A month ago today...Day 31

Today is Day 31. April 29, exactly one month from the date of transplant. A month ago, my baby girl received new bone marrow, and essentially, a new immune system. I am happy to report that for Sarah, today was one of the good days. She woke up at around 1:00 in the afternoon, fussed through her meds, then promptly threw them up. She played, showed the nurses her new Lalaloopsy dress, and even managed to eat a little and keep it down. Given the copious fount of vomit that has surrounded us lately, this is quite an accomplishment. She managed to keep her nighttime meds down. She even took a bath and was out by 8:30. I should have known it was too good to be true.

Those of you who know me or have been following along for the past year and a half already know that as a rule, Sarah doesn't sleep. I do not put her to bed any earlier than 9 pm on the nose, because if I do, it is a power nap and she is up an hour later bouncing off the walls. Tonight is no different. I stupidly figured that given the circumstances, she was worn out enough to go to bed on time and stay asleep throughout the night. I was wrong.

It is now 1:20 am, and Sarah is laying down in the dark because I made her, "watching" Corpse Bride (yeah, my kid is weird like that. She's afraid of the vacuum cleaner, but will totally watch Corpse Bride before bed) and playing with Sir Battlescarred who is wearing a skeleton costume. (Sir Battlescarred is a boy Lalaloopsy, in case you were wondering). She occasionally abandons all pretense that she is even trying to sleep and sits full upright to play out a scene with her dolls. Apparently, she is never going to sleep, EVER!!! Or so she tells me.

It seems hard to believe that we have already shouldered a month of this burden. It all went by so quickly, and yet it has been a lifetime. She recovered counts in record time, and with any luck, we will be home in a matter of weeks.

Home. What will we be going home to, I wonder? Everything will be different. Rooms have been painted and rearranged. What has been my room for 14 years is now my daughter's room. Nothing will be the way we remember it, but it will be a fresh start, for all of us. Brand spanking new, inside and out.