4/29 Visit

Gary and I spent a relaxing afternoon with Dad on Sunday. We took him outside to the courtyard and he was so happy to be outside. We kept a close eye on him after his episode on Saturday but other than being tired he was doing great. We spent some time outside and then in the day room as well.

When we first got there he was all excited to see us. We told him we were gonna take him outside and Gary started pushing him towards the door and he saw my Coke Zero in my hand and he started reaching for it LOL I held up the bag I had brought which had his Pepsi and chocolate bar in it and told him his was in there and he goes "ohhhh goody goody, gimme gimme gimme!!!" LOL I told him that I would give it to him as soon as we got outside. As we were walking out the front door he was waving at everyone saying "Bye everyone!"

We got him outside and I took out his Pepsi and chocolate bar. He reached for the chocolate bar and said "Might as well start with this one" I bought him a Hershey bar so we opened it up and I broke it into pieces he could snack on. When he got down to the last 3 pieces they had melted onto the wrapper but that did not stop him...

Getting every last piece of chocolate off that wrapper LOL

Then I told him that it was Tom Jr.'s birthday and he said "Little Tommy?" and I said yes. He said "Well I didn't know that!"He asked me how old "Little Tommy" was and I told him that Tom Jr. was 54 and his eyes got really big and he said "WOW, they come up quick don't they??" I called Tom Jr. and let Dad talk to him. Dad is fascinated by the phone these days and he was just fascinated that he was talking to Tom Jr. all the way in Utah. I reminded Dad that it was Tom Jr.'s birthday and dad started singing Happy Birthday to him until an extremely loud motorcycle drove by and startled him. He kept calling Tommy a "little fart" He told Tommy that he was gonna spank his ass then he changed his mind and told Tommy that he wouldn't spank him LOL

After our conversation with Tommy Gary took Dad for a walk around the courtyard and then we went to the front courtyard area so Dad could see the cars going by. As we walk him to and from the courtyard he likes to look at each of the cars that are parked along the sidewalk to pick out which one he is gonna get, he always picks the biggest truck, unless its a Ford, and he says "That's it, that one is mine!" Well Gary and I came up in Gary's truck so Gary took him around to see his truck and Dad got all excited when he saw it and he says "Ohhhh yeah!!! Chevy! THAT one is mine!" LOL

One thing I noticed was that his blanket was missing :-( I don't know what happened to it, maybe the rightful owner came back and claimed it but he didn't have his Mi Mi and of course he doesn't know where it went. I was sad for him. I am so excited though because the mother of a friend of mine from work is going to make him his very own blanket using the black and yellow to match his Army hat and she is going to embroider his name on it so there will be no question as to who it belongs too LOL

One of the funniest things from yesterday is that he is still on the "I need a girlfriend kick" and yesterday he told me "You know, with the ladies I am smooooooooooth" LOL LOL Some things just never change I guess.

He also kept telling us he had no money so I gave him a dollar to keep in his pocket. Then every time he told us he had no money we would say "Are you sure? Check your pocket." and he would reach in his pocket and pull out the dollar and his face would just light up and he would say "Ohhhh I DO have some money" I hope his money doesn't disappear like his stolen blanket did.

Anyway, yesterday's visit was a short one so not many pictures - here is what I took

Enjoying some chocolate

Checking out the cars

Watching the cars go by

Taking a walk with "Ed"

"There it is! That's MY truck!"

Checking Dad's truck LOL

Chevy's are really good!!

4/28 Visit

Today Dad had quite the day. He had quite a few visitors, Perry, Marjorie (you all know her as Terri), Kathy, Sam (aka Stan), James, Me, Ed (formerly known as Gary), and Garrett were all there to see him! Gary, Garrett and I didn't get there until later in the afternoon, when we got there everyone was with Dad in the dining room and his nurse was with them. Apparently they had all been outside and Dad got very hot and started sweating profusely and then, from the way it was described to me, it sounds like he had another seizure, but not as severe as the one he had on Easter Sunday. He was out of it and not responding and he began drooling. Garrett and I both said it sounds like the seizure we witnessed on Easter minus the convulsions and he came out of it faster than he did on Easter as well. It was pretty scary for the family members who were there with him. It made me a bit more nervous leaving him tonight, and the fact that he seemed extra tired had me concerned as well.

Anyway - on to the fun details. When we got there everyone was hanging out in the dining room and dad
was sitting in his wheelchair. When I sat down he scooted over so that we were knee to knee and he said "OK there I'm close to you" LOL He was sitting with me and Kathy and he was holding her hand and holding my hand and he looked over at Garrett and said "See I get all the ladies. I left none for you" Then he started laughing and said "OK I'll let you have one" and he started looking around like he was trying to find one for Garrett LOL

He has developed quite the sweet tooth and he likes soda! Today he had an Orange Crush drink, actually it appeared he had 2,  a bottle and a can. Well James, me, Kathy, and Garrett were all siting in front of him and Perry, Terri, Stan, and Gary were off to the side. James and I could not see what was going on but Perry was signaling to Kathy to hide Dad's "stolen" blanket we couldn't quite figure out what was going on until this wheelchair came into view and this very LOUD high-pitched bossy voice from behind Dad says "I WANT SOME OF THAT!" There was a little bossy old lady in a wheelchair, who had seen us from down the hall and made a beeline for us (Perry thought she was after Dad's ill-gotten blanket but she was REALLY after his Orange Crush) James and I were trying to look without looking at her and Kathy says to her "You can have this one" and hands her the open can of Orange Crush. The lady picks it up and says in her LOUD high-pitched bossy voice "THERE NOTHING IN THIS! HOW CAN I DRINK THIS? I NEED A CUP!!!!" James and I looked up and could see Perry, Gary, Stan, and Terri cracking up and we just lost it we were dying laughing. The lady couldn't see us, all she could see was Garrett and Kathy and Garrett was doing his best to maintain his composure and not crack up like James and I were and then we hear her say to Garrett "IT'S NOT FUNNY, I NEED A CUP I CAN'T DRINK THIS WITHOUT A CUP!" ROFLOL we were absolutely dying laughing and what was making it worse was Perry, Terri, Gary, and Stan off to the side rolling with silent laughter and Garrett and Kathy in the lady's line of vision doing everything they could not to laugh. Finally Perry went and found her a cup and Kathy poured the rest of Dad's can of Orange Crush into the cup for her. Perry used it to lure her to a different table where she drank it and then left LOL We thought we were in the clear but at one point Kathy and I went to take Dad back to his room to fix his dentures and the woman in the wheelchair  cornered us and was pointing at Dad's Pepsi saying "I WANT SOME OF THAT!!" Kathy was like "Sorry that's his" and we scooted past her and into Dad's room. We decided that if his bottle of Orange Crush goes missing from his room we know who the culprit is. LOL

As usual when we have these visits I like to take pictures, with Dad's Alzheimer's he has the attention span of about a 2 year old so when we get ready to take pictures with him everyone around his has to do just like you do when you are taking a picture with a baby - we all have to stay ready with our smiles plastered on while the camera person tries to get Dad to smile. Well when Kathy is not in the picture she is usually beside me trying to get/keep Dad's attention by calling his name and being silly to try to get him to smile, just like you do when you take your little ones to get their pictures taken. Well today I wanted my nephew James to take a picture of Dad with me, Perry, and Kathy so Kathy and I were plotting our typical hands-in-Perry's-face picture when all of a sudden my sister in law Terri jumps up and starts dancing around in front of us and making noises and just dancing all around - It was HILARIOUS!!!! Dad started cracking up and we got THREE great pictures with real smiles and laughs from him.

When Kathy and I were able to escape the Orange Crush lady and get Dad to his room to fix his dentures he was wanting his gold Mardi Gras beads so I put them on him and he started bouncing in his seat. Then he was trying to get up because he wanted to dance LOL So Kathy and I convinced him to stay in his chair to dance so he took each of us by the hand and we all started to "dance" he was just a smiling. At one point I did tell him "You know we need some music or we just look stupid" so he started going "do da do da do da do da do" and we kept right on a dancing LOL

Later on in the day Garrett was playing him some old Hank William's Jr. and him and I were dancing again LOL He was listening to "All My Rowdy Friends Have Settled Down" and in the chorus when Hank sings "all my rowdy friends have settled down" Dad looks at Garrett and says "But not me!" LOL LOL LOL Then Garrett played him "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" and when Hank sang those words Dad looks at Garrett again and he says "not me, I'm tired" LOL LOL

All in all, aside from the apparent seizure episode, today was a fun day. It was a good visit. When Gary and I left around 6:00 it was just about all Dad could do to keep his eyes open and he had already taken a little nap while he was waiting for his dinner. See below for some pictures from the day.

Dad with his 2nd oldest grandson and his youngest grandson

Terri was dancing around and cracking us ALL up especially Dad!

Terri was still dancing

She was done now 

Putting his Jacket back on, he was getting chilly

The Peanut Gallery LOL From from to back Ed (aka Gary), Perry, Marjorie (aka Terri), Sam (aka Stan) and Garrett

Me and Kathy with Dad - Stan was trying to dance like Terri but Dad wasn't as impressed LOL

Kathy and I were dying laughing - Dad not so much LOL

"Dance Stanley Dance!" At this point Gary (who was taking the picture ) was just making "Sam" dance for fun LOL

Listening to some Bosephus

attention span of a 2 year old LOL

It's been a long day, he needed a rest. Although he almost tipped himself over  TWICE from this position -
scared the daylights out of!

4/25 Visit

Oh boy! Dad's turning into a kleptomaniac!! LOL Ok, I have to preface this story with one from a while back for those family members who don't know the "Walker Theft" story.

When Dad was in the other rehab center about a month ago, I went to see him and I found him sitting in a chair outside his room. I asked him what he was doing out there and he gave me his standard answer "Damned if I know!" He was sitting in a chair and his roommates walker was sitting next to him. I looked into his room and saw his CNA cleaning up and changing his bedding so I assumed she brought him in the hall to get him out of the way, but his wheelchair was in the room sitting next to his bed. So I said "Dad, how did you get out here?" and his CNA walked out and said "He walked out here" I was impressed at first and then realized that she didn't mean that in a good way. I asked her what was going on and she explained to me that she got him out of bed, put him in his wheelchair, and left to go get clean linens for his bed, while she was gone he got out of the wheelchair, made his way across the room, stole his roommate's walker and went into the hall and sat in the chair. ROFLOL He's a walker thief!

Well now to his latest "conquest." When I got there this afternoon he was in bed and he had this cute little afghan wrap over his lap. I asked him where he got it from and of course I am sure you can guess what he said... "Damned if I know!" So I assumed that his wife had visited him and brought him a crocheted wrap. Well a little bit later my brother called me, he said he had visited Dad earlier this afternoon and that dad had this wrap/blanket. I told my brother he still had it and he said that he asked Dad where it came from and Dad told him the following: "There was a lady who had it, but she wasn't using it so I took it. I was cold. But it's OK because I think I am faster than her." ROFLOL

Of course he told my brother that he also stole the socks he was wearing (they were the yellow non-skid socks the hospital puts on him) so we weren't sure if he actually took the afghan BUT after I spoke to my brother I was back with Dad and I asked him once more where the blanket came from and he said he didn't know and he kept looking at it and then all of a sudden he says "Oh yeah! I stole it!" and then he told me the same story he told my brother LOL LOL So I'm not sure who this lady is that he took the afghan from but I'm not worried because Dad thinks he can outrun her LOL

Here are some pictures from today's short visit:

He got a haircut!!

See his ill gotten booty??? Its a cute little wrap LOL

Being silly!

My daddy!

Me and my daddy!

4/21 - 4/22 visits

This weekend, like all of them, has gone by so quickly but I was luck enough to get 3 visits with dad this weekend. I went up on Friday afternoon, spent most of the day Saturday and most of the afternoon on Sunday with him. He was in pretty good spirits most of the time. When I got there on Friday was happy to see me, I hadn't seen him since Tuesday. It was kind of rainy so we sat out front under the cover up and we just visited. Saturday he was visited by my sister Kathy, her daughter Jillian, and Jillian's daughters Tristany and Jamie. They brought him some old pictures to look at and he seemed to recognize some of them. When they showed him one of him when he was a little boy he said "Well hello Thomas!"LOL. He was having a great time with all the women around him LOL He loves the women LOL. At one point my sister and I were kind of playfully arguing back and forth and Kathy said something to me and then she said "Right Dad?" and in true Dad form he responded "I'm not going to say a word" LOL

I spent the day with him today and he spent most of the day telling me about all the pretty women who are there. He keeps saying he is going to find a girlfriend but he's just not sure which one it will be. The hardest part is leaving. Friday and Saturday I stayed until he was in bed and asleep so today was tough. Anyway, here are some pictures from the last few days

With 2 of his 12 great-grandchildren

Jillian giving him a manicure

Checking out the Jeeps with Garrett

LOL with his gold chains we had to turn his hat sideways - Garrett said he was OG... Original Grandad LOL

Chillaxin'!! LOL