Sweet B's Room Makeover

Sweet B had a room makeover this September. It was surreal. We've never before been the recipients of anything out of the ordinary, so when Sweet B's teacher told us that she had nominated her for a room makeover, I felt touched but truly thought that she was grasping at straws. A makeover? That kind of thing doesn't happen to us! When Rachel of Cecily's Closet called me to tell me that Sweet B had been chosen out of many other children, I was in disbelief.

Cecily's Closet is run by Rachel, and she started the group in honor of her daughter Cecily, who has special needs (and it stunningly gorgeous-looks like a model). She wanted to do something kind for children who had had a hard time. She could have raised money to give to these families, but she really felt that making over the bedroom of a child would bring such happiness to them and their parents. And it's so true...sitting in Sweet B's new room does bring me such joy. Sweet B might not notice it yet, but she will, and I notice it, which does affect her.

The experience was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced. When all of the people left and the work was done, we wondered why they had chosen us. There are certainly other children out there who are experiencing much more difficult medical problems than Sweet B. There are certainly other parents who are kinder than us. But when good things happen for us, we often question it. Anyway, I decided to ask Rachel of Cecily's Closet why she chose us.

She said that she was touched by Sweet B's story, and the fact that the doctor's were wrong really made an impact on her. All too often the opinion's of doctors are taken as gospel, and let's face it, they don't know everything. They give their job their all and they save lives and I truly believe that most of them are very, very good people, but they do not have a crystal ball and cannot see the future. They gave us their opinion on Sweet B's fate based on what they had seen before. They told me to prepare for her death and didn't even have hope for her until the week before she was born. The fact that she is here and thriving gives all of us hope for any situation that seems impossible. In her exact words "When we heard the story of Sweet B and her message of hope we knew we had to do this room to honor her spirit and journey."  

Rachel asked me what I would like for her room. I felt awkward because this wonderfully kind lady is asking what I want for B's room, and I've never experienced anything like this before! I told her that I wanted something that we could take with us when we leave, as we are in a rental right now. I wanted paintings on canvas so that we could keep them. We already had the dressers that we had purchased and the crib from my dad, so we didn't need furniture. I told her that we needed help with organization and a bookcase for all of Sweet B's books. I told her that I wanted the design to grow with her, and if B is as sentimental as I am, she will really want to keep these things in her room for a long, long time. (I have old ballet paintings I got when I was 10, and they are hanging on the wall right by my bed).

She asked me about the theme and I immediately knew what I wanted. I wanted it to be rainbow themed. Sweet B was my "rainbow baby" which is a baby after a loss. Plus, she was a bright light and wondrous and beautiful just like a rainbow. I had tried mostly unsuccessfully to incorporate the rainbow thing into her room, but it just didn't have that "wow" factor. The only thing that absolutely had to stay on the wall was three paintings that my mom had painted for Sweet B. I asked Rachel to incorporate these paintings into her design because they were extremely special to me.

I didn't plan her original room until late in my pregnancy, not even daring to buy a single thing. I dreamt of the white crib that I wanted for her and I had somewhat of a picture in my mind of what I wanted it to look like, but it never came to fruition. When Sweet B was in the NICU and we would do kangaroo care, I would whisper in her ear and tell her about the "rainbows and fairies" that I was putting in her room. I would repeat "rainbows and fairies" over and over again to her every day so that she would know that she had a very special place waiting just for her at home.

I had lofty plans to make her a perfect room during her NICU time, but worrying about my one pound baby and pumping every three hours took precedence over the rainbow room. Sure, it was decent looking, but just not "Wow!"

Many people showed up that morning, including an artist named Emily Dolton and a boys' volunteer group. My heart was touched when I learned that each boy had brought a book for Sweet B. There were about thirteen of them, as well as many adults. We stayed out of the way in the family room while the boys and the adults worked in the room and painted in the garage. The boys interviewed us and then the time came for us to see "the big reveal." It was much prettier than I could have ever dreamed. The room surpassed my wildest expectations. It was so bright and well planned. The attention to detail was just amazing, from the stripes and circles on the curtains to the circles on the lampshade and the hanging canopy. The paintings, drawn by the artist and painted by the boys, were the star of the room, and there is just something about their simplicity that makes them such beautiful works of art.

One of the paintings particularly tugged on my heartstrings.

Ain't it the truth?! I love the way that Emily was so respectful of my mom's work, and used the same colors and even writing that my mom had used.

Another of the paintings really got to me, and it was this one.

My husband used to call me "Little Lady" when we were dating. Okay, he did call all of the women in his college youth group that name, but clearly I turned out to be the real "Little Lady!" (Yes, I do realize that "Little Lady" in this case stands for Sweet B, because, well, she is little.)

Rachel chose to use ladybugs in the design because I had some ladybug stickers stuck on the mirror, which my aunt had bought me. Do you know that ladybugs symbolize hope?

The room is just beautiful. The same flowers and circles were sewn on the curtains, lamp, and pillows. The drawer knobs were perfectly colored flowers. The crib bedding (which is currently in another room where she sleeps with her daddy-long story due to the fact that I can't sleep with her or I don't sleep because I'm checking her breathing the whole time AND I have to be coherent enough to watch her the next day while hubby works) is stunning, with gingham and ladybugs. I can't wait until we can move it into her room. But even without the crib...it is perfectly perfect.

At the end of the day, as we looked around her room and just took all of it in, we realized that this makeover wasn't for us. It made no difference whether or not we deserved it or were good enough people. It was for Sweet B, and she most definitely deserved it. It was in honor of her journey and her bravery and the fight that she carries within her. It was for her to wake up to every morning for years to come to remind her that she is strong and she is a survivor.

Every day since the makeover we have played in her room. We sit in front of the closet mirrors and laugh and dance and read and play with her toys. And I look around her room every single time and think about how incredibly fortunate we were to get such a gift.

Thank you Rachel and everyone at Cecily's Closet for giving us such an incredible gift. Thank you Emily for your beautiful paintings, and for honoring my mother through them. Thank you to the volunteer group who came and spend their time painting and cleaning and moving things for a little baby, and for the books that you brought. Thank you to the adults who came and organized and ironed and moved things and spent an entire day devoted to making a very special room for our very special girl.

We will always remember it, and I can't wait to show this to Sweet B when she is older, and tell her all about the many people who cared enough about her to give her a room makeover.