Tonight's picture was taken in December of 2003. Mattie was a year and a half old and we were headed to California to celebrate Christmas with my parents. This was actually Mattie's second plane trip, so by that point, I knew Mattie actually liked to fly, that he would be UP the entire flight and that I had to have a full bag of tricks to keep him busy. Peter was sitting in front of us and snapped this photo of me playing with Mattie. I will never forget that moment in time and how different I thought my life would be from what it is now.
Quote of the day: They that love beyond the world cannot be separated by it. Death cannot kill what never dies. ~ WILLIAM PENN
Last night after clearing the dinner dishes, I thought I would sit down for a minute. Forget it! My mom started to panic because she developed a nose bleed. It lasted for at least twenty minutes and I am not sure what was harder to manage, the bleeding or her intense anxiety. She truly thought she was dying and trying to rationalize with her was difficult. I finally told her it was a nose bleed, that it isn't a sign that her bronchial condition is back or that she has a significant health issue. It is cold and dry and my mom is sensitive to these weather changes.
I packed her nose with tissues and put an ice pack on her nose. The bleeding eventually stopped and she began to calm down. I immediately moved my humidifier from my bedroom into hers and had her sleep with it running all night. In addition, I gave her nasal moisturizer spray. So I think she will be just fine, but these constant crises and issues frazzle me, because I have to stay very calm and be the parent on duty.
Peter is looking into getting a humidifier for the entire house and we contacted FH Furr (who we use for all our plumbing, heating, electrical and HVAC issues) about an installation asap. Ironically the house did have a humidifier at one time, but it was dismantled by the previous owner and never re-installed.
Today was another full day. My dad had his last physical therapy appointment. His therapist has been wonderful and I brought a Christmas gift into the clinic to thank her. The therapist will start working with my mom in January. However, I contacted an in-home fitness company that works with older adults, and we will be meeting Leah next week for an evaluation. The goal is to have Leah continue where my dad's therapist left off. Basically maintaining his energy level, posture, and abilities. I had to face the simple fact that I can't be my dad's therapist. He really doesn't respond to me in this capacity and instead will tell me he is exhausted and give me a hard time. He is not likely to do this with a stranger. Therefore, I am grateful that companies like Renew Me Fitness exist.
All I know is since starting Ritalin, my dad's abilities have rapidly declined. Mainly because the medication stupefied him. Now that we stopped the medication, it is my hope that we can get back to where we were at (with walking and exercising) three weeks ago. What is unfortunately apparent with my dad is that decline happens easily and getting him stabilized can then take months. It is extremely frustrating. I am worn out, bordering on exhausted and there is no end in sight.
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