Daddy’s been deployed. Will his child remember him when he comes home a year from now? Sure, you’ve got pictures scattered around the house, and you’ll be able to see him on a Web cam now and again, but do those things give your child the comfort they want from dads loving embrace?
When my cousin Kevin was called to duty to Iraq a couple of years ago as a member of the North Dakota Trailblazers National Guard Unit his wife was pregnant with their first child, and it was up in the air whether or not he would arrive home for the birth. No mater what happened he was going to miss those first smiles, first words and first everything because if he was allowed to come home he’d have to go back.
I began to wonder what I could do to help bring comfort to his wife and help the child have something of daddy to hold onto while he was away. When the idea came I was on the phone to my aunt. I had a surprise I would create from Kevin’s old clothes and growing up photos although when my aunt delivered a box of snap shots and old shirts I was amazed to find Kevin’s mother had kept his favorite hooded bath towel from childhood that MY mother had made for him years before! It was a bit worn but I only needed a corner from it and the rest of the clothing.
I made quilt blocks from the clothes and bath towel, then found scraps of material that represented Kevin. Camouflage print, American Flag and whatever else came to mind. Added in were plain white squares I used iron-on-transfers to add photos of Kevin growing up. In the center of it all I placed the words: Wrapped in daddies love.
The baby gift was a huge success at the baby shower. Kevin’s wife couldn’t bring herself to use it; displaying it on the wall of the nursery instead.
The truth is; blankets made with photos ironed on or silk-screened are going to eventually fade even if they’re never used. But I did discover a way for the baby to have a piece of daddy to hold onto and hey, if she spit-up on it the blanket could easily be tossed into the washing machine and the image would still be there; wash after wash.
A personalized photo blanket with the image of someone woven into the actual blanket doesn’t fade. The image doesn’t go away. They give children, and sometimes adults, the secure reassurance of being wrapped in the loving embrace of the one who can’t be with us.
The Internet makes creating personalized photo blankets easy and affordable. Chose a product, upload a photo and pay. It’s shipped right to your door without having to leave your house.
Check out these great Military photo blankets. It might make someone feel as though they are forever wrapped in daddies love.
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