A Pleasant Surprise Upon Waking...

Talked to Mom today...she said my youngest brother E_____ went to visit Dad yesterday.  When he arrived, Dad was asleep.  Doctor-Doctor told my brother Dad had left specific instructions to wake him if any family came by.  She also inquired as to how Mom was doing.  All the staff miss her...

E______ woke Dad... "What a pleasant surprise!'  Dad recognized E____ immediately, hugging him and telling him how good it was to see him.  They went out on the patio and had a nice visit.

Dad wanted to make sure my brother told all of us how well he was doing and how great he felt...  love you Papa-doots....

Dad is Re-Enlisting in the Marines...

Dad called Mom tonight...  He wanted to know if his Marine Corps uniform was still in the plastic zipper bag in the hall closet.  He has decided to re-enlist.  He asked Mom if she knew where his hat was.  Mom told him the Corps would have to issue him a new one.

He told Mom he was planning on setting up a tent in the back yard...

Dad wanted to know if Mom realized their daughter Holly now works at the nursing home... Mom reminded Dad my sister works for a hardware company... Dad chuckled and agreed he was probably mixed up.

He asked if their grand sons still lived down the street... (they live in the next town).  Mom told him they were divided their time between their Dad's home and their Mom's home with her new husband.  Dad wanted to talk to my brother S_____  and Mom quipped, "wouldn't we all!"  Mom told Dad my brother was busy going to school, working on his Masters and working a job at night...

Dad thought Mom said Pastor's Degree....

Both my parents are life long Republicans.  Dad told Mom he liked President Obama and thought his job plan and taxing the rich were GREAT ideas.  Mom grumbled under her breath, as Dad asked her how she felt about it. Mom told him she would NOT be voting for him...

Mom was watching the Angel baseball game and asked Dad if he was watching too...He told her he was and thought they were doing so great shooting all those baskets...  Mom snickered and agreed with him...

Dad told her about a "beady eyed" woman he really liked and wanted her to be his counselor...

Talking non stop, Mom could not get many words in, but Dad said he felt fine but needed a toothbrush.  Mom suggested he talk to one of the nurses and they would give him one.  He told her that was a great idea...


He didn't ask how Mom was, only that his phone had not been working, so one of his lady friends help fix it so he could call her.

Mom is still not going many places as it hurts too much to walk.  She is also taking Fosomax.  I could not take it.  It made me sore all over and made my ankles and knees feel like I had been hit with a bat...  I wonder if that medication is adding to her problems...her doctor says she is "on the road to recovery", but from what my sister said, Mom still looks to be very much in pain...

We have been having a lot of work done on the house and the days have been flying by... we leave for Tucson, Arizona tomorrow to visit friends and then attend a family funeral on Sunday the 2nd.  I plan on calling both Mom and Dad while we are driving tomorrow...

When we get back, we have birthdays and our ten year anniversary, company from New York coming to stay a week, celebrating two years since we adopted Izzy, our dog and then I have a trip to California for my grand son's 7th birthday, trick or treat with them and then visit my Dad for his 91st birthday....

One of our anniversary gifts is to see the Eagles in concert in November.  We will make a night of it and all the friends and family members in attendance will be all staying over night at the MGM Grand Hotel.  Should be a fun night!

I hope to pop in once in awhile to blog and visit other blogs...but I also have a new exercise plan I have decided to get started on...so wish me luck on that!

Hope all of you are well...  I miss you all and look forward to talking with you soon!

One Year Old Today!!!

First birthday picture of Jacob. One year old today.

Arrival at Toys R Us for a shopping spree...

Birthday shopping at Toys R Us

Happy Birthday Jakers!

We had a wonderful celebration two earlier at the Santa Ana Zoo, under a canopy of jungle plants.  Sadly, my oldest daughter was really ill with the flu, which developed into bronchitis, so she and her family could not make it.  We took lots of pictures to share with them however...



The Mystery is Solved!

I got a phone call from the nursing home.  The nurse who promised to investigate to find out who was helping Dad make phone calls to Mom...discovered who it was....

IT IS DAD HIMSELF!  Just when we think he cannot do something, he shows everyone how capable he really is!  She watched him go to his room, when all his roommates were gone.  He picked up the phone and dialed.  She could hear him talking with someone, so she ventured into the room and asked who he was speaking with...

He ignored her and kept talking.  That is when she left and called me.  Sure enough, I called Mom and she said Dad had called her.  He wanted to know how she was.  He was very concerned about her. He asked if they could go to church together.  She told him she had not been to church because she still is having trouble walking...  He was very understanding and apologized for not remembering... Mom said the conversation was very short and pleasant.

We are all blown away as Dad could not dial the phone without Mom helping him prior to going into the nursing home.  I guess the meds he is on for the Alzheimer's is helping in some way.  We know it is a "hit or miss" situation, but apparently, at night, he can dial the phone...

Tomorrow we leave for CA for little Jacob's first birthday party!  I promise to take plenty of pictures to share...

I spoke with my oldest daughter today, Jacob and his mommy stayed over night at Auntie's house because both my daughters wanted to watch the Finale of Big Brother.  I could hear Jacob jabbering and squealing in the background.  Apparently, he was walking up a storm and having a blast playing with his 9 year and 6.5 year old cousins.

We plan on visiting Mom and Dad after we drop my step-son in Riverside...

Have a safe and happy weekend everyone...

The Marine Has Landed...

I will taking a break for a couple of weeks.  My step-son joined the Marines and flew in today for a five day visit.  He was told to "be ready" any time between October and January to leave for boot camp. The first two weeks, he is not allowed any contact with the outside world.  After the two weeks, he can receive letters.

We don't know if he will be here for Christmas so we want to enjoy our time with him before he leaves. He will celebrate his 21st birthday this April. If he has leave, he said he would want to come back to celebrate with us.

What a difference already.  He no longer eats "junk food" or carbs, soda, or chips.  The Marines require him to do PT twice a week and test once a month.  He works out six times per week "for his own preservation".  His spiky, stylish hair is all shaved to a "1".  He still looks so handsome...

The end of the week, we will all travel together to California to celebrate Jacob's first birthday. Jacob has four teeth on the top and four on the bottom now, cutting some other ones.  Still has peach fuzz on his head, but he walking! Where the heck did this past year go???

Mom's X-Ray Results...

Mom received the results of her x-rays.  The doctor believes her pain is from compression fractures to her spine and arthritis.  The doctor gave her a pain shot, pain medication and is sending her to a pain management clinic.  She will have another x-ray and an MRI to verify the diagnosis.  They are not sure if the compression fractures were a result of her fall last April...but it is a definite possibility.

I spoke with her the last couple days, she was having a rough time with the pain medication making her feel nauseated.

Dad called Mom again.... (unbelievable!)

"Hello?"


" I wanted to tell you some important things..."

"Big things are happening around here..."

"I really am happy here and I feel GREAT!"

Mom started to tell Dad she has been nauseated from the pain medication....and Dad cut her off and continued to go on about all the things he is in charge of...

Mom asked who helped him dial the phone.

"I don't dial, I just punch in the numbers on the buttons..."  Mom was shocked to hear this, not sure to believe him, as he could not push the buttons on their home phone prior to going into the nursing home.

Mom could hear someone talking in the back ground...

"Don't interrupt me, I am on the phone..."

The phone was disconnected.

Will have to call again and have the staff find out if Dad is calling Mom on his own...

A Father is...

Words taken from lyrics written by Sonny Bell

image from Pinterest

“He’s a son’s first hero. He’s a daughter’s first love.” Their eyes filled with tears as they listened to the song lyrics their father had written just days before. At 47, Sonny Bell seemed too young to die. His battle with cancer began in 1998 when he was diagnosed with melanoma. It was detected early, and for eight and a half years, Sonny thought he had beaten it. In the fall of 2006, he learned he hadn’t. The melanoma had moved from his skin to his brain. For five months he fought the disease, and it seemed he was making progress. But on March 26, 2007, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Hours later, the blood clot took his life."  -- The Lookout magazine

Dirigibles and Other Concerns...

Dad called Mom last night... she recognized the number and did not pick up.  She asked me to call the nursing home to check who is allowing Dad to call her.  When he calls, it is always at night and he has "Sun downers syndrome" in the late afternoon.  His calls are very upsetting to her because he sounds so mixed up.

She listened to his message:

"Hello?"

"I just wanted to make sure you had seen the third Dirigible crash...."

"Lots of people died... it is so terrible..."


" I saw them ascend to heaven..."

"NO!"

"Why do you almost interrupt me when I am trying to make a phone call?"

The phone disconnected...

Mom told me Dad was 17 when he saw the Hindenburg fly over Connecticut before it crashed in New Jersey.  It really traumatized him.  Every time the Hindenburg's crash is discussed or shown on TV or appears as a question on Jeopardy, Dad re-tells the same story...

I attempted to call, but Dad was waiting to be served lunch in the dining room.  The nurse asked me to call in a half hour... she told me they all know to call me, so it has to be a part time, new employee on the evening shift, who helps Dad call.  She promised she would investigate...

I will try again in a half hour...

I just hate thinking of Dad remembering something so traumatic and not being able to talk with one of his family to calm him down.  Course, most likely he has forgotten all about it...

During Mom and my sister's last visit, Doctor-Doctor assured them not to worry.  She told them both how much Dad is loved there and how they take good care of him.  She told them not to worry... Doctor-Doctor was very concerned with Mom's fall and how long it is taking for her to recuperate.  Assuring Mom, she just needed to do what she had to do to feel better....

Mom used to have a very busy schedule, but now she only goes out twice a week.  Once to Jenny Craig to pic up her food and to get her hair done.  All her volunteering and attending to church has come to a temporary hold.  Her groups will be starting back up this month, and she still does not feel she is up to it.

I am very concerned about her.  I urged her to consider Life Line, where she wears an electronic locket around her neck in case she should fall.  All she would have to do is "click it" and it would signal she needed help and the company would call an ambulance.

Mom has a false sense of security with her grand daughter, my niece, living there. My niece just graduated from LVN school.  This weekend she is gone to the mountains.  During the day she is at work or school, in which case, Mom is alone.  If she should fall during the day, she would lie there until my niece came home.  She told me she would think about it...


My niece plans to marry July of 2012, so I hope Mom does it before then...  If I call and she did not answer the phone, I would call a family member to go check on her...

I was relieved to hear Mom plans on asking her doctor to schedule an x-ray or MRI to get to the bottom of why she is still having pain in her legs and back... She will not consider a cane or walker as she does not trust it to be stable.  She feels more secure leaning on walls, the refrigerator and furniture...