Tonight's picture was taken in January of 2003. Mattie was 9 months old and we worked hard at giving him time on the floor to strength his muscles. We had all sorts of playmats and hanging toys to capture his attention. As you can see, Mattie was having a good time and was actually laughing. But I would have to say floor time was not his favorite place to be. Mattie much preferred any kind of locomotion.
Quote of the day: It is very strange…that the years teach us patience; that the shorter our time, the greater our capacity for waiting. ~ Elizabeth Taylor
It was my usual morning of getting myself out of bed, taking a shower and getting ready, making breakfast, and cleaning up the first floor. Then I headed back upstairs to wake my dad, get him showered and dressed and downstairs for breakfast. Once done with breakfast, we worked on his daily journal (which helps him track his day), and then I drove him to the memory care center. After which I ran some chores and then got back home to take my mom to physical therapy. I spend an inordinate amount of time driving and shuttling my parents from one place to another. Truly that alone is physically tiring, but then factor in everything else and it is amazing that I am still standing. I try not to sit down much during the day, because I am so tired that I could fall asleep easily.
I am very glad that I moved my mom's physical therapy appointments to Virginia Hospital Center, where my dad did therapy. I am very impressed with the team there and I can already see that the PT is pushing my mom and not coddling her. The last therapist (at another hospital system), was frightened of my mom. She did not challenge my mom and she most definitely did not point out the issues that she has with her posture which impacts her balance. It is important for me to be a part of my mom's therapy sessions because I can see from one exercise to another, she isn't remembering what she is doing.
In fact, last night I went through her exercise routine with her at home and I would say after it was over, her legs were aching and bothering her. She was complaining so much that I landed up massaging lotion into her legs for about forty minutes. This signals to me that we did too much and also that she needs these exercises, as she is working new muscles groups.
After today's physical therapy session, my mom seemed completely wiped out. She has a headache and muscles in her legs and neck are bothering her. I have told her she needs to have a slower day tomorrow to re-group. Meanwhile, I got a text message today while I was running around from one of our faithful restaurant servers. He was telling me that he did not know who else to reach out to or trust. He injured his eye, specifically his retina, and needed money (of which he doesn't have) to pay for his medication. He tried asking his employer for help and others that he knows, but no one would help him.
I have been watching his eye progressively get redder and redder over the last two weeks and this last week he has been off of work because of this injury. So I know the request is legitimate. This man was in the military, served his country, and lost his wife to cancer. He has single handedly raised his daughter, who is now graduating from high school and going to college in the fall. There was no way I could let this request go by without responding and helping. So after my mom's physical therapy appointment, we drove from Arlington, VA to the neighboring town of Alexandria. I met up with this server, gave him the money, and told him I expected him to get the medication today and to keep me posted.
No comments:
Post a Comment