an update, and before/after pics

My tiny friend, Allistaire, is still not doing well. She's on a clinical trial now, and my prayer is that this treatment would prove extremely effective against her cancer, paving the way and giving hope for future patients diagnosed with AML (acute myeloid leukemia). I'm in the process of signing up to be a marrow donor, because, as I told Jai, A's mother, I want to break off a piece of their burden and bear it myself, but I can't. All I do is pray and cry, and while prayer has power, it does not always feel that way. Bone marrow donation can, in a very real, tangible way, save lives and help others. I love tangibles.

*****

I'm in Billings, editing photos after catching up with my folks before B's vision therapy tomorrow. V is full-on crying in the room she's sharing with B, and I've already nursed her, so I'm not sure what comfort she's hoping for. Thought I'd share some of the photos that have accumulated over the past months.

Vesper's room, before I got my act together:

Vesper's room, after Christmas money and a solid dose of self-loathing for putting her in that mess finally whipped me into shape:

Changing table: free (a friend potty-trained her youngest)

Noah's Ark cross-stitch kit: $39.99 (I made it for Blake back in the day - think I finished around the time he turned two)

Other needlecrafts: $1.98 (Black Friday find at the CdA Goodwill)

Ladder: free (a boyfriend made it for me back in college)

Boxes & baskets: free (scrounged from around the house)

Curtains: $67.50/pair (Overstock for the win - they are nice, drapey, blackout panels)

Rocker: $700 (JC Penney, and it's tall enough to be comfy with my long legs)

Prints: $20/each (zulily, and they are delightful - I really should have gotten a close-up!)

Garland: freeish (I made it from fabric scraps - I think the binding tape was $2.50)

Crib, mobile: I can't remember - got both for little Blake

Bedding: $35 (eBay, and I wish I would have just made my own)

Pooh & Christopher Robin print: a gift from Aunt Ernie to Blake

Violet (the puppy in the corner): a gift from Aunt Lane & Uncle Bing to V

Apple-cheeked baby: priceless (though I can put a dollar amount on our medical care, which we're still paying off!)