Sacrificial Hospitality Challenge: Week 5

Hard to believe I've been doing these challenges for a whole month now! This project has been such a blessing in my life and has come at a time when, to be honest, it would have been easy to wallow in self-pity. I am forever amazed at how reaching out to others and giving of yourself can leave you feeling so much more fulfilled and satisfied with your own life.

For this week's challenge, I will be crocheting preemie hats for the children's hospital that cared for my daughter when she was born. There are oodles of people out there who knit or crochet baby hats and donate them to hospitals (and hallelujah for that!). A small percentage of those people make them for preemies. But precious few make hats to fit micropreemies. Consider this- a hat made to fit an average newborn should fit on a grapefruit. A hat for a moderately-to-very premature infant should fit an orange. But a preemie born before 28 weeks has a head closer in size to a lime or lemon. That is TINY. I made a hat for my baby girl when she was in the NICU because I was frustrated at how swamped she was by even the smallest hat they had. I was lucky- I already knew how to crochet (and knit- but I'm faster at crocheting). Not all mommies do and I'm convinced their babies still deserve hats that fit their precious tiny heads! I like the idea that this is a challenge I can fit in when I have a few moments- during quiet time with the kids or while watching a TV show with my husband.

If you have any interest in joining me in this project, you can find directions for making these tiny hats here.

How about you? Have you ever used your time and talents to make items to donate to those in need? I'd love to hear about it!