Tricks Can Be Treats!

It’s Wednesday already and so far, this week has been good. Even though Mother continues to be confused, she has not had too many crying spells. Her life, as she knows it, is still baffling to me!

Yesterday, Elizabeth, Addy and Avery (Elizabeth keeps at her daycare) came over after Addy got out of school. Elizabeth and I had been talking about Jimmy and Sheila’s new baby and out of the blue, Mother asked me how much it would cost for her to go to the doctor. I told her I didn’t know and asked why she thought she needed to see the doctor. She told me she thought she was pregnant! I assured her she was not and of course, she wanted to know how I could possibly know that she was not pregnant. Shortly after that, I took her to the bathroom and she started crying. When I asked her what was wrong, she said she was crying because she had really wanted to be pregnant and have another baby! She even went on to say even though she wanted a baby, she wasn’t sure she could care for it because she was getting so old! I don’t understand how, even though she knows how old she is, that she could possibly believe she was even pregnant. Thankfully, that episode passed pretty quickly and she didn’t mention it again.

Every day, Mother asks me if there is something she could do to help me with the housework or the cooking or even loading the dishwasher. I always tell her that there’s not much to do and I am able to get it done. Yesterday, I had a load of towels to fold and thought I would let her do that since she always wants something to do to occupy her time. She worked on folding the clothes for about three hours and then started crying, saying she couldn’t fold them anymore. She was having trouble seeing the corners is what she told me, but I think she couldn’t remember how to fold them. She kept asking me how I wanted them folded and I told her it didn’t make any difference, just to fold them any way she wanted to fold them. I never thought at the time that she might be having trouble remembering how to fold them. This is still a learning process for me and sometimes I overlook the fact that she has lost so much memory. It never occurred to me that she might not remember how to fold towels!

She can’t remember anymore that she lives with Jody and me. Daily, she asks me who is picking her up to take her home, or she asks me to call the house and see if her Mother is there. She has started talking about Daddy more than she did in the beginning. Last night, she kept asking me if I had heard from him and if he had come home from work yet. Every night when Jody gets home from work she asks him if he came by the house or if he saw Fred (her husband) or if he had seen her Mother or Daddy. Poor Jody, he never knows how to answer her, because I try not to say anything specific that might cause her to be upset. Some days I have to explain to her that Daddy and her parents have all passed away and are not here anymore, but I try to avoid having to do that. Jody walks in and is never sure how the day has been going so he is at a loss about what he should say to her.

She is sleeping better at night – I’m not up at all with her most nights. She still sleeps a lot during the day also. She is just so tired all the time! I continue to ask God to comfort her and to let her feel His presence around her.

Since we live in the country, we never have trick-or-treaters, but all of the grandkids came by to pick up the “goodie” bags I had prepared for them. They came in their costumes and they looked so cute! We had the Red Power Ranger, Buzz Lightyear and Woody and Dorothy from the "Wizard of Oz". The kids are great and so much fun! They add such excitement and joy to my life. I am so thankful for my children (including sons-in-law) and for my grandchildren.

Halloween day was good since the kids came by and I was even able to give Chance a Halloween fright! Last week I took some of Jody’s old clothes, a pair of his old boots and a mask that belonged to Chance from an earlier time, stuffed the clothes and put the “scary” man (the grandkids' name for him) on a bench that is on our front porch. He’s been there all week and just kind of became a “fixture”. Nobody really paid much attention to him anymore.

Yesterday, I dressed up in the clothes, put on the mask and sat on the bench in the same position the “scary” man had been sitting all week. When Chance got home, I waited until he came up on the porch and got right in front of me and I jumped up and scared him! It was so funny! He is always coming up behind me, wrapping his arms around me and holding my arms down so that I can’t get him. He thinks it’s hysterical to overpower me! Yesterday was his payback and it was great! He never even looked at me on the bench because he was so used to the “scary” man. I was slightly injured during all the fun though – when I jumped up and scared him, he automatically, as a reflex action, kicked at me and got me in the shin. I have a huge bruise and swelling where he got me, but even that was worth it! I’m sure he will still pin my arms when he hugs me, but I was able to “overpower” him – even for a little bit!

Wow! November is here! Christmas is just around the corner! This begins our family's busy time as far as birthdays and holidays. Nick and I both have birthdays this month; Thanksgiving is coming; Jody and Toni have birthdays next month; Christmas comes around and then January brings four birthdays – Chance, Joey, Candace and Elizabeth! Jody and I have our wedding anniversary in February (Valentine’s Day) and then the activity slows down and spreads out! We get a little break from birthdays.
I have decided one of my New Year’s resolutions for 2007 will be to get more organized regarding birthdays and anniversaries. I am so bad about sending cards and acknowledging special days. Birthdays and "special" days have never meant a great deal to me and I forget that other people don’t feel about those days the same way I feel about them. I really would like to be better and at least send a card to each person on his or her day. That is going to be a priority for me in the upcoming year!

Since I am no longer working, I don’t see my friends from my old job. They have called me and we communicate by email, but I really miss seeing them. I told a few of them that I would plan a brunch and have them all out to the house since I am not free to leave the house much anymore. I still have not set a date and planned the brunch, but think I will plan it this week and let them all know so that we can get together. I miss them a lot – they were a strong support system for me for the past ten years. I was very blessed to work with Christians and to be able to have such great people to call my friends. I am anxious to see them and need to have them over before they all get busy with the holidays.

I am grateful for the prayers offered up on behalf of Mother and my family. To each of you, I say thank you and please continue to pray for us. As we all know, God does answer our prayers and He continues to touch our lives and it’s evident by the decreasing anxiety attacks that Mother experiences!

The LORD is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.
My heart leaps for joy
and I will give thanks to him in song. Psalm 28:7