SHE'S FIVE!!!!!!!!!

On Sunday night we escaped 123 st for my friend Marie's house. Marie kindly offered to host a bday party for T. Both Dot and I got to have a glass of wine and relax. Turns out it was the calm before the storm, but that's another story for another day. Anyway, there were balloons, cake, and presents. Most important to T, though, was that her idol Sophie was present.

As you can see in the last picture, T insisted on wearing her Tiana ball gown to the party. Luckily, Sophie let her wear some of her clothes to play in. That's the pink shirt/dress. Its a shirt on sophie but a dress on T.

The first thing T said upon waking up that morning was, "Is it time for my party?" Kid continued with that phrase every 20 minutes. Anyway, we had cake, opened presents, and were out the door around 8 since it was a school night for everyone.

T reports that it was the best party ever.

So ends the bday party weekend.

Lastly, T also say a big thank you to Aunt Connie for her card and gift. T is currently carting her 5 dollar bill in her purse. Sweet child, offered to give it to me when we were in the Wendy's drive through. "I can give you money, mama, if you need it. I have money in my purse".

Slow Sunday

Things seem to be getting a bit easier for us to cope with over at 123 st. Think that's b/c of a number of reasons:

1. The constant onslaught of #2 is has eased quite a bit
2. My sissy and I are getting better and better at changing my mom
3. She's spent most of the weekend in bed, sleeping.

We're not sure if #3 above is good or bad. Maybe its good b/c her body is really tired and is rejuvenating itself....or maybe its bad as she's not engaging with anyone. Hard to know.

My next project here is to bring some order to the chaos that is their backyard. I really think my dad has some hoarding tendancies. There's lots of junk to slowly get rid of. My goal is to get a BBQ going back there. It would be good to have also, in case of a hurricane. So, in the next few months I'm hoping to set it up with a gas line hookup for a BBQ and also a gas powered generator, and also make sure the upstairs windows can be secured with either the current awnings or new storm shutters. If a hurricane comes, we'll be spending it here, so we have to be prepared. Season starts again in a few months.

T has thoroughly enjoyed her bday. I got her a Nintendo DS Lite with a few games. Outrageously expensive toy for a 5 yr old, but its kept her busy the whole weekend, so its worth its weight in gold, as far as I'm concerned. T has also enjoyed the tetherball set. Mom loves it b/c there's no ball to chase...its tied up to the pole. Perfect little game.

So we're waiting now for the aid to come, to release us to go to t's birthday party at marie's house. she has been asking every 15 - 20 minutes if its time to leave yet.

Birthday Princess

Gramps came home from Target with a party dress for T. Hehe. He doesn't realize that its actually a princess costume. Dress has a veil and everything. Tiana, of course.

I also set up the tetherball set, and we've been having a fun time playing with it.

Stand by, as the festivities continue....

Happy Birthday Taylor!

Though officially its not til tomorrow, we've already started celebrating with a party at school. T was thrilled with her Barbie and the 12 dancing princess publix pull apart cake. They are just the best. I arrived at 2:00 sharp, and we had until 2:30 to party. Just the perfect amount of time.

Meanwhile, T is in huge trouble. She scratched a girl's face at school with those rounded scissors. Its hard to punish her, though, when she's stuck with us at grandma and grandpa's house. We'll be talking about it, though, all weekend.

Milestone Reached

Yesterday on my lunch hour, I went to Target and achieved another "milestone". Yes, at the ripe old age of 45, I broke down and made a momentous purchase. What could it be, you ask? Something everyone needs, but resists....

As background, you all should know that T's birthday party is today at school. I have to lug all kinds of groceries across the parking lot, then across the phys ed field, then across the school to T's classroom. So, while at target and without any further ado, I approached a target salesman and asked....

"Do you sell those metal shopping carts that all the little old ladies use?"

Yep, they were just an aisle or two away. I assembled the thing last night, and can't wait to use it.

So there you have it...I'm the proud new owner of an old-lady-shopping-cart and let me just say, life is a bit easier!

Fun Despite the Odds...

We're having fun over at the 123 hospital house, despite the odds. This pic is from a week or so ago, and is specifically posted for Aunt Ceci, who kindly gave T this shirt...a couple years ago. Its still a bit big, but oh so "soft and comfy" as T says. Thank you Sayre family for T's bday presents. Its a bit too cool this weekend for the dress, but T is digging the little chihuahua purse.




I say we're having fun despite the odds b/c
this weekend is brutal. If it were not illegal, I'd go over and bomb st catherines, if I could do it with no one getting hurt. I'm so mad at them that I can't stand it. My mom was very impacted in terms of #2 while there. To the point where the aides had to fish the stuff out of her with their fingers. yeah, too much info, right? Well, they released her with mega prescription laxatives, and she has literally not stopped going #2 for 3 days now. I've never seen anything like it. Why they didn't give her this in the hospital, when they could deal with it, I've no idea and that 's why I'm mad. My sissy and I are very ill equiped to handle it, but we're trying.


So, T has discovered the ramps, and what fun it is to use her scooter on it...against her mother's strict instructions! I knew that was coming. She's also pretending to be one of the Barbie characters from the 3 musketeers, with her pretend bow and arrow.



And here's my sweet mom. Have you ever seen such big glasses since the 1980's? Her newer ones are broken, and we had to fish these out from the bowels of her closet (pun intended ;)

Dot's out buying more supplies for wound care, as every time we have to change her diaper, we have to change her soiled bandage.

That's it for now. Hope everyone is having a better weekend than we, as I doubt it could be much worse.

Ciao!

Weekend duty Starts

Well, my mom is home from the hospital, and Dot and I are about to start our weekend duty. Who knows how it will go. My mom's got some real medical problems. She has a bad blatter infection, that needs IV medicine everyday to treat. Problem is that she pulled the port out today. Can't be reinserted unless she's admitted to a facility again. So the doc will be ordering up shots. I'm thanking God that the 300.00 worth of IV medicine that was delivered yesterday can still be used.

My mom's bedsores remain, and are of course getting worse since being home for the past 2 days since her catheter is out. Everything is getting damp once again, which makes things exponentially worse.

She can't help move herself anymore like she did before. Can barely stand. Changing her is now much harder. So, this weekend will be interesting how we cope.

For T who is stuck here as well, I got her a new Wii game and also the Tiana movie that I set up in one of the upstairs bedrooms, to get her through the weekend having fun.

We're gearing up for her bday party, which was a logistical planning nightmare due to our obligations to my mom. Luckily, my friend Marie offered to cook dinner for us and have a small party with her 2 kids in attendence on Sunday the 27th, after the aide arrives to relieve Dot and I. When Marie suggested it, I started bawling. What a load has been lifted from my shoulders. I was going to rent out gymkids, and invite her whole class, but that's just not to be this year.

T's big present is a Nintendo DS Lite. Big money, probably too much for something for a 5 yr old, but her mother's guilt spurred her to purchase it in hopes that it will distract her here in the sick house.

I'm Sick

Not so much news here...I'm sick. T infected me and I've had a low-grade fever since thursday. Went to the doc yesterday, and it was 100.5. Asthma is back, so I'm on major drugs for it. My temp today seems to hover around 99.7 and 100. Just enough to make me feel like shit, but not enough to totally bed-ridden me.

I'm off today to take my dad to the dr, to try and get him on memory medicine. Aricept. His memory is almost as bad as my mom's we've discovered, since spending more time here.

Mom gets released tomorrow, and our aide Donna did not find alternate employment during the hiatus. THANK GOD! Now we just need my dad to cooperate, and alot of the stress would be removed from the equation.

I have the handyman here, installing ramps to get my mom in and out of the house more easily.

That's it for now!

Mission Organization

Spent the weekend trying to organize a bit over at 123 street. Snuck some stuff out of the house while my dad was out, and also got some shelving for next to my mom's bed, to store supplies. All of her medical and hygiene stuff. Went all over looking for the right thing, and ended up finding it at Target, where I went last. I knew I should have gone there first. What was I thinking? Anyway, she'll be getting released on Wednesday, St. Pat's Day, in the late afternoon.

Dot has been with T all weekend. They went to the soccer game on sat at T's school. It was a makeup game since one of their after school sessions had been cancelled due to rain. I'm not sure that there are any pictures. Dot reports that it was a riot watching the coach attempting to get the little kids running in the right direction, never mind actually playing the game. T had a ball, and had all the little boys fawning all over her, as is her M.O.

My dad left to go get breakfast, saying he'd be back in 1/2 an hour. Way over an hour later he has not returned. I figure he forgot and is over at the hospital. I have an appt for him on tuesday, to get some memory medicine going. I'm praying that goes well.

Happy Daylight Savings Time, everyone! Change those clocks!

Been a Bit Busy

Wow...has a whole week past since I last updated? Hard to believe. Hmmm, what's been going on you may ask? I think bullets are in order:

• Raining cats and dogs today. Dot was at my dad's house all week babysitting him, and now we've had the changing of the guard and I'm here for weekend duty.
• Last weekend was just OK, with my dad forgetting our plan of sitting shifts, and showing up at the hospital at all times. I chased him out sunday, after he was threatening to take my mom for a ride, b/c as he says, "she likes it". May be. Problem is the woman is in no shape to go for a Sunday drive. Oy.
• While at the hospital saturday and sunday, I was able to read two really good books by my friend, Jillian Hoffman. She's got three out. Order them up from amazon. Highly recommend them.
• We returned home on Sunday, to bare cupboards. Still haven't done any grocery shopping since the fridge incident. Thank god for take out/delivery.
• Here's a tip for all of you instant macaroni and cheese afficionados: The expiration date on the box? Um, they really, really mean it. I had some up on a top shelf forever. "Best if used by July 7, 2007". I figured what could go wrong with instant mac? One word: LOTS. Yuck. Grossest thing I've tried to make yet. It all went staight to the garbage.
• T got sick over the weekend, and then got progressively worse. Stayed home on Tuesday and Wednesday. Doc said on tuesday no ear infection, just a virus. Fast forward a whole day and a half, and I get a call from the school on Thursday: T is complaining that her ear hurts. Huh? Quick visit to the after-hours doc revealed... you guessed it... a frickin' ear infection. She's downing meds twice a day.
• BTW, T-stats a whole 2 weeks before her 5th bday are: a little over 42 inches tall, and 34 pounds.
• By Thursday night, I was feeling like crap. She's infected me. Par for the course, right? So, I'm secretly happy to be over at the old 123 house. Hopefully I can get some rest.
• T has a soccar game on Saturday, that is, if its not raining. Stay tuned for some pics.
• That's it for now....

Rehab Update

My mother remains in the rehab hospital. The therapists report that they beleive that they can reverse totally the affects of her latest stroke, IF she cooperates with the therapy. This was really good news. Plus, they have a catheter in her, which means that the area on her tailbone, where the bed sore is located, is dry and healing. All that is good. She's slated to come home probably on St. Patricks Day.

Then there's my dad.

He left the house yesterday at 6:30 in the morning, and was over there all frickin day long. I got a call around 4, that he was packing her up and taking her home. I drove like a maniac, got there in time, and averted disaster. Of course, it necessitated a huge fight and much emotional upset. Luckily, I spoke to my mom and was able to convince her to stay. I thank god that she consented for that moment, b/c if she hadn't I don't know what would have happened.

We were then up with him talking til around one in the morning. Told him he can't be over there all the time. Mom is ok there, but as soon as she sees my dad, she starts the "i want to go home" routine. I guess after about 10 hours, he couldn't take it anymore. Of course, he's up this morning and dressed at 6:30 again, and we're trying to keep him away.

So, we agreed to do shifts at the rehab. He said if we're there, he wouldn't feel like he's neglecting her. Why he thinks he's neglecting her by getting her the help she needs and being over there about 8 - 10 hours a day, I'm not sure. But, that's that.

So, dot is taking t off to jungle island today with her idol sophie. I'll be trying to keep him away from the rehab hospital and further decompensating.

He had been so good this past week. I was really hopeful that we'd have one or two more relaxing weekends before my mom came home. That's not to be. Shit has hit the fan once again, and all we can do is dodge, duck, and make the best of it all.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Misc. Ramblings

These are the pictures you find on your phone, when your daughter has figured out how to use it.
Meanwhile, I took my dad to the doc last week, b/c he's been having terrible pain in both shoulders, and has lost the ability to lift his arms over his head without great pain. He blames it on a dust up he got into with 4 Fla. DOT employees, when they were building 836 behind our old house. Um, that was about 43 years ago. I don't think so.

So, the doc xrayed him up, took one look and said he could tell us what's wrong with one look: His shoulders are destroyed. If he was in his 50's or even 60's, the doc would suggest shoulder replacement surgery. Unfortunately, pops is a bit older than that. See his shoulder bones? Its supposed to look like a nice symetrical ball in a socket. Instead of my poor dads garbled, bone on bone, arthritis ridden mess.
So, the doc prescribed some anti inflamatory medicine, and we're slated to see him again on monday. Good news is that the drugs...which cost a king's ransom...are working. He's in less pain, so I guess that's good.
In other news, I can officially retire in 10 years. By that time I bet I'll be ready for an assisted living facility. Not sure why my parents wouldn't like that, it sounds like heaven to me. I could use a few people to assist me with my life!

The Fun Never Ends

Hot on the heels of my most recent fridge repairs, comes another problem. My ice machine, while making ice, refuses to dispense it through the door. I'll be placing another call to Sears. While normally I'd be hugely annoyed, the fact that I have that service contract on it, warms my heart. I'm delighting in the fact that they are going to have to come out and fix it for free!

Is it wierd that I wouldn't mind it breaking down a couple more times, just to force them to come out again and again...all for free?

Small minded of me, perhaps, but I never claimed to be a saint!

Freezing in Miami

No, I'm not talking weather...I'm talking refrigerators. Mine's working again. I'm now eternally greatful that my ice maker went kaput last thanksgiving...making me call the repairman who convinced me to buy the stupid service contract that I never buy b/c I think they're rips. I take that back. My repair today was free, vs. 496.97. Yikes.

Picked up some milk after work, and we're back in business.

Meanwhile, am I a bad mom for being thrilled...I mean THRILLED...whenever T says she wants cereal for dinner? Anybody else out there ever experience this particular thrill as well?

Since there's still nothing in my freezer except ice cream, her choice for dinner was particularly inspired, I thought!