On a recent trip to visit my mom, Mr. Laura and I accompanied her to the cafeteria of her nursing facility for lunch. While my mom ate, Mr. Laura begin to fidget and ask constantly, "when are we leaving?" I repeatedly told him that we would stay with Nana until she had finished lunch and we could help her get back to her room. I was becoming annoyed with Mr. Laura for his repetition. Here is how the rest of the conversation and lunch went.....
Ma: Mr. Laura I have all ready answered that question. What is really bothering you?
Mr. Laura: I am a little bit freaked out right now.
Ma: About what?
Mr. Laura: There are all these little old ladies in wheel chairs waving and smiling at me. One lady keeps motioning me to come over. I don't want to go over there. She is a complete stranger.
I did a quick scan of the room and sure enough many of the women's faces were focused on Mr. Laura all vying for his attention. He was the youngest person in the room by a good 30 years. I assured him that it was OK not to want to go over to any of them. I suggested that if he were to just smile and wave back at them that he would probably make their day. The rest of lunch continued with out too much more anxiety on Mr. Laura's part.
As we were leaving, one woman swiveled her wheel chair around and while pressing something into Mr. Laura's hand said, "Here boy take this with you." Once we were in the hallway I asked Mr. Laura what she had given him. He replied, "A little tub of butter. And now I'm a little bit freaked out again."
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Resurfacing
Gosh, it has been more than 2 months since my last post. Motivation and lack of time have been the two main factors. The last two months have been filled with activity - some happy, some sad.
Here's a quick recap of the past few months:
My mom finally was released in early January from the hospital to a rehab/skilled nursing facility. Initial evaluation by the facility was not encouraging - they doubted she would ever walk again. After a lot of hard work on her part and her very dedicated therapist, she has surpassed these expectations. She is walking with the aid of a walker and has even begun to show signs of being able to stand from a sitting position unaided. The shunt operation to relieve the pressure in her brain has made all the difference. Mentally and cognitively she is back to her old self. She is getting stronger everyday.
Shortly after our return from Chicago, Mr. Edwards began to behave quite differently. He was having some very concerning anxiety/phobia issues along with exhibiting some OCD behaviors. For weeks he was not eating or sleeping. He was waking me 3 to 4 times a night. He refused to leave the house. Any semblance of a "normal" life and routine had disappeared for us. It was a very trying time for all of us. Mr. Edwards has been seeing a therapist since early February and has made tremendous progress. Life has returned mostly to "normal" - whatever that is.
As far as the pregnancy goes, it has been a cake walk thus far (knock on wood). No major complaints or complications. I am feeling the physical effects of this pregnancy more so than I did when pregnant in my 20's and 30's. We have 8 weeks to go and are getting excited about having a sweet new baby in the house again.
In early March, my grandmother, or GG as she is known to the great grandkids, quite suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. She had spent the past 22 months at my mother's side as my mom dealt with her disease. At almost 86, she was vital and able and giving until the end. She will be greatly missed by all of us.
We have decided to postpone building our house at the land for a while. Life has felt too hectic and unpredictable lately. Instead we are having an addition put on our current house. We are adding a master bedroom/bathroom and nursery to our house. The builder has nearly completed the shell and we should be able to get to work on the interior finish work soon. I doubt it will be complete by the time the baby arrives, but knowing that it is there is a comfort. We will go from a 3 BR/2 Bath house to a 5 BR/3 Bath house. While that sounds big to me, I guess for 8 people it isn't entirely unreasonable.
Here's a quick recap of the past few months:
My mom finally was released in early January from the hospital to a rehab/skilled nursing facility. Initial evaluation by the facility was not encouraging - they doubted she would ever walk again. After a lot of hard work on her part and her very dedicated therapist, she has surpassed these expectations. She is walking with the aid of a walker and has even begun to show signs of being able to stand from a sitting position unaided. The shunt operation to relieve the pressure in her brain has made all the difference. Mentally and cognitively she is back to her old self. She is getting stronger everyday.
Shortly after our return from Chicago, Mr. Edwards began to behave quite differently. He was having some very concerning anxiety/phobia issues along with exhibiting some OCD behaviors. For weeks he was not eating or sleeping. He was waking me 3 to 4 times a night. He refused to leave the house. Any semblance of a "normal" life and routine had disappeared for us. It was a very trying time for all of us. Mr. Edwards has been seeing a therapist since early February and has made tremendous progress. Life has returned mostly to "normal" - whatever that is.
As far as the pregnancy goes, it has been a cake walk thus far (knock on wood). No major complaints or complications. I am feeling the physical effects of this pregnancy more so than I did when pregnant in my 20's and 30's. We have 8 weeks to go and are getting excited about having a sweet new baby in the house again.
In early March, my grandmother, or GG as she is known to the great grandkids, quite suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. She had spent the past 22 months at my mother's side as my mom dealt with her disease. At almost 86, she was vital and able and giving until the end. She will be greatly missed by all of us.
We have decided to postpone building our house at the land for a while. Life has felt too hectic and unpredictable lately. Instead we are having an addition put on our current house. We are adding a master bedroom/bathroom and nursery to our house. The builder has nearly completed the shell and we should be able to get to work on the interior finish work soon. I doubt it will be complete by the time the baby arrives, but knowing that it is there is a comfort. We will go from a 3 BR/2 Bath house to a 5 BR/3 Bath house. While that sounds big to me, I guess for 8 people it isn't entirely unreasonable.
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