Finally Showered...

Well, the week just flew by. Doc appt. Tuesday, Echo cardiogram Friday, PT Wednesday and Thursday. Overall I feel Gmom is strong. She's alert, she's worried, she's more herself than the early part of the week. Being with limited mobility and being weak makes the simple things we all take for granted, moving over in bed, getting up from a chair, stepping into a shower, challenging and scary. Falling is a reality, though she has not once even come close to a fall here. She was admitted to the hospital 36 hours after Tim and I returned from a much needed weekend in Seattle. I had her shower before we left on Dec. 2nd. Sunday she was finally home from the hospital. It was over a week since her last bathing. Monday, weak, Tuesday weak, and prior to the hospital, she could stand for the five or so minutes it took to get her soaped and rinsed. I decided I wanted a shower chair just in case and with all the doctor appointments, I did not get to Woodland until Friday...and by Friday I was feeling maybe she could handle the shower. I did get her hair washed at the kitchen sink. My joke...her BO had BO...if you know what I mean. We did do some bed side washing, but there is nothing like running warm water and a sudsy scrub to clean a body...

Hurray...I just finished her shower. It's Saturday morning, she's been up twice already, and it just seemed right to give it a go. I did not have the chair in with us, she said she was strong enough. Since her hair was washed yesterday, we only took about three minutes to get her clean. We only had one panic attack, and I mean we as I reacted to her panic, and one change up of how we usually do these things, but I am happy to say. GMOM IS A CLEAN BEAN...

Also today, I arranged for Riley to go to a swim meet with a neighbor. That's hard on me, as I really enjoy being at the meets and this is a team run meet which requires all parents to work. I will get to go later, after my sister arrives. She lives a bit over an hour away, and also has family and work...it's not easy really for anyone, but I will feel OK about leaving for a few hours once she is here. With Gmom needing extra hands in the bathroom, I no longer feel comfortable having Tim or the teens take on the full care of her, right now. She is getting better and actually took care of things this am all by her self, but the last thing I want is for anyone to feel they have to do things they are not comfortable with, like wiping your Mother-in-Laws booty...enough said.

I have enjoyed making crafts and working on things with Tessa and being more home than out volunteering does have some perks. Yesterday I made a wreath and tomorrow I plan to work with some thrift store sweaters and make new stockings, seven of them, for the family. Seven, yes, we also have David stay with us over the Holiday's. David is Tim's younger brother, a wonderful, 46 year old man with Downs and possibly early signs of Alzheimer's'...so the sign at my entrance...the one secret Santa just gave me...sums it all up.

"Welcome to the Nut House" with smiling cute acorn nuts!