November in a Nutshell

This picture is from our annual family camping trip.  We usually go in October so we were a little late this year.  We had one rainy day but the rest of the weather was beautiful.

This picture is from Jimmy's birthday.  He really enjoyed his pineapple upside down cake.

This picture is from Thanksgiving.  Jason cooked the turkey in his oil-less turkey fryer.  It was delicious.

 
 This picture is from Lilly's and Lucy's birthday party.  Lilly's 6th birthday was November 23 and Lucy's 3rd birthday was November 26.  It's hard to believe those girls have grown up so quickly!

This picture is of Laura and me at the Christmas tree lot.  This year we have a real tree for the first time in a while.  I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed it.  Of course, the needles aren't falling all over the place yet.

November had a few milestones that don't have pictures.

Hannah had her last orthodonist visit, at least we hope it's the last.  She got braces when she was 12 and she says she's not missing them at all.

We were blessed to attend Jonas's dedication at Parkwood Baptist Church.  It was a very meaningful service.  Jonas was, of course, the cutest and sweetest and most intelligent baby there.

Christmas List

I really love Amazon's wish list option.  I'm trying to get everyone in our family to make a wish list for Christmas shopping.  It makes it so much easier to see exactly what people want.  I love to click through Amazon's different departments.  It's almost as addicting as Pinterest.  Anyway, while browsing through Amazon, I've discovered a few things I really don't want for Christmas. 

* A musical toilet paperholder

*An electric meat slicer - It looks scary dangerous.    

*An electric meat grinder - same as meat slicer    

*A talking bathroom scale - It's bad enough to have to look at my weight without hearing it as well.

* A yodeling pickle (Yes, they have one on Amazon.  No, it doesn't seem to be affiliated with Veggie Tales)

If you happened to have already bought any of these things for me, it's okay.  When I open the gift, I'll tell you how much I love it and have always wanted it, unless it's a Conway Twitty cassette tape. In that case, the truth will prevail again.

Random Facts from our Day

Today is Tuesday.  I had to think about that for a moment.  I wasn't sure.

We all have colds.  It sounds like a cough convention in this house.

I went grocery shopping, not my favorite thing.  But ice cream was bogo so I did (buy one and get one, I mean) and we're having ice cream right now. Thanks to this cold, I can't really taste it, though.

I didn't cook supper.  We ate leftovers from the refrigerator:  sweet potatoes, gravy, peas, and an Italian chicken pasta dish that Jennifer brought over the other day.  Jennifer's dish was the favorite. 

Our library books are due tomorrow.  We've already renewed them once online so we can't do that again.  We'll have to return them or pay the fines. 

Our camping trip was fun, in spite of the rain.  We have pictures and someday we'll post them, maybe.

I had 2 black bananas lurking in the kitchen so I baked banana oatmeal muffins.  I had oatmeal I needed to use up, too, so that killed 2 birds with one stone. They're pretty good. Phillip ate 2.

Laura had a good visit with my mom this morning.  I feel encouraged for the first time in quite a while.  We hoping to get a recliner to put in her room so she has somewhere comfortable to sit.  She's either in bed or in her wheelchair most of the time.

The ticking clocks in here are driving me crazy.  It's not a comforting sound to me.  It sounds like a timer ticking down.  I feel like I either need to hurry and finish some undefined task or get out quickly because something is going to explode.

Last random fact:  Our jack-o-lantern is still on the front porch.  My goal is to put it in the compost pile before Thanksgiving.

November

I'm glad October is over.  It's usually a month filled with celebrations for our family. This October has been so hard.  Now it's November, and I'm going to try to make it a month of truly being thankful even with all the hard things going on.  There are so many good things but they get lost when I focus on just the difficulties of life.  So for the next month, I'm making a special effort to appreciate the blessings of God in my life. 

Years Fly By

October 19 was our 38th anniversary.  It just doesn't seem possible that we could have been married that long.  People who have been married 38 years should be, well, old.  And I guess we are, I just usually don't notice it.  Until I look in the mirror, that is.  There are a lot of things I'd change in my life if I could, but the man I married would not be one of them. 

today

Today Mom is much calmer.  I spoke briefly to the doctor and he's taking her off the ativan.  She can't stop taking it suddenly so they're tapering it off as quickly as they can.  Hopefully we'll see an improvement. 

Today I woke up with a headache but it's getting better thanks to the miracle of migraine medication.

Today our home school group is bringing our supper, such a kind gesture of support during this time.  It's the perfect day because I don't have to think about what to cook.

Today the weather is just beautiful.  It's a very gentle day with a blue sky and quiet breeze. 

Today I still don't know how the situation with Mom will turn out.  I don't know when or if she'll be able to come home.  But I do know that God is still in control and that His plan is perfect.  I don't have to know the future.  I just have to trust Him today.

Weekend in Virginia

We spent the weekend in Virginia.  It was a great visit.  Saturday we spent some time at Jaclyn's, then had supper at Emily's.  We got to see how much Scooter had grown and meet Rue for the first time. (Those are Emily's cats.)  On Sunday we picked up Caleb, Jack, and Sam and spent the morning with them at the park.  We had lunch uptown in Radford and then went to the yogurt shop.  Even though we threatened to kidnap the boys and bring them to NC with us, they had to stay with their parents. After lots of hugs, we headed back down the mountain towards home. 

September 15, 1994

Today is a special day for us.  It's Hannah's 17th birthday.  She's our youngest, the baby of the family, the end of the line, the caboose.  Hannah was born 2 weeks before my 40th birthday and now, in my advanced years, I don't know how I'd manage without her.  She's the brains of this operation and she keeps everything running smoothly.  Happy birthday to Hannah!

Hero of the Week

Yesterday Mom had a doctor's appointment at 2:30.  She's gotten much weaker and I knew that Hannah and I weren't going to be able to get her down the steps and into the van by ourselves.  I asked Bobby if he would be able to help me.  He was in school in Shelby until 1:45 but he said he'd come and help.  Bobby got here a little after 2 and Mom said she wasn't getting out of the chair.  Bobby convinced her to get up, got her into the wheelchair, got the wheelchair down the steps, and got her into the van.  At the doctor's office, they had someone come out and get her out of the van and then back into it after her appointment.  When we got home, Bobby drove over and helped get her out of the van and back into the house.  I don't know what we'd have done without him.  He went out of his way to help.  So Bobby Ledwell is my hero of the week!  Thank you, Bobby.

Mom's doctor is concerned that she's much weaker and more confused.  He took her off her some medications to see if they were causing her decline.  She's going back September 30.  He didn't have her records from the ER the day she was unresponsive so he's getting those. The physical therapist did her reevaluation today and she could see the decline as well.  Please keep Mom in your prayers. 

Updating

I want to bring everyone up to date on my mom and on Phillip's mom.  It's been a rough week.

Last Wednesday Phillip's mom had a stroke.  She had another one a few days later.  There is really nothing that can be done for her at this point.  She will open her eyes but doesn't show any recognition of anyone.  She can swallow pureed foods so she won't need a feeding tube, at least for now.  Her right side is paralyzed and they suspect that she's blind in her right eye.  The plan right now is to move her from the hospital back to the nursing home tomorrow morning.  This is a sad time for all of the family.

Last Thursday we had to call an ambulance for my mom.  She had been very sleepy all day, but during the afternoon, she wouldn't respond at all.  I checked her blood sugar to be sure it hadn't dropped, and she didn't even flinch when I stuck her finger.  (Her blood sugar was ok.) At the ER, they couldn't find anything wrong.  She was very combative and totally confused.  They told me to take her home and see how she did.  Since then, she's been much more confused.  Most of the time she doesn't know who I am.  Occasionally she'll call me by name, but not usually.  Sometimes I'm Helen, but other times I'm somebody named Joyce, or I'm "Hey Lady."  Yesterday she fired me and said she was getting somebody else. I really think she had a mini-stroke last Thursday. It's hard to accept, but I read a comment once about Alzheimer's disease.  It advised families to let go of the person their loved one used to be and accept and enjoy the person they are now.  That's what we're trying to do.  We have some really good times together, whether she knows who I am or not. 

Reality Check

Hannah and I sat on the porch this evening and talked about what we had thought it would be like when Mom came home.  Looking back we weren't prepared at all for this experience.  We knew that Mom was miserable at the nursing home but we really thought she'd be happy when she got settled back at home.  All the professionals who worked with her told us that her confusion would most likely improve when she got home, but she probably would never improve to the point where she'd been before.  I can't see a lot of improvement yet, but it hasn't even been a week.

Communication is a big problem.  Usually we can figure out what she's trying to say but not all the time.  She can speak just fine, but the words put together don't make sense.  For example, today she told me to get my pickles.  Ok, that sounded ridiculous, but I realized that she was upset because I wasn't wearing shoes.  Pickles were shoes.  And I'm sure that to her, the things we say sound just as silly.  It must be so frustrating to her.  I don't know if that's a result of the stroke or the dementia, or both.

She's not sleeping at night so that takes a toll on us and on her.  She doesn't wander so I'm not terrible concerned about that, but I'm worried that I won't hear her get up and she'll fall or get hurt somehow.  Hannah is a pretty light sleeper and she's very alert to her Grandma so she gets up a lot with her. 

I hope this doesn't sound like a complaint because it's not meant to be that.  It's just a reality check.  I love my mom and, even though I'd never choose this path for her, I'm going to walk it with her.   

Mom Is at Home

Mom came home yesterday, a day ahead of schedule.  She got so agitated on Sunday that we asked if she could come home on Monday instead of waiting until today.  She's much happier here but still very confused.  Today started out better than yesterday but I think I've just had my first experience with sundowning.  Home Health care came this afternoon and she didn't like that at all.  Since it was the first visit there was a lot of paperwork to do.  She got very upset and kept telling them to stop yakking and leave.  She slept most of the rest of the afternoon and enjoyed supper, but after supper she was very irritable and more confused than usual.  A little after 8:00 she got upset at being up so late and wanted to go to bed.  I tried to help her to bed but she said that I wasn't going to tell her what to do.  Then she really got upset and tried to make me leave. I just kept talking to her in a calm voice and agreeing with everything she said.  Eventually I got her to bed.  She felt like she couldn't breathe but I think it was more of a panic attack than anything else.  She wanted me to sit with her, so I did.  Then she wanted everything cleaned off her nightstand so I did that.  At this point she seems to have settled down.  I hope she can rest well. 

Mom's Day Today

When I got to the nursing home this morning, Mom was complaining that her stomach hurt.  This is a common complaint for her.  We fixed her some oatmeal and that seemed to help.  Then I met with the nurses to learn how to give Mom's insulin injections.  It isn't something that I'm looking forward to, but I can do it.

My niece is a nurse where Mom is at rehab, and she found her this afternoon over on a totally different hall.  She asked Mom what she was doing, and Mom said, "Looking for something to steal."  My niece said, "Grandma, what do you mean?"  Mom said, "I'm looking for something to steal so I can get kicked out of this place."  She is so ready to come home. 

Mom's Cardiologist Visit

Mom had a cardiologist visit today.  It went pretty much the way I expected.  She has some complex health issues that are hard to manage.  She has congestive heart failure, a rapid, irregular heartbeat, diabetes, blood pressure problems, dementia, and she's had a stroke.  The doctor said that giving her medication for all these conditions is like walking a tightrope.  What helps one condition can cause problems with another.  He made some medication changes and ordered blood work.

She's supposed to come home on Tuesday.  Hannah and I are going to sit in on her physical therapy session Friday to get an idea of how her mobility is.  I still need to learn how to administer her insulin.  That scares me but the nurses assure me that I can learn to do it.  She is so unhappy at the nursing home, though.  It's hard to leave her, begging us to take her home.  If all goes as planned, by next week at this time she'll be home. 

After the nursing home van picked Mom up at the doctor's office, Hannah and I went to the library.  It was a nice break.  We haven't been to the library all summer.  Now we have to remember to return our books on time.

+First Post

Months ago, my brother suggested that I start a blog so I'm following his advice.  It just took me a while. 

Today was the first day of our last year of homeschooling.  Hannah is a senior.  I've been homeschooling for more years than I can remember.   And now this is the last year.  I've loved homeschooling, mostly because I got to spend so much time with my children and they are wonderful company.  But now this season of life is ending, and that's ok.  

We're trying to settle in at Mom's house.  She is scheduled to come home from rehab next Tuesday.  It's going to be a huge adjustment for all of us.  She hasn't been home since June, and the stroke and the infections have really accelerated her dementia.  I can't envision what it's going to be like, but we're going to manage.