Hi all :)
Just thought I would add my thoughts to Lisa's stories about the last few days. The family gathering at Dolly and Gary's was so much fun for all of us. It gets hard to get everyone together as we all get older and have our own families so these get togethers are very special. We all had a great time catching up and hearing how Brett, Mandy, Matea and Dahlia are doing in their current home of Denmark, grateful that they are here for a visit :) So fun to watch all the little kiddies run around and it reminds me of when Brett and Bryan and me and Lisa were little and all hung out like best friends. Then a second round of cousin kid friends with Johnathan and Allison, Daniel and Aaron, and Ryan and Justin. I miss being a kid! I love my cousin in laws Mandy and Jen though so there's a plus to growing up :)
So as Lisa talked about, all the commotion was a little overstimulating for Dad, but after most people went home Mom, Dad, Dolly, Gary, Brett, Mandy, Johnny, Jay and myself all sat around the table and talked for a while. Auntie Dolly asked Dad if he remembered the name of their old neighbor. He did right away. Dad does way better in a quiet setting. It is easier to hear him and easier maybe for him to organize his thoughts. People who may think he is more "out of it" would be surprised when they sit down with him one on one. He's still in there he just needs people to be patient and wait for his answer. Dad does like to be social though and loves having people around. One of his concerns about sticking to his new schedule, that Lisa was talking about in the post before this one, is that he will miss out on seeing people if they stop by or something. I hope that his new schedule will actually make it easier for people to visit. As how it's been before he's missed a few callers because he's sleeping or just not ready for the day. We will see...
So that was Sunday. Tuesday morning I got a teary call from Mom asking if I could help her. She came down with a case of shingles (induced by stress I'm sure) and could not take Dad to his physical therapy and doctor's appointment. Unfortunately I was in Bremerton and would not be able to get to them in time. I got my butt to Seattle as fast as I could though and delivered some food and other necessities to them.
If Dad had agreed to take the Providence bus to his appointments in the first place there would not have been a problem with him getting to his appointments. So now, as Lisa said, he is going to have to do that in the future. He's not happy about it, but Mom needs the relief. She is doing a great job taking care of him but now she needs to take care of herself. Johnathan explained it perfectly by comparing it to being on a plane. They always instruct you to put your mask on first in an emergency before helping someone else. Mom needs to put her mask on and this is where setting boundaries is going to be good.
Mom was barely well enough to attend the meeting yesterday morning but she rallied.
Tomorrow I am going to go with them to mass for Palm Sunday, Tuesday is Dad's birthday and I will be cooking a nice meal for the family and then Wednesday I go with him on another lunch date with his buddies so I'm sure I will have some stories from those outings to share here.
:)
Angie
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Friday, March 30, 2012
Setting Boundaries!
Today was a great day! Mom scheduled a meeting with Providence Elder Place for us to discuss dads progress and making sure both mom and dad are getting proper care. The day started a little rocky, Angie and I went to pick mom up at 8:30am and when we walked in Dad was standing right in the doorway.... I haven't seen dad up before noon in months! So that was a bit of a shock. I made him coffee and got his breakfast ready and Angie helped him eat while mom got ready. We were all ready to go, but the caregiver wasn't there...she was lost! So after trying to give her directions I finally went out to find her. Mom left for the meeting, Angie stayed behind with dad until I showed up with the caregiver and then the two of us were off to finally get to the meeting.
Johnathan was already there and didn't really know what he was supposed to be talking about but it sounded like they were inquiring about the apartment when we walked in :) We got to meet all of dads doctors and care team. They are all fantastic and it was so helpful talking to them. Basically the need for the meeting is that we realize we all need to be setting boundaries with dad. We have continued to let him run the show and it can't be that way. His head doctor explained to us that he is at a level where he really should be in a home with 24 hour round the clock care. She continued to explain that in those homes there are three round the clock caregivers for each individual. Well mom has been doing the bulk of the work and it is obviously wearing on her but also not the best for dad. We discussed dad utilizing providence's assistance much more. For example they will pick him up and bring him to all appointments...the doctor said mom doesn't need to be going with him and really shouldn't so they both have some time to themselves or to be their own people. As I have talked about before, Providence provides all sorts of assistance and dad has been refusing it all, but he is at a point where they need to be utilizing it. Another thing his doctor said is a must is that he needs to be in counseling. Angie, Johnny and I both did a big yes! when she said this. I think it is extremely important for him to be in some sort of support group as well as one on one counseling to help deal with his emotions and what he is going through that he can't or doesn't want to share with us. Both he and mom have kept such strong fronts since he has been diagnosed but obviously there is so much going on that needs to be discussed. We were also given information on an MSA family support group on Queen Anne that sounds fantastic! So that will be something we will be attending. Really the biggest thing was letting mom know that she has a lot of support and she needs to lean on us and know that we are on her team and whatever she thinks is best is what we will agree too. We are going to work on the boundaries and hopefully dad will realize that is best and we can go from there.
Unfortunately dad is very used to getting this his way. Its been like that for years and I'm not sure that he always realizes how sick he is (another thing I have mentioned before). When we got home we started to tell him what we had discussed in the meeting and he immediately shot down the counseling idea, (thinks it will be depressing) and was grunting about taking the bus. Angie and I spent the entire afternoon with him and then he called her 3 mins after we left and asked her to go get him vodka.... its no wonder mom is going nuts! :) We all want to do everything to make him comfortable and happy but he needs to work with us a bit. So boundaries was todays lesson!
Angie and I had a nice time just hanging out with him and chatting. ( Johnny had to go to work after the meeting) Dad said he loved seeing his family on Sunday at Auntie Dolly and Uncle Gary's! He has a big week coming up! His 69th birthday is on Tuesday!! He has a doctors appointment in the morning... and he will ride the bus! And then he is going to lunch with some friends on Wednesday. We helped mom figure out his caregiver schedule for next week and she got it all called in and we should be set to start him on a schedule and make him follow it. As harsh as it all sounds we and his medical team think the healthiest thing for all of us is for the caregivers to be his caregivers and for us to be his family and just get to spend time with him!
Lots of rambling :) Hope everyone has a great weekend!!
Cute picture Uncle Gary took Sunday night :)
Johnathan was already there and didn't really know what he was supposed to be talking about but it sounded like they were inquiring about the apartment when we walked in :) We got to meet all of dads doctors and care team. They are all fantastic and it was so helpful talking to them. Basically the need for the meeting is that we realize we all need to be setting boundaries with dad. We have continued to let him run the show and it can't be that way. His head doctor explained to us that he is at a level where he really should be in a home with 24 hour round the clock care. She continued to explain that in those homes there are three round the clock caregivers for each individual. Well mom has been doing the bulk of the work and it is obviously wearing on her but also not the best for dad. We discussed dad utilizing providence's assistance much more. For example they will pick him up and bring him to all appointments...the doctor said mom doesn't need to be going with him and really shouldn't so they both have some time to themselves or to be their own people. As I have talked about before, Providence provides all sorts of assistance and dad has been refusing it all, but he is at a point where they need to be utilizing it. Another thing his doctor said is a must is that he needs to be in counseling. Angie, Johnny and I both did a big yes! when she said this. I think it is extremely important for him to be in some sort of support group as well as one on one counseling to help deal with his emotions and what he is going through that he can't or doesn't want to share with us. Both he and mom have kept such strong fronts since he has been diagnosed but obviously there is so much going on that needs to be discussed. We were also given information on an MSA family support group on Queen Anne that sounds fantastic! So that will be something we will be attending. Really the biggest thing was letting mom know that she has a lot of support and she needs to lean on us and know that we are on her team and whatever she thinks is best is what we will agree too. We are going to work on the boundaries and hopefully dad will realize that is best and we can go from there.
Unfortunately dad is very used to getting this his way. Its been like that for years and I'm not sure that he always realizes how sick he is (another thing I have mentioned before). When we got home we started to tell him what we had discussed in the meeting and he immediately shot down the counseling idea, (thinks it will be depressing) and was grunting about taking the bus. Angie and I spent the entire afternoon with him and then he called her 3 mins after we left and asked her to go get him vodka.... its no wonder mom is going nuts! :) We all want to do everything to make him comfortable and happy but he needs to work with us a bit. So boundaries was todays lesson!
Angie and I had a nice time just hanging out with him and chatting. ( Johnny had to go to work after the meeting) Dad said he loved seeing his family on Sunday at Auntie Dolly and Uncle Gary's! He has a big week coming up! His 69th birthday is on Tuesday!! He has a doctors appointment in the morning... and he will ride the bus! And then he is going to lunch with some friends on Wednesday. We helped mom figure out his caregiver schedule for next week and she got it all called in and we should be set to start him on a schedule and make him follow it. As harsh as it all sounds we and his medical team think the healthiest thing for all of us is for the caregivers to be his caregivers and for us to be his family and just get to spend time with him!
Lots of rambling :) Hope everyone has a great weekend!!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
An eventful weekend!
Hi All It Lisa :)
On Friday Dad and I had a nice little outing! It was beautiful out so I got him all ready and we ventured out to the streets of Queen Anne! This was the first time I have been able to walk him around in that area. When he was at Merrill Gardens he was still able to walk himself so this was quite an outing! I pushed dad quite a ways and then was rewarded with a yummy lunch at some brewery he recommended! I learned that dad doesn't like hummus... just a random fact I guess I never knew! It was a great afternoon and I got a nice workout :) I didn't think it would be as hard to push him around, but I forget that he weighs a little more than a child! Anyway, we had a great lunch and then made our way back to the apartment so he was back in time for Nancy number 2. I helped dad have some ice cream on the balcony and he told me about some of the tankers that have been coming in and out and then I left him in the hands of Nancy #2!
Saturday, Mom, Angie and I went to a baby shower for our cousin/niece Kelly! I think it was a really nice outing for mom. Great for her to see her family and not have to be a caregiver for a few hours! They had a new caregiver come for dad. I can't remember her name at the minute, but dad said she was a lot of fun! I asked if there was anyway that they could switch caregivers but dad wasn't sure because Nancy #2 has seniority. We'll see...
Sunday night our cousin Brett and his wife Mandy and two kids were in town from Denmark. Dads sister Dolly planned a really nice open house for us all to be able to go see them! I think dad was a little over stimulated when he first got there. There was a lot going on and I know he loved it all but at the same time since its so hard for him to communicate I think he has a hard time. We looked at some old pictures which he loved and I know he enjoyed seeing everyone! I know they closed the party down, but I was wiped and had to head home earlier!
Dad has seemed a little more tired or out of it lately. Angie and I can't really put our finger on it. He is still as sharp as a tack but does a little more blank staring which we think is hard for people that haven't seen him in awhile. Other than that hes doing well and we're all plugging along :)
Looking forward to my friday with him this week!
All the kissler's at Dolly and Gary's minus Gary (he's snapping the shot) Allison and Josh :(
On Friday Dad and I had a nice little outing! It was beautiful out so I got him all ready and we ventured out to the streets of Queen Anne! This was the first time I have been able to walk him around in that area. When he was at Merrill Gardens he was still able to walk himself so this was quite an outing! I pushed dad quite a ways and then was rewarded with a yummy lunch at some brewery he recommended! I learned that dad doesn't like hummus... just a random fact I guess I never knew! It was a great afternoon and I got a nice workout :) I didn't think it would be as hard to push him around, but I forget that he weighs a little more than a child! Anyway, we had a great lunch and then made our way back to the apartment so he was back in time for Nancy number 2. I helped dad have some ice cream on the balcony and he told me about some of the tankers that have been coming in and out and then I left him in the hands of Nancy #2!
Saturday, Mom, Angie and I went to a baby shower for our cousin/niece Kelly! I think it was a really nice outing for mom. Great for her to see her family and not have to be a caregiver for a few hours! They had a new caregiver come for dad. I can't remember her name at the minute, but dad said she was a lot of fun! I asked if there was anyway that they could switch caregivers but dad wasn't sure because Nancy #2 has seniority. We'll see...
Sunday night our cousin Brett and his wife Mandy and two kids were in town from Denmark. Dads sister Dolly planned a really nice open house for us all to be able to go see them! I think dad was a little over stimulated when he first got there. There was a lot going on and I know he loved it all but at the same time since its so hard for him to communicate I think he has a hard time. We looked at some old pictures which he loved and I know he enjoyed seeing everyone! I know they closed the party down, but I was wiped and had to head home earlier!
Dad has seemed a little more tired or out of it lately. Angie and I can't really put our finger on it. He is still as sharp as a tack but does a little more blank staring which we think is hard for people that haven't seen him in awhile. Other than that hes doing well and we're all plugging along :)
Looking forward to my friday with him this week!
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
hey everyone happy belated st paddys day!!! i am a little late i know but i unfortunately have forgotten all the multiple passwords to all my accounts ...funny funny lol! now that my brain is working again i was able to login and share the fun story of my st paddys day memory with dad..... it was probably around 1997 march 17th and mom was working late for mr kheen . We were sitting around our big wood dinner table all in our spots watching our usual family dinner program, the simpsons channel 13 7pm. Dad was in the kitchen working away on a special holiday dinner for us. When much to my suprise daddy set a plate of green pasta in front of all of us. totally grossed out and curious, i look up at daddy and say
"why are they green?"
dad:"cause there irish, and were celebrating the irish today, remember how you had to wear green at school so you didn't get pinched...."
"but there green ! i don't wanna eat them , thats gross!!!!"
"Alli its just food coloring!!"
"no thats yucky i am not eating it!"
"its just like green eggs and ham alli , it'll be good , it won't taste any different."
"nu uh!"
"YOUR EATING IT ALLISON, HAPPY ST PATRICKS DAY!!!"
how cute of our awesome tough love dad to take such good care of us with a festive green dinner ! i will treasure that memory always, especially as me and D make dillon all of his holiday meals. thank papa we love you!!!
love the clark clan
Allison DC and Dillon
(koda and montey )
"why are they green?"
dad:"cause there irish, and were celebrating the irish today, remember how you had to wear green at school so you didn't get pinched...."
"but there green ! i don't wanna eat them , thats gross!!!!"
"Alli its just food coloring!!"
"no thats yucky i am not eating it!"
"its just like green eggs and ham alli , it'll be good , it won't taste any different."
"nu uh!"
"YOUR EATING IT ALLISON, HAPPY ST PATRICKS DAY!!!"
how cute of our awesome tough love dad to take such good care of us with a festive green dinner ! i will treasure that memory always, especially as me and D make dillon all of his holiday meals. thank papa we love you!!!
love the clark clan
Allison DC and Dillon
(koda and montey )
Friday, March 16, 2012
I turned 36 last Saturday and the best gift I got was my dad calling to sing "Happy Birthday" to me. He sang it in a loud whisper and then when he was done said, "can you hear me??" Yes I could and I made him call back and sing it again on my answering machine so I can keep the recording.
On Wednesday afternoon Dad's great friend Tim came to take him out to lunch. I went with to help and get a free meal ;) Dad was tired from Tuesday's physical therapy but he powered through and got all spiffed up in his sports coat and some fancy shoes that I'm sure have a brand name that he's proud of but I couldn't tell you what it was. He still has all this great stuff from when he owned the men's clothing store "Michael Patricks" in Factoria mall. "The good stuff never goes out of style" he says.
We went to Von's, Tim's restaurant downtown, and had a great time. I was told, "what happens when Mike and Tim are together stays with Mike and Tim" so I won't divulge any of the dirty jokes :)
Couple of handsome dudes!
Till next time,
Angie
On Wednesday afternoon Dad's great friend Tim came to take him out to lunch. I went with to help and get a free meal ;) Dad was tired from Tuesday's physical therapy but he powered through and got all spiffed up in his sports coat and some fancy shoes that I'm sure have a brand name that he's proud of but I couldn't tell you what it was. He still has all this great stuff from when he owned the men's clothing store "Michael Patricks" in Factoria mall. "The good stuff never goes out of style" he says.
We went to Von's, Tim's restaurant downtown, and had a great time. I was told, "what happens when Mike and Tim are together stays with Mike and Tim" so I won't divulge any of the dirty jokes :)
Couple of handsome dudes!
Till next time,
Angie
Friday, March 9, 2012
Hey there everyone! So i don't get on the computer very often unfortunately, and will try and do better, but for now i will just have to catch you up with our last two visits with dad..... Last saturday mom and dad came to DC's bar sidelines in factoria, so we could treat them to dinner and drinks. After waiting an hour and half , not to mention the pre planned casual late appearance on our part to plan for there tardiness , we finally received the overly awaited presence of mom and dad for a ten o clock dinner. who could expect any less . while i was waiting DC so kindly reminded me that i take after my mother and am always fifteen min late for everything myself, in truth the world is just fifteen min early. Our friend justin (who has been mentioned in past post) joined us which was nice so they could catch up. They got to meet all of our bar fly friends, and got to see DC's work place, which meant the world to him. The highlight of the night for dad would have been getting to see DC'S porsche for the first time. The men in my life tend to share a love for lil' hot red sports cars haha, i think thats just mainly all men though! As mom pulled up dad was already nose to the window starring down the porsche , once his car door opened, his feet popped out quicker then i have seen them move in a long time ...
"dad hold on we gotta get your chair...!"
"I AM TRYING TO SEE THE CAR!"
Having mom and dad come out for a night out was one of the best tips DC has ever received while working in that bar!
Monday came and we were off to Nana and Papas for dillons first day swimming. We were ecstatic! Reminiscing about my good old swim team days, as i dove into the no diving pool (please it was 8 ft deep). We laughed over the story of johnny and i first day of swim team ... i was happily swimming up and down the 25 meter pool as a pigtailed 4 yr old , while my older brother made it only half way before asking to retreat from the pool to tell my mother something"i don't wanna do this!" (that story always gets a good laugh) ! Nana at on edge video taping as papa pushed us to teach dillon to plug his nose and dunk him. Surprisingly Dillon did so well and let me dunk him once; was the cutest thing ever. We swam dillon up and down the warm pool and he laughed and laughed while we kept Nana on edge tossing dillon backhand fourth between me and DC, but in the end she jumped in and joined us. You could see the absolute utter enjoyment all over dads face. he said next time he will come in ! After a long tiring time in the pool we went upstairs to get all dried off and changed. To our hilarious enjoyment the minute we slipped dillons swimming diaper off , he began a long relieving pee right onto the floor HAHAHAHA(don't worry dad it was on the towel you carpet was not contaminated ). We cant wait for next week , dad says if we do this every week dillon will be swimming in no time!
Lots of love
The clark Clan
Allison DC and Dillon
(koda and Montey)
"dad hold on we gotta get your chair...!"
"I AM TRYING TO SEE THE CAR!"
Having mom and dad come out for a night out was one of the best tips DC has ever received while working in that bar!
Monday came and we were off to Nana and Papas for dillons first day swimming. We were ecstatic! Reminiscing about my good old swim team days, as i dove into the no diving pool (please it was 8 ft deep). We laughed over the story of johnny and i first day of swim team ... i was happily swimming up and down the 25 meter pool as a pigtailed 4 yr old , while my older brother made it only half way before asking to retreat from the pool to tell my mother something"i don't wanna do this!" (that story always gets a good laugh) ! Nana at on edge video taping as papa pushed us to teach dillon to plug his nose and dunk him. Surprisingly Dillon did so well and let me dunk him once; was the cutest thing ever. We swam dillon up and down the warm pool and he laughed and laughed while we kept Nana on edge tossing dillon backhand fourth between me and DC, but in the end she jumped in and joined us. You could see the absolute utter enjoyment all over dads face. he said next time he will come in ! After a long tiring time in the pool we went upstairs to get all dried off and changed. To our hilarious enjoyment the minute we slipped dillons swimming diaper off , he began a long relieving pee right onto the floor HAHAHAHA(don't worry dad it was on the towel you carpet was not contaminated ). We cant wait for next week , dad says if we do this every week dillon will be swimming in no time!
Lots of love
The clark Clan
Allison DC and Dillon
(koda and Montey)
Another Friday with Lisa :)
Today I wasn't really sure what dad and I were going to do. I got there at noon and he was in the shower. Mom said he got up early and made himself eggs and bacon in his new wave oven (one of his infomercial purchases) Mom was asking him what we were going to do and where we were going to go which had me a little thrown off because I didn't realize he had "plans" for us! He wanted to go grocery shopping and to home depot. Two things I was not at all prepared to do with him today! I know that sounds awful but it is a lot of work to get him in and out of the car and I love doing it if we are doing something enjoyable but neither of those tasks sounded all that fun :/ After a lot of discussion dad decided he was a little tired anyway and asked if I would run to the grocery store while he rested and then we could have the rest of the afternoon. No problem! He gave me his list and I was off! It is nice because there is a safeway maybe 3 blocks from their house! So I got all the groceries and then got both mom and dad a latte....which they were eternally grateful for!
Mom helped me carry up all the groceries and I got to chat with her briefly. She is wiped! Dad doesn't sleep. He has sleeping pills... but they don't seem to be helping. She said he gets up for the silliest things. I think this has been one of the hardest struggles for all of us. He still wants to be active and do the things that he used to, like cook, or be handy or whatever but he doesn't realize that he physically cannot do it and someone needs to be there helping him through it. So when he gets up at 3am to make toast or get a pen or whatever it might be, mom gets up too because otherwise she could be picking him up off the floor or worse. He knows he is doing it but doesn't know how to stop it. I think it is a combination of thinking he can do it and not realizing just how sick he is and also being a little delusional at night and in his own world. Mom did have a long talk with the providence people while I was there. I am not sure what came of the conversation but I reminded her again that it is ok to ask for help. Unfortunately she sees him at his worst and has to deal with all the emotions of having a sick husband as well as dad being dad and thinking he can hang a mirror by himself at 4am or even 10pm like he could have done a year ago. :/ MSA sucks.
On a happier note, I sudo helped mom unload the groceries while making dad a sandwich. I fed dad and we all chatted while mom continued doing stuff around the place. Dad had asked me to bring over my computer so he could look at the blog. I read him some of the entries and all the comments that you guys have posted. We talked about who was following it and he was excited to hear that it was reaching as many people as it is! Then he was talking about how he wished he could get a hold of some old california friends that don't know he is sick. He said he just received a letter from them so I suggested I help him write one back. He was really happy about that! We sat there for a little over an hour while he dictated to me what he wanted to say. He didn't really know how to come out and say that he was sick and I think he was trying to sugar coat it a bit but I said dad they need to know. So he did a great job of being honest while trying "not to have a pity party" When I read it back to him he got a little emotional and I just said I know dad I'm sorry this sucks!
As much as it sucks it was nice to sit and listen to him talk, and even though I knew all the updates it was nice to hear them in his words. I told him anytime he wants to talk on the blog or write letters I would be happy to type for him. I know Angie has told him this before as well I think that its just a matter of sitting down and doing it. So I'm glad we were able to get one letter done and hopefully more will come in the future!
I gave dad a hug and headed home around 4:45 leaving him with Nancy #1 & #2 and a huge batch of enchiladas that he requested I make :)
Mom helped me carry up all the groceries and I got to chat with her briefly. She is wiped! Dad doesn't sleep. He has sleeping pills... but they don't seem to be helping. She said he gets up for the silliest things. I think this has been one of the hardest struggles for all of us. He still wants to be active and do the things that he used to, like cook, or be handy or whatever but he doesn't realize that he physically cannot do it and someone needs to be there helping him through it. So when he gets up at 3am to make toast or get a pen or whatever it might be, mom gets up too because otherwise she could be picking him up off the floor or worse. He knows he is doing it but doesn't know how to stop it. I think it is a combination of thinking he can do it and not realizing just how sick he is and also being a little delusional at night and in his own world. Mom did have a long talk with the providence people while I was there. I am not sure what came of the conversation but I reminded her again that it is ok to ask for help. Unfortunately she sees him at his worst and has to deal with all the emotions of having a sick husband as well as dad being dad and thinking he can hang a mirror by himself at 4am or even 10pm like he could have done a year ago. :/ MSA sucks.
On a happier note, I sudo helped mom unload the groceries while making dad a sandwich. I fed dad and we all chatted while mom continued doing stuff around the place. Dad had asked me to bring over my computer so he could look at the blog. I read him some of the entries and all the comments that you guys have posted. We talked about who was following it and he was excited to hear that it was reaching as many people as it is! Then he was talking about how he wished he could get a hold of some old california friends that don't know he is sick. He said he just received a letter from them so I suggested I help him write one back. He was really happy about that! We sat there for a little over an hour while he dictated to me what he wanted to say. He didn't really know how to come out and say that he was sick and I think he was trying to sugar coat it a bit but I said dad they need to know. So he did a great job of being honest while trying "not to have a pity party" When I read it back to him he got a little emotional and I just said I know dad I'm sorry this sucks!
As much as it sucks it was nice to sit and listen to him talk, and even though I knew all the updates it was nice to hear them in his words. I told him anytime he wants to talk on the blog or write letters I would be happy to type for him. I know Angie has told him this before as well I think that its just a matter of sitting down and doing it. So I'm glad we were able to get one letter done and hopefully more will come in the future!
I gave dad a hug and headed home around 4:45 leaving him with Nancy #1 & #2 and a huge batch of enchiladas that he requested I make :)
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Hey it's Angie :)
Yesterday Dad had a great physical therapy appointment! He walked a ton and learned a new trick for when he "freezes". Drop your heels, take a step back, and start again. It really helps to just walk through those steps in your head. I saw it help him 3x last night when I was over there visiting. So Nancy 2 is pretty cool. Although super grateful for her, the relief she is giving my mom, and the help she is giving my dad, I have to admit it's hard to get used to having this new person there all the time. She is super nice though and we are getting to know each other :) She likes dogs. Which is good since I brought Norman and Phoebe over to visit last week and they will most likely be frequent visitors because Glen our favorite landlord is bending the rules and giving permission for the doggies to visit. Yay! Norman may make himself unwelcome though if he keeps barking at people walking by under their deck. We'll keep him inside.
Jay and my niece, Kyreana, came with me and the dogs last wed. She is pictured here preparing a tea party for us. Mom always has great toys when kids come to visit!
Norman napping
Phoebe and Dad again
Mom and Kyreana
Yesterday Dad had a great physical therapy appointment! He walked a ton and learned a new trick for when he "freezes". Drop your heels, take a step back, and start again. It really helps to just walk through those steps in your head. I saw it help him 3x last night when I was over there visiting. So Nancy 2 is pretty cool. Although super grateful for her, the relief she is giving my mom, and the help she is giving my dad, I have to admit it's hard to get used to having this new person there all the time. She is super nice though and we are getting to know each other :) She likes dogs. Which is good since I brought Norman and Phoebe over to visit last week and they will most likely be frequent visitors because Glen our favorite landlord is bending the rules and giving permission for the doggies to visit. Yay! Norman may make himself unwelcome though if he keeps barking at people walking by under their deck. We'll keep him inside.
Nancy 2 left at 8. I stayed until 10:30 and watched Downtown (or is it Downton? Johnny? Colleen?) Abby with Mom and Dad. And we stared out the window at the moon and the boats. I snuggled with my dad for a bit and then headed home.
Jay and my niece, Kyreana, came with me and the dogs last wed. She is pictured here preparing a tea party for us. Mom always has great toys when kids come to visit!
Norman napping
Phoebe and Dad
Phoebe and Dad again
Mom and Kyreana
Very dark picture of Kyreana, Nancy 2 and Dad
Friday, March 2, 2012
Friday Adventure
Hi it's Lisa!
Today the plan was to take dad to get his hair cut. When I got to Mom and Dad's around noon I ran into mom doing laundry in the basement so I helped her carry stuff up. She informed me that their had been a leak in the bathtub or something so the landlord was up there fixing it and keeping dad company! They LOVE their landlord Glenn. Anyway, we made our way upstairs and Dad was REALLY tired. I helped him finish his malt o meal and then mom shaved him and got him dressed. I wasn't sure if he would be up for getting his hair cut since he was practically asleep in his chair and didn't seem to have much energy. (I guess he has had a few sleepless nights lately, plus he had a huge week full of lots of fun visitors! Their friends the Horton's came over on Saturday and sounds like they brought a huge spread of food and drinks and the four of them watched the Husky mens basketball game, then Allison and her boyfriend, and yesterday Angie stopped by with the dogs and her niece!)
I told Dad I could take him tomorrow to get his hair cut if he just wanted to veg out today. Mom however thought today was best! Once he was ready to go I loaded him up in the mini mobile and we headed to Mercer Island. (on the way to MI I showed dad the new ramp that they are building that goes down to the waterfront (I think I babbled about it last week)... he was so excited about it!!) Dad Loves Amy at his MI barber. He has been going to her for years and she knows all about each of us kids and mom and is so good to him. We just wheel his chair right up and away she goes!
When he was done I got him back in the car and asked if he wanted to get his pastrami sandwich that he likes from the new deli on the Island. He didn't seem very excited about that. I ran through a list of ideas and his eyes lit up when I suggested McDonalds! I have never in my life known my dad to like McDonalds but he loves their milkshakes and knew they had a fish sandwich he could have! I being the horrible Catholic I am forgot it was Friday and he wasn't allowed to have meat. He knew all along! So we went through the drive thru and made our way back to Queen Anne!
Getting out of the mini at their apartment was a bit more of a challenge. Dad kicked his legs out of the car and I pulled him up and then he was completely frozen. It was definitely an O-Sh*t moment for me because I didn't have anything to brace myself against and he was falling as I tried to maneuver him into the chair. I think those are the most scary moments, because there is nothing either of us could do! He just barely caught the edge of his chair and I was able to hold it steady enough that he didn't go down to the concrete and we could slide him into his chair and make our way upstairs! Its situations like that that make me realize his days of being able to go with me places are limited unless we are on foot. The transfer from the car to his chair won't always be something he is able to do. In fact I think we are pretty lucky he is still able to do it!
Back upstairs I helped dad eat his lunch and then we chatted for a bit and then he asked me to check his on demand.... it wasn't working so I called comcast and got that figured out. I left dad while he was happily watching a movie! Nancy #2 got there right at 3pm and did some house cleaning stuff and then dad was all hers! :)
Overall a great day and I was happy he was able to get out a bit even though he was tired.
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Amy cutting dads hair :)
Today the plan was to take dad to get his hair cut. When I got to Mom and Dad's around noon I ran into mom doing laundry in the basement so I helped her carry stuff up. She informed me that their had been a leak in the bathtub or something so the landlord was up there fixing it and keeping dad company! They LOVE their landlord Glenn. Anyway, we made our way upstairs and Dad was REALLY tired. I helped him finish his malt o meal and then mom shaved him and got him dressed. I wasn't sure if he would be up for getting his hair cut since he was practically asleep in his chair and didn't seem to have much energy. (I guess he has had a few sleepless nights lately, plus he had a huge week full of lots of fun visitors! Their friends the Horton's came over on Saturday and sounds like they brought a huge spread of food and drinks and the four of them watched the Husky mens basketball game, then Allison and her boyfriend, and yesterday Angie stopped by with the dogs and her niece!)
I told Dad I could take him tomorrow to get his hair cut if he just wanted to veg out today. Mom however thought today was best! Once he was ready to go I loaded him up in the mini mobile and we headed to Mercer Island. (on the way to MI I showed dad the new ramp that they are building that goes down to the waterfront (I think I babbled about it last week)... he was so excited about it!!) Dad Loves Amy at his MI barber. He has been going to her for years and she knows all about each of us kids and mom and is so good to him. We just wheel his chair right up and away she goes!
When he was done I got him back in the car and asked if he wanted to get his pastrami sandwich that he likes from the new deli on the Island. He didn't seem very excited about that. I ran through a list of ideas and his eyes lit up when I suggested McDonalds! I have never in my life known my dad to like McDonalds but he loves their milkshakes and knew they had a fish sandwich he could have! I being the horrible Catholic I am forgot it was Friday and he wasn't allowed to have meat. He knew all along! So we went through the drive thru and made our way back to Queen Anne!
Getting out of the mini at their apartment was a bit more of a challenge. Dad kicked his legs out of the car and I pulled him up and then he was completely frozen. It was definitely an O-Sh*t moment for me because I didn't have anything to brace myself against and he was falling as I tried to maneuver him into the chair. I think those are the most scary moments, because there is nothing either of us could do! He just barely caught the edge of his chair and I was able to hold it steady enough that he didn't go down to the concrete and we could slide him into his chair and make our way upstairs! Its situations like that that make me realize his days of being able to go with me places are limited unless we are on foot. The transfer from the car to his chair won't always be something he is able to do. In fact I think we are pretty lucky he is still able to do it!
Back upstairs I helped dad eat his lunch and then we chatted for a bit and then he asked me to check his on demand.... it wasn't working so I called comcast and got that figured out. I left dad while he was happily watching a movie! Nancy #2 got there right at 3pm and did some house cleaning stuff and then dad was all hers! :)
Overall a great day and I was happy he was able to get out a bit even though he was tired.
.JPG)
welcome to the blog Clark clan !
Thanks mom for introducing us to the blog, and posting a picture of me, so we can be a part of daddy's blog too!! Dillon had an amazing time with nana and papa on monday, he was all sorts of ready for bed and slept sooo well!! thanks nana and papa for wearing him out! i was so excited to tell our good friend justin zeiger(who i am sure u guys remember- he asked how u guys were?!) about how funny it was that dad was trying to trick dillon into coming closer to him with grapes.. dillon really likes grapes!... so while dad was sitting in his big brown leather chair he was popping grapes into the button holes of the ottoman as dillon was enjoying the game of taking them out and popping them into his mouth! dad was so entertained by this it continued on through an entire bag of grapes. Dillon also really loved the big bedsin mom an das apartment, we have taught him to be quite a daredevil. It scared the pants off Mom as Dc and i repeatedly tossed him up up and away into the air with a big old plop onto the big comfy bed, mom was squealing in fright as dillon was squealing of joy!!! Dad and Dc enjoyed some guy time together as they discussed cars, and relaxed in the night light on the porch together starring into the wonderful water view! Dad let Dc borrow his car movies, and Dc was so excited to come home and pop his new awesome shows into his computer right away to watch them. it was like watching a toddler coming home from toys r us with a brand new toy.. sooooooo cute!!!
The next day we weren't quite sure how we would be able to live up to how much fun dillon had had with nana and papa, so we took him and our friend justin to chuck e cheeses. We had lots of fun and lots of laughs, especially at the fact that justin was an additional child to us for the night , and a big one at that! chuck e cheeses trusted us when leaving that he was our kid , even without his stamp they let us take him home, HAHAHA! we then went to red robin for dinner and dillon and justin were enjoying themselves as they played with there balloons in the back seat on the way home.... however, dillon said he had fun but not as much fun as when he was at nana and papa's!!
We cannot wait until monday to go visit nana and papa again! It will be dillons first time swimming in a pool, and my long awaited laps time( jogging is awesome but i miss water) We love you all and miss each and every one of you
- love the clark clan
Allison , Dc and Dillon
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