My Aunt Annie has been in town....one reason I haven't posted in awhile. It has been great having her here. She is healthy (no fault of her own) & fun & very helpful. She quietly anticipates every need, and fills it. The girls adore her....especially Jill (she calls her Auntie Annie). She stayed overnight with Jill on Friday. Matt & I took Anna to her bball practice, then to McDonalds, then dropped her off at James & Mikayla's house for a sleepover. After Matt & I devoured the best dinner I've ever eaten...I mean, seriously, IN MY LIFE (compliments of Renee, who prepared a special Valentine's Day Menu rich with chicken salad on endive, crab stuffed mushrooms, crustini topped with mozz & basil, a light strawberry salad, and orange-liquer infused chocolate-covered strawberries, with rasberry sorbet for dessert), Anna called to say she wanted to come home. It was a short date, but we needed it. It's so hard not being able to talk to each other about anything but schedules & sickness (and moldy floors, which Matt has been working on today with our good friend Jim...thank you!).

Anna needs more good attention. We spend so much time rushing her & telling her what NOT to do....and ignoring her positive qualities as we make over Jill's, how could she not be hurt? One of the nurses made a comment today that she was watching Anna's face as a million people were making over Jillian in the hall the other day..it's like being Angelina Jolie's sister. Who cares about how wonderful Anna might be, look at THIS one! I'm trying, but not as hard as I should or could, to give Anna the love she deserves. The lack of sleep & energy this place zaps out of me makes it very very challenging.

Sunday & Monday will be spent with Aunt Annie. Starting Tuesday 2/19 (yep, she's leaving me on my birthday, sigh), we once again, welcome visitors....just call first. We were moved to a single room today (the census is low & Jill has a bit of a cold, that they think may turn into something greater, so while they have the room, best to give it to her just in case she needs to go into isolation soon....let's pray she doesn't, but either way, I now don't have to leave the unit to go to those stinky yucky bathrooms, and we can sleep with fewer interruptions, although we will truly miss rooming with Christian. I told him we were moving out today....I said, "You get your own room!" He said, "I wish not", but he brightened up when he found out he could now move to the window! It has been so excellent having him & his family as roommates. We spent all last week every day with our curtain pulled back all the way (at his request, for the light, and the company). It made the room look so much bigger & brighter....his visitors were OUR visitors, and vice versa....we shared many stories & laughed a lot. It was so so so nice to share this journey with them for a little while. Things that may have been slightly aggravating coming from other people, didn't phase me at all when they came from Christian's camp, because they were like family to us. Christian's grandmother, Carmen, especially touched my heart with her love for God & positive outlook on this situation. She considers this (as I do, most days) a blessing and thanks God for choosing her & her family to receive the goodness that just oozes from others who are touched by Christian's story. It is hard, no doubt. But this is life and we are living it in a way that not many people have to (get to?) do.

A friend of ours came out with her son last week to meet Christian. Aaron is the same age & just got a mohawk for the occasion. He is slated to become a bone marrow recipient on Feb 25th. His older brother is his donor. I am so impressed with Mary & her son for their courage and ability to touch other people even in the midst of their ordeal. I asked Mary to bring Aaron to Christian as I thought it may make Christian less scared and realize he's not the only one who has to face such a scary thing. I was so impressed with how it turned out. Aaron brought Christian football trading cards & a nerf football (which he passed around with Jill the next day, even teaching her how to throw it down for a "touchdown"), of which Christian was thrilled...the boys played video games and talked....Mary even brought Aaron back the next day bearing Taco Bell. That day Mary, Leslie (Christian's mom) and I sat and talked for an hour or so about our experience. We all agree that we have been picked for this, because someone thought we could handle it. I need to keep reminding myself, that no matter how hard this gets or how endless it seems, it's a sliver of time....and NOT an impossible hurdle to overcome. As happy and energetic as Jill is EVERY DAY, I have no right to complain.

I have had so many other cathartic experiences this week.....I may delve into them in this forum later, but now, I must get some sleep so tomorrow, I can keep up with my little "sickie".