Tonight's picture was taken in January of 2003. Mattie was 9 months old and doing his favorite thing.... riding around in his "tot wheels!" Mattie absolutely loved his walker. Though a controversial gadget, for Mattie it worked. It gave him the freedom and movement he desperately craved. There was NO crawling for him, he wanted to move into walking and running (though he did not have the strength yet to do it independently).
Quote of the day: Patience is not simply the ability to wait - it's how we behave while we're waiting. ~ Joyce Meyer
Every two weeks, I have two women come over to help me clean the entire house. I have been working with one of these women since Mattie was diagnosed with cancer. In fact, my neighbor at our townhouse in the city paid to have our home cleaned why Mattie was in the hospital. Back then I had no idea which end was up, so I welcomed the help because I had no time to clean anything. I am grateful Blanca doesn't mind coming out to the suburbs to help me, and given that she balances her own family, I tend to be flexible on what days she comes over. This morning, she came at 8:30am. In order for me to get up, get breakfast made, and manage my dad's routine, I had to get up at 6am. Yes on a Saturday! Gone are the days of sleeping in! I haven't slept passed 7am in over a year.
Given that my mom seems truly exhausted, after breakfast, I set both of my parents up in one of our family rooms. I started the fireplace and turned up the heat in that room to 76. Which is the temperature they both are comfortable at and then I told Blanca not to clean that room today. This was the best decision I made because both of my parents rested, watched TV, and felt very comfortable.
While they were resting, I went to the farmer's market with Peter. It felt like 20 degrees outside with the wind chill factor and then we walked Sunny for 90 minutes after that. It was wonderful to do something without having to monitor my parents and hear constant demands. Of course as soon as I got back from the walk and my dad heard me, he instantly started to get up to head to the bathroom.
Later today, we drove to Maryland to take my parents out to eat. Despite all the rest they got, both of them seemed out of it. My dad literally looked like he was in a fog and my mom was super snappy. However, we also continue to see my dad having trouble swallowing food. He eats way too fast and take enormous bites. No amount of coaching or oral regulation helps him. So at time I have to resort to taking the plate away from him and portioning his food. I assure you going out to eat looks like a clinical case study and I juggle this constantly. Eating at home is no bargain either, because on top of the juggling act I also have cooking, serving, and cleaning. So to make a long story short, I can't remember the last time I had a peaceful meal, in which I wasn't jumping up and down, meeting needs, and working.
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