Today Was Definitely a Good Day...

This has been a rough week of visits with Dad... I arrived this past Thursday; my brother arrived last Monday and has been visiting every day.  The last two days we found Dad in bed sleeping.  He was so sleepy yesterday we could not even wake him up except for a sip of water...

The day before he was cold and afraid.  I got him an extra blanket and rubbed his back while my brother read him the Bible and rubbed Dad's head.

My daughter Jodee wanted to visit with us today and drove up from Riverside county.  Mom, my brother, Jodee and I went to visit Dad, prepared for the worst.  When we arrived, we found Dad sitting in his wheel chair in the lunch room waiting for lunch.

Dad is so pale, gaunt and weak, but he perked up when he saw us.  He was thrilled to see Jodee, his grand daughter.  We took Dad out on the patio and parked him at an umbrella table with his back a wee bit in the sun.

He was happy to see us and chatted in a weak voice, but with more volume than we have heard most of the week.  He was flirty and feisty.  He asked if we had ever gone with him up the elevator to the top floor of the nursing home (it is only one story) but in Dad's mind, it is a skyscraper and went on and on about the view and his office up there.

His caretaker brought his lunch outside.  It looked and smelled devine!  Meatloaf with gravy, mashed potatoes with gravy, diced beets, strawberry ice cream, pudding, bread and butter, milk, grapejuice and coffee.   My brother fed Dad dessert first from one side of Dad and I fed him his lunch from the other side of Dad.

He told us his ear hurt.  He said it was "pounding" but then told us when he goes to the beach it is always so loud...so to be safe, I told the nurse of Dad's complaints.  I also noted his appeared to have a swollen spot on the upper right side of his nose.  Dad also complained of me hurting his nose when I wiped it for him.  He told me I hurt him...

I apologized and told him I was sorry and he told me, "Well, then DON'T DO IT AGAIN!"  Feisty!

He was very taken with my daughter Jodee...(because he is such a shameless flirt) he told her how much he loves pretty girls and wants to kiss them...but he wants to kiss them a hundred times!  We all roared with laughter.

When it came to drink, Dad usually coughs because he is either having difficulty swallowing and/or he coughs and chokes.  When he was drinking his coffee, I kept warning him to sip and not guzzle.... He tried to guzzle and started to cough, so to hide the fact he was coughing, he coughed, then went..."HAHA..HOHOHO...HEEHEEHEE"....we all laughed again.

My daughter took pictures and promised to send us copies, so I will post them when she has time to send them to me.

The Social Worker came out on the patio as we were finishing up the pictures and asked if we needed any services for Dad.  I told her Dad needed a hair cut, his eye brows trimmed as well as his ears, nostrils and mustache.  I mentioned Dad's complaint of the pounding in his ears, the sore nose and the little swelling on his upper lip.

She asked if he needed to see the Dentist and we told her NO.  I also told her he needed his nails trimmed on his fingers and toes.

Dad has not been eating well all week, but today, he ate 100% at breakfast and 100% at lunch!  Very happy for all of us to see Dad so animated and wanting to eat.

After finishing lunch, Dad thought it would be good to go back inside....so we wheeled him back inside and toward his room.  While walking down the isle, we greeted several of the staff members and gave them hugs.  His male caregiver for the day wanted to look at Dad's upper lip and told us Dad used to have a scrab on his upper lip and he kept picking it...he felt it was OK. 

Two young nurses and Doctor-Doctor came up to Dad and began talking with Dad.  We all said our good byes, but Dad was totally focused on the young woman and treated us like "chopped liver".  We told him we would all see him tomorrow and he told us he would look forward to it.

Tomorrow all six of Dad's children will be there in addition to some spouses, and grand kids, for Father's Day.  We'll have to take up a couple of tables...we'll have so many family members...it should be a good day for Dad.

What a relief to see him more alert and social.  My daughter was thrilled as I had prepared her for the worst.  She was very happy to have such a positive time with her precious "lil' Papa" as both my daughters refer to him...Mom, my brother and I were very relieved too. 

"Let's have lunch at In and Out", my brother suggested, and we all agreed.  Today was definitely a good day.