years ago. It is odd how some dates seem to run in familes. And yes, I am a real sucker for happy enedings! That is why I've been a life-long reader and writer of Romance and other genre fiction where the good guys always win and it's happily ever after or at least happy for now at The End. Life is not always that cooperative.
Photos: Little quilt front; Music Room hanging, Baby Quilt front; Baby Quilt back.
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