Covered in Love

We went to the mall on a recent Saturday, just to look around and let the boys run wild in air-conditioned comfort.  Our local mall is very child-friendly, with an indoor playground and lots of children’s stores, and several health organizations were hosting a family nutrition fair.

As we came out of the elevator, a woman saw me pushing Rhys in the stroller (he was tired after running all over the upper level), and handed me a bag of informational materials.  She mentioned that August is National Breastfeeding Month and that they were promoting breastfeeding awareness at the fair.  When I told her that I had nursed both boys and am still nursing Rhys, she led me over to the fair and told me to pick out a blanket, made especially for nursing moms.  I protested at first, since I’m not a new mom and don’t need a blanket to cover a baby now, but she insisted, so I came home with this gorgeous knitted afghan.

It was wonderful to be publicly thanked for something I’ve been honored to give my boys, and this beautiful gift really made my day.  The tag attached to the blanket said it was made by Nancy from The Linus Connection, a local organization that supplies handmade blankets to children who need them.  I was so touched to be given such a special treasure, and the blanket’s story is meaningful, too.

When we got home from the mall, I looked up Breastmilk Counts, one of the organizations that hosted the fair, and saw my friend Melek on the site’s homepage (see her smiling on the bottom left)!  That’s when I remembered that she made a video about breastfeeding with her second son last year, so I watched it again.  It is very well done and I am incredibly proud of her!

Who knew a weekend trip to the mall would turn into such a special occasion?