Love and strength to all of you, Robin. And, so scary and courageous -- just last night Hec and I were talking about friends and relatives of ours who have had to face similar demons, but who didn't have the family support or the courage to face them down for many, many decades. And some people never do it at all. An awful battle to face, but so very good that she's doing it now, before all those decades get taken from her.

Oh Robin. I'm glad she's there safely, but I know how horrid it must be to wait now. Strength to you and yours.

All best to Robin's fam. Yay! For AmyParker...I love to hear about people's dreams, maybe, coming true. And I feel like the weird lurker who somehow knows y'all,(I bet that is how visiting Baltimore will feel, too, once I finally go) but the muses are kind of at a dull roar today so I can pop in and out, I think.

If someone were hypothetically putting together a box of tiny baby clothes to loan to a hypothetical friend whose baby will be almost exactly a year younger, is a Sharpie on the tags a good way of marking them, or will that run in the wash and create black, inky mess?

As far as I can tell, once Sharpie ink dries, it's there until the molecules break down.

Thanks, Ginger!

(Good lord, these newborn-6 month sizes are tiny!)

I don't know, Susan. I do know there is laundry ink--and I seem to remember pens (markers, really) with laundry ink, for that purpose.

But...I did not loan clothes. I gave them away, or kept them. If I thought I could use something for a future child, since I planned on having future children, I kept them. Things I didn't care about (or had in abundance) I gave for keepsies. Sometimes, I happened to get them back.

Babies spit up, and poop, and spill stuff, and mothers don't always get the stains out. Certain items just wear out, lose their shape, get pilly, or otherwise not so great, with more wear and tear.

I'm giving blood today.

I hope I don't throw up.

I know, Cindy. I'm not loaning out anything that has sentimental value. I'm assuming some of it will fall apart or get lost or otherwise not be returnable.

Okay, Susan. I just figured if you were bothering to mark them, you planned on getting them back.

There were a few items friends and family offered to lend us, that they wanted back, afterwards. I just politely refused. I think I am probably an oddball about this, both ways (as a giver and a recipient). Take-backs stress me out.