Sam's Birthday Project: Books and Blankets

Sam would be ten months old today. 

Only two months until his birthday. On September 22, we want to celebrate his life, and although I would much rather be picking a cute theme and ordering party invitations, we do want to honor him. While he was in the CHSU for ten weeks, we were blessed by many different people and organizations who supplied the hospital with blankets, socks, books, and toys for the heart babies.  Because of their generosity, we were able to make Sam more comfortable and make his room feel more like home.  So!  We would like to do this for other families by collecting and donating blankets and children's books to the CHSU. We need the help of our friends and family in order to make it happen!

For most of Sam's time in the CHSU, he wasn't able to wear clothes because of all the lines, but he was always swaddled or covered by a blanket.  He loved being swaddled with a thinner receiving blanket until he was almost four months old.  

Both of these blankets were gifts from my dear friend and fellow heart mom, Lauren.

This adorable blanket was made by one of Stephen's family members.

Sam's nurse made his bed using these Christmas blankets while he was in the O.R. during his open heart surgery.  Such a simple gesture was a bright spot in a very dark day.

The nurses made Sam's bed with a fitted sheet and a blanket on top of that for him to lay on, and then covered or swaddled him with another blanket.  I enjoyed having cute blankets to make his bed. 

I have loved reading to all three of our kids, and I have special memories of reading books to Sam before and during his hospital stay.


Blankets can be new or gently used.  I will wash all the blankets before we package them up.  Books can be new or gently used, but please no marks, tears, or other damage.  We will deliver the packages to the CHSU close to Sam's birthday.  If you would like to participate with us, you can get items directly to us in any of the following ways:

• You can purchase in-store and mail items to us.
• Purchase online from Amazon, Target, Babies R Us, etc. and ship to us.
• If you are in the Tyler area, we can meet you to pick up your donations.
• If you're not in the Tyler area, you can drop off items with someone in our families, and we'll get it from them.
• You can donate money toward our project, and we'll do the shopping.

Hayden's Heart is a foundation that raises CHD awareness and helps heart families with medical expenses in honor of another heart baby, Hayden. They have teamed up with Aden + Anais to create the {Hayden's Heart swaddle blanket}.  All proceeds from the purchase of these sweet blankets go toward raising CHD awareness and supporting heart families--buying one of these blankets is a two birds with one stone kind of deal!

If you need our mailing address, email me at ldbryan07@gmail.com or Stephen at sbrya09@gmail.com (there's no 'n').

Also, would you please be praying for us over the next two months? Pray for this birthday project as we gather and prepare the books and blankets, the families who will receive them, and for us as we prepare for Sam's birthday without him.  Each holiday and would-be milestone we have passed without Sam has been difficult, but I know his birthday will be the hardest.  Working on this project and giving back to other heart families will be a source of joy for us.  Thank you in advance to everyone who will support Sam's birthday project! 

***If you would like to, snap a picture of your people hunting for, purchasing, gathering, mailing, etc. books and blankets and email them to us or post to social media with #samsbirthdayproject. We would love to see our people in action!***