Friday, December 9, 2022Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2003. By this point in Mattie's development, he loved the bathtub. So much so that even when it wasn't bath time, he wanted to sit there and play. If you look closely though you will see Mattie had red eyes and his nose was dripping. I can't remember exactly what was going on, but it was possible Mattie was having a tantrum. Mattie's tantrums were overwhelming physically and emotionally and when I was exacerbated, I would put him in the tub. Let him regroup, while I sat on the floor watching him and trying to calm down. Needless to say, we learned a lot about each other and through the tough times, we grew incredibly close.
Quote of the day: Grief can be the garden of compassion. If you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life’s search for love and wisdom. ~ Rumi
It was another ridiculous morning. I got up at 6am because I knew the HVAC folks were coming around 8am. Which meant that the water was going to be turned off for them to work, and I had to get breakfast made and my dad up and showered before any of this happened. Literally I was running around like a chicken without a head this morning, moving rapidly to get things done. Mind you I am tired beyond belief and had a six hour stint in the hospital yesterday while my mom underwent testing.
Peter got my dad to the memory care center and during the four hours he was gone, I put together a December newsletter for the Foundation and completed two hours of continuing education credits. I have only ONE more to go! Totally amazing, no? I was dead set on getting 40 hours if it killed me.
In the middle of all the activity, Sunny's mobile groomer came to the house. This is NOT one of Sunny's favorite activities, but it is very important, especially now that he is on chemotherapy. He gets washed and cut monthly and Courtney even gave Sunny a Christmas bandana. Peter took Sunny to the garden center later today and I hear all the women stopped and wanted to pet and get to know Sunny. The power of the Sunman!!! I can't think of a better and more loyal companion. I feel guilty that I can't spend the same amount of time I once did with him, because at one time we were inseparable. Now I can hardly care for myself.
When my dad came home from the memory care center, I took my parents out to eat in Rockville, MD. My dad gets along splendidly with Dawn, a server we have known for over a year now. She understands his memory issues and peppers him enough to keep him engaged at the table. She is worth her weight in gold for doing just that. On the way to the restaurant, I shared with my dad that my mom's test results from yesterday came in. My mom doesn't have Parkinson's or any movement disorder disease like Parkinson's. Of course this is great news, but I admit, I am FRUSTRATED as there is no physical data or explanation for her symptoms. But I know she has PLENTY of them.
In any case, my dad was upset that we withheld this information from him. He thought we learned about the results in the morning and did not tell him until 3pm. Which was NOT true. I read the scan report in my mom's medical portal only minutes before we got in the car. Despite trying to reason with him, he couldn't get it. He kept shaking his head. I finally was able to get through to him but it took several attempts, which only further wiped me out.
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