Meet Shea-this smoochy bundle of goodness!

Beautiful Shea

I have been waiting to write this post for some time now. To me, this is a special one. It is special in many ways. All of them good in my mind. I want you to meet Shea Schaus. Isn't she so darn cute??!!! This little honey was born earlier this year to one of my favorite Doctors- Dr  B Schaus.. As you know, I am a Nurse. I had the pleasure of working with her daddy at my last place of employment. He was new to our Center and full of life. I liked working with him right away. You can't help working along side someone for a couple of years and not get to know them. It was exciting to hear that he met someone. It was exciting to hear they became engaged. It was exciting to hear about the wedding and it was more exciting to hear of their pregnancy. Prayers of happiness and health for the baby was started immediately. I had retired almost a year ago to this date from Nursing---so I did not hear  more of the baby to be for awhile. As a quilter---what do you think was going through my mind?? HHHhhmmmmm....... I wonder. Yes of course- making a quilt. The hardest part was deciding on what pattern and then the color. I decided to wait for the birth to see if the baby was a boy or girl. I had a feeling it was going to be a girl. One day, I was at the Quilt Barn in Boston NY, with a friend of mine. I came across a Precious Moment panel. It struck me hard- and could not stop looking at it. I knew right then---I was going to use this to make the quilt. So, I bought all of the supplies and brought it home. I was so excited to make this quilt. I have not made a baby quilt in a long time. I decided to make a chenille quilt using flannel against the cotton panel. I used three different colored flannels for contrast--all matching the panel. I really wanted the new baby to be warm. Eventually---I got the call that the newest member of the Schaus family was born!!!! A girl!  It made me smile to hear the news---I smiled all day! Next came finding out the correct spelling of her name---I needed to know for the label on the quilt. I was in continuous communication with a couple of my Nurse friends back at the Center to secretly find out for me. Ha- I would have loved to be  fly on the wall, to see his face, every time one of them asked him about his daughter's name. Well-mission accomplished---got the spelling and finished the label and quilt. Again, I made calls to my friends and found out what day he would be there working and the best time with his schedule to come.
Back up a few months: I really could not wait to bring this quilt to him. I wanted  him to know that I was so happy for him and his wife.  Prior to presenting the quilt to him- I had been up to the Center to drop off a customer order. He came over to me and showed me a picture of his baby. He was a proud Daddy. He had a total smitten look to his face. My heart glowed for him and his wife. But------I did notice something as soon as I looked at the picture. Besides thinking, " Oh my god how beautiful she is!", I noticed something else. I did not say anything and I could see it on his face when he showed me her picture. His beautiful daughter was born with Down Syndrome. My heart hurt for him and his wife. I went home that day with a sad heart and one filled with prayers for them.  Down syndrome is a genetic disorder. It is one of the most common chromosome abnormalities in humans. This news was sad, but, to me, it is not the worst in life. Though hard to deal with at first,this is workable, this is just a speed bump in life. As a Nurse---I have many sad stories. As a person----I have family and friends that deal with sadness and disabilities. I thought long and hard about this news. There is a family in Silver Creek- Mr and Mrs Hotelling. Their daughter Laurel was born with Down Syndrome. Through their hard work, love and dedication-they have raised awareness of this genetic disorder and disabilities. They have organized and put on the "Laurel Run" for 20 years. The event is named in honor of their daughter.The run is held in Silver Creek, NY. Laurel is special. Her smile is contagious-her love of life is amazing and humbling. My immediate family, brothers and friends have attended and participated in the Laurel Run for years. It is very important to us. I encourage every one to become aware and involved with your community. I encourage everyone to contact the National Down Syndrome Society to learn, understand and reach out.
When I brought the quilt to Dr. Schaus- he was surprised and filled with smiles. I was thrilled that he liked it. I made him promise to send me pictures of her with it. And he did. I have held on to them and looked at them often. They make me happy when I look at them.
Looking at Shea smiling up at the camera is so awesome! It is so overwhelmingly wonderful to see her on my quilt that I made. She makes my quilt look good. She is a natural model! She is so smoochy precious and so squeezable cute! Making quilts for babies, special occasions, family, children, neighbors, community fund raisers---all good, all needed and the benefits are shared with the giving and the receiving. Be good to each other. Enjoy looking at the smile on this adorable face..... I know I do.

This is the most recent picture of Shea. Isn't her smile contagious??? Do you notice the quilt she is playing on??? This picture made my day when I saw it