Rough night, but good day. My mom was up at 1:30, 4:30 and 7:30 last night. Betty arrived at 8:30, and Megan at 9. I had another rough day getting DH to get up and help with the children again, but my Dad was doing his best to juggle them while I helped my mother.
I took Micah to preschool today - for the first time in a few weeks. He seemed to be having a great time, but he was very clingy - he did not want me to go more than a few feet away from him. After class, we returned home for lunch. I had just missed the nurse, who came to check my mother's blood pressure and draw blood.
Micah was not much in the mood for eating - he munched on an apple, and I made my mother a tuna fish sandwich. My Mom told me that she spoke to her co-worker and friend, and that she planned to come by with couscous. My mom has been so excited that she asked me about 100 times today if I knew what time her co-worker was coming by to visit. I think she wanted to save her appetite for the couscous.
Patricia was here cleaning the house, and she was a huge help - she managed to put a lot of things in order and help us with the unpacking, too. Megan took Micah out to run an errand, and I stayed behind trying to get a few things done around the house. After lunch, we took Mom back to her room for a bit of a nap. She made some phone calls and rested. Micah and Megan returned home, and Micah also went down for his nap. Megan spent most of the afternoon keeping track of Maya while I made a schedule for my mother, took care of a few appointments, returned some calls and emails, and did a bit of cleaning and unpacking.
Another friend of my mother's arrived around 3:00...with vegetable soup for us! My mother has been looking forward to this soup since Saturday, and it certainly delivered. She came in and I gave her a tour of the house, and brought her back to chat with Mom. After a while, Betty brought Mom back out to the living room, and Dad arrived home, too. We all sat around chatting, and it was a nice afternoon. My mom's friend offered to help me get a bit more organized in the kitchen...and I gladly took her up on the offer! We pulled out duplicate food items, moved things around, unloaded 2 more boxes of food, and she helped me cull through some of the items to make more room in the kitchen. When we were finished, I definitely felt as if we'd made a dent in the kitchen. I think I can get the kitchen in order within the next few days.
Around 5:00, the occupational therapist showed up to work with my mother. They did some exercises and evaluations for almost an hour. While they were working, I reheated the soup, and Mom's friend stayed with us through dinner. The soup was DELICIOUS, and it was so nice to not have to think about dinner. Micah skipped dinner and watched Sesame Street. He had actually eaten a ton of peanut butter, so I was fine with that. He was singing along with Elmo's World, and he was just adorable.
We ended dinner with apple pie and chocolate ice cream (of course). We got a call from the nurse who told us Mom's bloodwork indicated that her platelets are low again. She will likely need another platelet transfusion, and we are going to see if her hematologist down here can do it instead of returning to the hospital.
Mom's friend left after dinner, and we spent time with the kids hanging out. Micah drank another smoothie that another friend had left behind...and he cried when it was all gone. Around 8, Betty took Mom back to the room to get her into her pajamas. DH, Micah, Maya, Dad and I watched Glee, and Micah was singing and dancing. He cheered "YAY!" at the end of each song. He was being so cute as he hugged and kissed us all, and he kept running back to check on Grammy - giving her kisses, signing (and saying) "I love you."
Mom decided to stay in bed for the evening. Betty left at 8:30, and we left Mom in the room with her audiobook to relax. DH bathed Micah and put him to bed while I worked on getting Maya to sleep. Maya finally crashed and we placed her in the swing for a bit before moving her into her crib. So far, so good!
I returned to Mom at 10:00 to give mom her nighttime meds and put her to sleep. Luckily, both Micah and Maya were down for the night - I'm hoping for a good night tonight.
Today was much calmer...I got a glimpse of normalcy again, and I think that we will get into a routine in another week or two. It has been so nice having my mom around us, and I love seeing her and my father interacting with the kids. Micah is finally getting comfortable with Mom again...he used to be so attached to her, but with all this time away (ever since she got sick in May), he just has been more distant from her. But lately, he seems to be paying more attention to her again, and he runs down to her room to check on her and say hi. He also seems a bit infatuated with Betty.
I'm hoping for a quiet night!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Insanity
Today was insane. I believe the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. That must be what I am doing...I keep thinking that somehow, the kids will cooperate, that everyone will nap at the same time, that the phone will stop ringing, that my fairy godmother will wave her magic wand...and that I will be able to magically tackle all of the tasks on my list while in a dress and singing to my talking animal friends. Okay, maybe not the magic wand or fairy princess part, but I do keep thinking I'll finish my "to-do" list. I somehow thought that by coming home, life would settle down and become...maybe a bit boring. I thought with caretakers and babysitters I'd have hours of time to myself...time to rebuild my business, time to rest, time to catch up on the DVR. Apparently, I'm delusional, because I didn't even have time to eat today!
Mom slept through the night last night...and so did the kids! Of course, I was up every hour or so checking monitors at some sound or another, mostly because I just couldn't believe everyone was sleeping so soundly. Micah was the first one awake at 7:00 am. He spoke a few times (sounded like he was saying hi to his stuffed animals and asking for Elmo). I left him alone - I knew the minute he went screaming down the hallway with his toddler exuberance, there would be no more sleeping people in the house. By 7:30, Maya was making noise. I went in to get her and nurse, but I heard Mom calling for me at the same time. I asked DH to grab Maya while I went to my mother. I checked her blood sugar, gave her meds, got her some juice and water and a little granola to hold her until breakfast. I then went back to get Micah out of bed and nurse Maya.
I have to say, morning is NOT DH's strength. I'm not a morning person, but he is just terrible in the mornings. He gets snappy and unhappy, and he does not understand why he should have to wake up and do...well, anything, most mornings. He grumbled something about Maya being cranky because I made him get her out of bed too soon, and something about Maya waking Micah (all wrong...he was just in the midst of a delusion that if I had not ruined his morning, the kids would have slept until noon).
I ran around like a crazed lunatic...trying to nurse Maya and make breakfast for Mom and Micah and search for Maya's clothing (her basket of clothing has gone missing). Both of my parents had time to spend with Maya:
Mom slept through the night last night...and so did the kids! Of course, I was up every hour or so checking monitors at some sound or another, mostly because I just couldn't believe everyone was sleeping so soundly. Micah was the first one awake at 7:00 am. He spoke a few times (sounded like he was saying hi to his stuffed animals and asking for Elmo). I left him alone - I knew the minute he went screaming down the hallway with his toddler exuberance, there would be no more sleeping people in the house. By 7:30, Maya was making noise. I went in to get her and nurse, but I heard Mom calling for me at the same time. I asked DH to grab Maya while I went to my mother. I checked her blood sugar, gave her meds, got her some juice and water and a little granola to hold her until breakfast. I then went back to get Micah out of bed and nurse Maya.
I have to say, morning is NOT DH's strength. I'm not a morning person, but he is just terrible in the mornings. He gets snappy and unhappy, and he does not understand why he should have to wake up and do...well, anything, most mornings. He grumbled something about Maya being cranky because I made him get her out of bed too soon, and something about Maya waking Micah (all wrong...he was just in the midst of a delusion that if I had not ruined his morning, the kids would have slept until noon).
I ran around like a crazed lunatic...trying to nurse Maya and make breakfast for Mom and Micah and search for Maya's clothing (her basket of clothing has gone missing). Both of my parents had time to spend with Maya:
The phone was ringing off the hook with questions from nurses and the phone company and health care equipment companies. Betty arrived at 8:30, and I tried to take some time to give her a brief introduction/orientation while taking care of two screaming children. In the midst of all the madness, my father ran to the store...and I have no idea where DH was. I emptied the dishwasher and tried to empty a few more boxes in the kitchen and clear off the counter so that I could do some real cooking. Megan arrived at 9, and she helped get Micah ready and off to his class.
While they were out, I started to work on cleaning up while Betty and my mother got to know each other. Unfortunately, Maya started screaming, and I had to divert my attention back to her. Then Betty had some questions for me about the routine and where things were located. Next thing I knew, there was a knock at the door...and the guy from the wheelchair company was here to see my mother's chair. I have to say, he was not such a nice man. I asked him about my mother's wheelchair and our impression that it was supposed to recline, and he nearly blew a gasket. He said no one told him about any reclining and if we didn't like the chair, he'd return it and wouldn't get us a new one (knowing full well he is the only person our insurance company authorizes to fit Mom for wheelchairs). We must have spent an hour or two discussing her wheelchair. In short, he basically told us we were S.O.L...they ordered this wheelchair, and there was no way to change the order.
After he left, it was time for lunch. My mom wanted peanut butter on a bagel (with a side order of pie and ice cream). Micah wanted...to throw his food on the floor. He got upset when he saw Grammy's cup with a straw and he wanted one, too. I gave him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and he ate some of it. Right after lunch, Micah went down for his nap, and Maya was dozing on and off. I started to do some more cleaning...but the phone was ringing. We had all kinds of health care professionals calling us to make appointments with Mom and to be honest, my head was spinning and I didn't have a chance to write it all down. Perhaps the best call of the day...a former client with a new project for me. I'm hoping that I can get things together in the next week and get back to working, because I really want to spend some time catching up on my work.
Suddenly, it was 2:00 pm, and my mom was thinking of taking a nap. She had mentioned that she also wanted to take a walk since she never made it outside yesterday. We decided that if we did not go out for our walk immediately, it was unlikely to happen at all. So, Betty, Mom and I bundled up and went for a short walk through the neighborhood.
I think we were gone for at least 30 minutes or so. When we returned, our friend was there waiting for us!
Mom and her friend sat and chatted and caught up while Betty did some more unpacking and organizing in Mom's room. Just as I was getting ready to do some more unpacking in the kitchen, the delivery guy from the medical equipment company arrived. He needed to deliver a lift for Mom, and fix her bed and table. Not surprisingly, it turned into quite an ordeal. I think he was here for nearly two hours. Every time he thought he "fixed" the bed, we showed him that it was still broken. He was quite irritated, and after 3 attempts at fixing the bed, he finally replaced it. We had a minor snafu with the lift...first, we thought it wasn't covered by insurance, so we nearly refused the delivery again. Once we clarified everything with the insurance company, he dragged it inside. As he was demonstrating how it worked...we realized it was broken! He had to drag that back outside again. Mom received a replacement table, too. By the time he left, he was quite irritated that the repair on Mom's bed had taken such a long time. He and Betty were not getting along, so I ended up having to run in and mediate. At least he fixed the bed before he left!
Right after the guy from the medical equipment company left, Mom stretched out for a nap...only to have the woman from physical therapy come by at 4:30. They had a short session, but it seemed productive. Mom will have physical therapy three days each week - Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9:00 am. She was tired, but she seemed excited to start her therapy. In the middle of all of this, Megan left for the day, and I went back to chasing two unhappy children while trying to observe Mom's therapy. Around 5:00, my friend and her daughter Becca stopped in for a visit. Micah and Becca played a bit, but Micah was NOT playing nicely. I ran upstairs around 5:30 (while DH monitored Micah) to check on Mom and start to make dinner. I had the baby in tow some of the time, she napped a bit, and then my father took her for a while.
Unfortunately, it was nearly 6:00 before I managed to make any real progress with dinner. I was busy hunting for pots and pans and trying to clear space and carrying Micah - it was a disaster! It also turned out that we were nearly out of a few of the key ingredients...we barely had any artichoke hearts, and we were quite short on the bulghur wheat. I searched the cabinets to improvise, and I decided that quinoa was close enough. Unfortunately, I forgot that quinoa takes about 20 minutes to cook. Despite everything, dinner tasted good...just a little different from the norm. Micah was unwilling to eat much...but he spent the evening sucking down a delicious smoothie instead. I figured it was a passable dinner...fruit and yogurt, right?
Mom was too tired to join us at the table for dinner, so we brought her dinner in bed. Immediately after dinner, she wanted ice cream and granola for dessert. It was about 8:15 pm when she was finally settling in for the evening, and she closed her eyes and napped for about 1 1/2 hours. I gave her evening medications at 10 and Betty cleaned Mom up and got her ready for bed by 10:30. All in all, I think our first day working with Betty was a success.
We did a bit more cleaning around the house. My father was trying his best to be helpful...but he decided to put my very expensive Calphalon pans in the dishwasher! So, now I'm going to be in the market for a new set of pans. I went in to cry to my mom briefly tonight...I just wish I had more time free to do what I need to do, and I wish that sometimes my father and DH don't do things to "help" like ruin my pots. His heart was in the right place...but my pots were in the dishwasher :(.
After the kids were in bed (DH finally got Maya to sleep and in her crib around 10:30), DH and Dad decided to work on assembling a few toys for the kids that have been sitting in boxes for far too long - a step stool, a bench and a toy chest. It was kind of fun to watch them working together. My father always loves putting that stuff together, and they seemed to do a pretty good job working together. I think Micah is going to be thrilled tomorrow morning!
My Mom just woke up briefly around 1:15. She was uncomfortable and needed to be repositioned. I'm hoping that she will rest comfortably and sleep through the night. I'm looking around and thinking that I might need to go back to unpacking - I don't think I'm going to have another quiet moment any time soon, and the cleaning lady is supposed to be here in the morning to clean. Right now, she can't possibly do much cleaning with all the boxes and mess! I'm so frustrated that I don't seem to be able to make any real progress. I know I would feel so much better if the house was in order and I could find the things I need. I don't know how, but I have to get the kitchen unpacked and my bedroom in order over the next few days. And I desperately need to find my contact lenses.
Uh oh...I think we're in for a long night. I was just getting ready to hunt for my pump, but Maya woke up crying. I think she is not going to go back down any time soon. I just asked DH to go in there...I've noticed that both kids seem to go down faster if he goes in during the middle of the night wakings than when I go in to cuddle them. I have no idea why, but it really makes a huge difference.
Tomorrow I've got preschool for Micah in the morning, and the cleaning lady. I think we have an appointment with the home health nurse, and I have no idea what other things I agreed to do! I'm supposed to go to a board meeting tomorrow night for a meeting, but I'm just not sure I'll be able to make it yet. And what I'd REALLY like to do is to get up, go pamper myself with a massage (I've even got a gift certificate I can use), a manicure, and a pedicure, and come home to a fully unpacked house and a prepared dinner, then head out to meet some friends to play mah jong. Perhaps next Tuesday....
After the kids were in bed (DH finally got Maya to sleep and in her crib around 10:30), DH and Dad decided to work on assembling a few toys for the kids that have been sitting in boxes for far too long - a step stool, a bench and a toy chest. It was kind of fun to watch them working together. My father always loves putting that stuff together, and they seemed to do a pretty good job working together. I think Micah is going to be thrilled tomorrow morning!
My Mom just woke up briefly around 1:15. She was uncomfortable and needed to be repositioned. I'm hoping that she will rest comfortably and sleep through the night. I'm looking around and thinking that I might need to go back to unpacking - I don't think I'm going to have another quiet moment any time soon, and the cleaning lady is supposed to be here in the morning to clean. Right now, she can't possibly do much cleaning with all the boxes and mess! I'm so frustrated that I don't seem to be able to make any real progress. I know I would feel so much better if the house was in order and I could find the things I need. I don't know how, but I have to get the kitchen unpacked and my bedroom in order over the next few days. And I desperately need to find my contact lenses.
Uh oh...I think we're in for a long night. I was just getting ready to hunt for my pump, but Maya woke up crying. I think she is not going to go back down any time soon. I just asked DH to go in there...I've noticed that both kids seem to go down faster if he goes in during the middle of the night wakings than when I go in to cuddle them. I have no idea why, but it really makes a huge difference.
Tomorrow I've got preschool for Micah in the morning, and the cleaning lady. I think we have an appointment with the home health nurse, and I have no idea what other things I agreed to do! I'm supposed to go to a board meeting tomorrow night for a meeting, but I'm just not sure I'll be able to make it yet. And what I'd REALLY like to do is to get up, go pamper myself with a massage (I've even got a gift certificate I can use), a manicure, and a pedicure, and come home to a fully unpacked house and a prepared dinner, then head out to meet some friends to play mah jong. Perhaps next Tuesday....
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Getting Settled
I wish I took more time to jot down my thoughts throughout the course of the day...I keep forgetting to record so many things, and I feel like I want to grab on to every precious memory right now. Today was another good day. I love having my Mom home with us. There are definitely big adjustments (more people, caretakers, more people making messes), but being together has been...nice.
My mom woke up briefly at 2:30 am again last night. Her nighttime waking is never an issue - she usually just needs something quick and easy and then falls right back to sleep. Unfortunately, last night, both kids were awake and screaming all night. Maya has been extremely clingy lately, and just does not want to sleep unless she is tucked in close to me. Micah woke up around 4:00 am screaming, so DH went in to sit with him while I kept Maya close. Turns out, DH forgot to give Micah his reflux medication, so it had him coughing and hurting all night.
Once we finally got the children to sleep, all was quiet in the house until 8:00 am. Mom woke up first while Micah and Maya (and DH) slept. I gave her some water and her morning pills. We took her blood sugar, and I asked her if she needed me to start getting her ready. She said she could wait for Krystal, and asked me to bring her some granola to tide her over until breakfast. Lately, my mom is obsessed with the Costco granola. She had three helpings this morning before we even ate breakfast!
Krystal showed up around 8:30. I prepared breakfast for my Mom while my Dad ran a few errands, DH, Micah and Maya slept, and Krystal and Mom did their morning routine. I managed to unload the dishwasher and clean up a few things, too. Micah woke up next, and I brought him out to eat breakfast with my mother.
After breakfast, I realized that we needed to get moving. Micah had swim class at 11, and we had a simchat bat (a baby naming) at 1:00. We ran around trying to find our things for swim class. I successfully located the swim bag, Micah's bathing suit, and my bathing suit. I even managed to find a clean outfit to wear today! I again failed to find my contact lenses...that is my task for tomorrow. I could not find a clean outfit for Maya, so I ended up recycling the one she wore yesterday. She had fallen asleep, so I grabbed the outfit for DH to use later.
I love swim class - Micah has so much fun blowing bubbles and practicing his swimming skills. He was extremely excited to see Daddy up on the observation deck, too, and took a few "time outs" to wave and yell to Daddy. After swim class, Micah and I took a shower and got ready for the baby naming. DH and I had previously bought a gift...but could not find it in the move, so we ran to Target to get something small to bring until we find the "real" gift.
We had a great time at the naming. Micah ran around with two of our friends kids (Max and Sarah) and they had such a good time playing together. He is getting to be a really big boy, and it just amazes me. I ended up having a few fairly heavy discussions with a few of the other guests...a few of them have been through similar challenges and even the loss of a parent. I have to say, I shed a few tears, but it was also nice to know others who have been through the same thing.
We left a little after 3 and came home. My mom was asleep, and my parents had a nice day while we were out. Some friends came by and brought lunch (and left behind a smoothie for Micah). We put Micah down for a nap, DH fell asleep, and Maya and I snuggled and snoozed on the couch together. I woke up around 5:15, and realized we needed to get things ready for dinner. We decided to keep it simple...just hot dogs for dinner. My father ran out to the store to pick up some hot dog buns, baked beans, potato salad and sauerkraut. I ate veggie dogs, and we had an easy dinner together. Tomorrow, if I can get the kitchen in order, I'm going to tackle cooking a real meal. My mother has specifically request our special vegetable cheese and bean topped bulghur wheat dinner.
My mother was barely finished with dinner when she was asking for dessert - a slice of apple pie and some chocolate ice cream. After dinner, we retired to the living room. Krystal took my mom back to her room to change, and then she settled in on the sofa. Krystal left around 8:45, Micah was in bed asleep, and my Mom decided to stay on the sofa until her 10:00 medicines. I tried to get Maya to fall asleep in her crib - we even decided to let her "cry it out" for about 10 minutes, but that didn't seem to work. I brought her back into the living room to sit with us. We had recorded a show on national geographic on migration, and we sat and watched it this evening. Actually, the cinematography was fabulous! There was a segment on penguins, and DH called me back in the room to watch.
DH and I have a joke about penguins. On our honeymoon, we went to South Africa. There are lots of penguins in Africa, and African penguins are known as Jackass Penguins. I thought it was funny...so we started joking about using the word penguin instead of jackass. Calling each other penguins (and doing a cute little penguin walk to imitate the penguins) became our little joke. I even bought him a penguin afghan as a Chanukah gift that year.
While Mom was watching tv, Maya was being difficult and refusing to go to sleep. I ended up putting Maya on Mom's lap, and she sat there quite contentedly for a while. I took some time to do the dishes and clean up a bit, and I managed to put a few more things in the kitchen drawers.
At 10:00, we gave Mom her bedtime medications and put her to sleep. DH managed to get Maya asleep, and he put her back in her crib. No surprise...she started crying again. We gave her another 10 minutes to see if she would cry herself to sleep, but no such luck. DH went back in, flipped her onto her back, put in her pacifier, looked at her and said "You're okay. Time to go night night. Daddy loves you." She looked at him, got quiet, and he left. Much to my amazement, she stayed quiet and eventually fell asleep. I'm hoping we can keep her in the crib all night and she can sleep through the night.
Things seem to be going well for us. I am feeling free to leave, and we are slowly making plans. We have different therapies scheduled to start this week - Tuesday is physical therapy (here is a "small world" story - we were given our PT's name, and both Mom and I thought it sounded familiar, but couldn't place it. She called today...turns out, we DO know her - she is the mother of one of my brother's childhood friends, and we just didn't recognize her remarried last name) and Wednesday is speech therapy. We are going to a doctor's appointment on Thursday, too.
My mom woke up briefly at 2:30 am again last night. Her nighttime waking is never an issue - she usually just needs something quick and easy and then falls right back to sleep. Unfortunately, last night, both kids were awake and screaming all night. Maya has been extremely clingy lately, and just does not want to sleep unless she is tucked in close to me. Micah woke up around 4:00 am screaming, so DH went in to sit with him while I kept Maya close. Turns out, DH forgot to give Micah his reflux medication, so it had him coughing and hurting all night.
Once we finally got the children to sleep, all was quiet in the house until 8:00 am. Mom woke up first while Micah and Maya (and DH) slept. I gave her some water and her morning pills. We took her blood sugar, and I asked her if she needed me to start getting her ready. She said she could wait for Krystal, and asked me to bring her some granola to tide her over until breakfast. Lately, my mom is obsessed with the Costco granola. She had three helpings this morning before we even ate breakfast!
Krystal showed up around 8:30. I prepared breakfast for my Mom while my Dad ran a few errands, DH, Micah and Maya slept, and Krystal and Mom did their morning routine. I managed to unload the dishwasher and clean up a few things, too. Micah woke up next, and I brought him out to eat breakfast with my mother.
I love swim class - Micah has so much fun blowing bubbles and practicing his swimming skills. He was extremely excited to see Daddy up on the observation deck, too, and took a few "time outs" to wave and yell to Daddy. After swim class, Micah and I took a shower and got ready for the baby naming. DH and I had previously bought a gift...but could not find it in the move, so we ran to Target to get something small to bring until we find the "real" gift.
We had a great time at the naming. Micah ran around with two of our friends kids (Max and Sarah) and they had such a good time playing together. He is getting to be a really big boy, and it just amazes me. I ended up having a few fairly heavy discussions with a few of the other guests...a few of them have been through similar challenges and even the loss of a parent. I have to say, I shed a few tears, but it was also nice to know others who have been through the same thing.
We left a little after 3 and came home. My mom was asleep, and my parents had a nice day while we were out. Some friends came by and brought lunch (and left behind a smoothie for Micah). We put Micah down for a nap, DH fell asleep, and Maya and I snuggled and snoozed on the couch together. I woke up around 5:15, and realized we needed to get things ready for dinner. We decided to keep it simple...just hot dogs for dinner. My father ran out to the store to pick up some hot dog buns, baked beans, potato salad and sauerkraut. I ate veggie dogs, and we had an easy dinner together. Tomorrow, if I can get the kitchen in order, I'm going to tackle cooking a real meal. My mother has specifically request our special vegetable cheese and bean topped bulghur wheat dinner.
My mother was barely finished with dinner when she was asking for dessert - a slice of apple pie and some chocolate ice cream. After dinner, we retired to the living room. Krystal took my mom back to her room to change, and then she settled in on the sofa. Krystal left around 8:45, Micah was in bed asleep, and my Mom decided to stay on the sofa until her 10:00 medicines. I tried to get Maya to fall asleep in her crib - we even decided to let her "cry it out" for about 10 minutes, but that didn't seem to work. I brought her back into the living room to sit with us. We had recorded a show on national geographic on migration, and we sat and watched it this evening. Actually, the cinematography was fabulous! There was a segment on penguins, and DH called me back in the room to watch.
DH and I have a joke about penguins. On our honeymoon, we went to South Africa. There are lots of penguins in Africa, and African penguins are known as Jackass Penguins. I thought it was funny...so we started joking about using the word penguin instead of jackass. Calling each other penguins (and doing a cute little penguin walk to imitate the penguins) became our little joke. I even bought him a penguin afghan as a Chanukah gift that year.
While Mom was watching tv, Maya was being difficult and refusing to go to sleep. I ended up putting Maya on Mom's lap, and she sat there quite contentedly for a while. I took some time to do the dishes and clean up a bit, and I managed to put a few more things in the kitchen drawers.
Things seem to be going well for us. I am feeling free to leave, and we are slowly making plans. We have different therapies scheduled to start this week - Tuesday is physical therapy (here is a "small world" story - we were given our PT's name, and both Mom and I thought it sounded familiar, but couldn't place it. She called today...turns out, we DO know her - she is the mother of one of my brother's childhood friends, and we just didn't recognize her remarried last name) and Wednesday is speech therapy. We are going to a doctor's appointment on Thursday, too.
Rolling
First full day at home...and I think things went extremely well! Mom slept well last night - she woke up only briefly at 4:30 am. I actually got a few hours of sleep, too. I took Maya to bed around 2, woke up with Mom at 4:30, and went back to sleep around 5:30 or so. I woke up a few more times briefly between 7 and 8 before waking up for the day. Krystal arrived promptly at 8:30, and my mother woke up shortly thereafter.
I gave mom her first set of pills, and then left while Krystal helped her get ready. I made breakfast for everyone...Mom, Dad, DH, and Micah. We sat at the table together, and it was a nice morning meal.
About 10 minutes after I changed Maya, I heard a loud explosion. Yes, she decided to poop in her clean diaper...AGAIN. DH always jokes that she likes a fresh bowl (for those of you who used to watch Ally McBeal, that is DH's nod to Peter McNichol's character, who used his remote device to flush the toilet BEFORE entering the stall because he liked a fresh bowl).
After breakfast, Dad went out to run some errands, and DH and Micah got ready to leave for services. Mom, Maya, Krystal and I spent the day together. I read Mom the blog, I made a few phone calls, we sat and chatted a bit.
The home health nurse arrived today to conduct the intake interview and start the process for Mom's services. Mom will have weekly blood draws and monitoring through this nurse, and she will also have physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. In fact, the speech therapist called tonight, and we have our first appointment with him on Wednesday.
While the nurse was here, my brother arrived for a visit. He was able to stay for a few hours, and we had a good visit. We gave him a tour of the house, and he did some entertaining of Maya. While he was here, Maya decided to show off...and she rolled over from back to belly for the first time!!
While the nurse was here, my brother arrived for a visit. He was able to stay for a few hours, and we had a good visit. We gave him a tour of the house, and he did some entertaining of Maya. While he was here, Maya decided to show off...and she rolled over from back to belly for the first time!!
She did it several times, in fact, with a big juicy grin on her face. My brother was a pile of mush for his niece, and my mom kept talking about her chubby cheeks and juicy smile. After our wonderful visit, my brother had to leave to go in to work for a few hours.
Shortly thereafter, we had an interesting visit from the neighbors across the street - they stopped by with cookies to introduce themselves! I've never had neighbors be that friendly before. I couldn't decide, however, if they were trying to figure us out. We moved in suddenly, we've had trucks back and forth, and delivery people with equipment, about 900 different cars in and out (not to mention the 4 cars we are driving), a nursing aide, a babysitter, and a home health nurse, so I can definitely understand their curiosity. They stayed about 15 minutes or so, and Mom had a chance to chat with them, too. I think they definitely asked a number of questions, but I tend to question people when they are so friendly! I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but we learned the other day that our landlord failed to file the proper documents to make this a rental unit. I have a sneaking suspicion that our friendly neighbors across the street may have been the ones who reported her, but perhaps I'm wrong.
DH, Micah and my father returned home from their outings by 2:30 or so. DH immediately put Micah down for a nap (Micah was awake and chatting for over an hour), Krystal took my Mom to her room for a nap, and I managed to get Maya to sleep for her nap. DH disappeared downstairs (I assume he napped, too), and I surveyed the house. I'm not sure what my father was doing...probably in and out running errands. I knew that it might be my only chance to do some cleaning and unpacking...and I just couldn't. I was so tired and just sick of unpacking. I stretched out my legs on the couch...and crashed.
I heard Maya wake up, and I went to go grab her, but Krystal got there first. I am ashamed to admit this, but I let her take Maya. I knew it wasn't her job, and I just...didn't get up. I slept for 1 1/2 hours thanks to Krystal, and it isn't even in her job description to help with Maya. DH and my father were nowhere nearby, and without Krystal, I never would have gotten a nap today. I opened my eyes a few times and told Krystal I could take Maya, but each time she insisted she had her and to go back to sleep. And I did. I cannot even begin to thank Krystal for all of her help - she runs a little extra interference with Micah, she picks up and holds the baby when I need to help my mother with things, and she is always happy to help out. She has been unpacking and organizing things in my mother's room, and she has had so many great ideas for getting us set up. She has perhaps been one of the most helpful people to me over the past few weeks, and especially the past 48 hours. So, thank you, Krystal, for all you do. It is GREATLY appreciated.
By 4:30, I was awake again and starting to plan for dinner. My father arrived home at 5, and I sent him back out again to pick up food for dinner. We ordered an assortment of Italian food (pizza, ravioli and eggplant parmesan), and it was a nice meal. I set the table and got everything ready to go. We worked on waking my mother up from her nap, and I got DH up and asked him to watch Maya. My mother was very confused...she always seems to think it is morning when she wakes up from her naps, and somehow, even when we tell her that it is 6:00 pm, she cannot understand how it is not morning.
When my father got home with dinner, I put the food out and Krystal got Mom ready to join us for dinner. My father woke Micah up from his nap, and Micah was NOT happy about that. After grumping for about 10 minutes, he dug into dinner with almost as much gusto as my mother.
After dinner, friends came by with a feast for dessert...chocolate chip cookies, rugelach, apple pie, and maccaroons. We had a great visit - Micah was running around, they brought a beautiful gift for Maya, and we had a lovely evening. My mom went back to her room around 8:30 and our friends left. Krystal stayed a little while longer to help us get Mom ready for bed, and she gave me a few tips on helping my Mom. That has been invaluable, and I hope it makes things easier for us at night.
We decided to keep Micah awake until 9:00 for daylight savings in the hopes that he gets right back on schedule. Micah through a fit because he couldn't play with the "say cheese" (his word for camera). I need to get tempting items like that out of his reach.
Mom dozed a bit from 9 until 11 when I woke her to give her bedtime medications. She immediately fell back asleep, and I hope she sleeps soundly through until morning. Even if she wakes up once, I'm fairly certain she'll fall back to sleep quickly and sleep in a bit. I held her medications an extra hour tonight so that she can sleep later tomorrow morning.
We tried to put Maya to sleep at 8:30, hoping that she would start to fall asleep at a more normal time and that daylight savings time will just push her entire schedule a bit earlier. Unfortunately, no such luck. Maya has been asleep since about 8:40, but every time we put her down, she cries. She just wants to sleep snuggled close to someone. I wish I knew how to make her sleep in her crib, or anywhere but on one of us!
I think we are starting to get into a routine. We eat breakfast at 8:30/9, lunch at 12:30, and dinner at 6. It works for Micah, it works for Mom and her medicine schedule, and it is fairly consistent with the schedule she kept at the hospital. Of course, if you ask my mother, she'll tell you that I need to do a better job of creating a consistent schedule. She thinks it was very outrageous to serve her eggplant parmesan for breakfast, and she thinks I'm going to damage her stomach with such crazy foods. She also thinks I need to do a better job of getting her to eat at normal times, because she shouldn't have breakfast twice in one day. Yes, the confusion about time is a bit frustrating...no matter how many times I explain to her that she woke up from a nap and it was dinner time, she thinks I'm lying to her. It didn't matter that I reminded her that we had breakfast and lunch and that eggplant was dinner - she somehow believes that I forgot to serve her dinner and then I gave her eggplant for breakfast. Logic just defies this situation. My mother ended our 8:00 session tonight chastising me about getting the timing better for meals...but I think I'm going to stick with feeding her (and the rest of us) at 8:30, 12:30 and 6:00 (with an afternoon snack in there as appropriate).
So, if you are planning to join us for a meal...please understand that the timing is fairly important, and while we might be able to fudge things a little earlier or later, we need to keep things on schedule for her medications and for the sake of her time disorientation (that, and mom does NOT like to wait for food these days).
So, after today, I made zero progress on cleaning up. I did get to shower, but I still have no idea where most of my clothing is located. I also managed to sort my mother's pills into a pill container for the week, so that should also make things easier for us. I'm hoping to find more time tomorrow to focus on unpacking and getting organized. My goal is to have the kitchen, our bedroom and the rec room in passable shape by Tuesday. I'm counting down the days until our organizer returns...because I just don't think I can get this house in order without a ton of help, especially when I spend the day with a child (or two) attached to me.
I asked Mom tonight if she was glad to be home. She is...she says she loves the freedom of going from room to room during the day, and she is looking forward to taking a walk outside tomorrow. She is making plans to meet people for lunch in the coming weeks, and she is loving the time with the kids. Personally, I love having her home, too. I can see her every day and talk to her when I want. When she is sleeping or busy, I can do my own things. Best of all, I don't have to drive to the hospital and back every day.
This week, I am looking forward to a bit of freedom. I plan to leave and go out to take care of a few things I've been putting off. I'm looking forward to some "me" time, and I finally feel like I do not need to feel guilty trying to cram in time for everyone during the day. I also feel like I'm on a more normal schedule. It looks like I'm on track to get to bed around 2:00 am for the second night in a row! I think it will take us some time to fully settle into our routine, get unpacked, and lay new ground rules for living together.
Thanks for your good wishes! We are doing well.
Shortly thereafter, we had an interesting visit from the neighbors across the street - they stopped by with cookies to introduce themselves! I've never had neighbors be that friendly before. I couldn't decide, however, if they were trying to figure us out. We moved in suddenly, we've had trucks back and forth, and delivery people with equipment, about 900 different cars in and out (not to mention the 4 cars we are driving), a nursing aide, a babysitter, and a home health nurse, so I can definitely understand their curiosity. They stayed about 15 minutes or so, and Mom had a chance to chat with them, too. I think they definitely asked a number of questions, but I tend to question people when they are so friendly! I'm not sure if I mentioned this before, but we learned the other day that our landlord failed to file the proper documents to make this a rental unit. I have a sneaking suspicion that our friendly neighbors across the street may have been the ones who reported her, but perhaps I'm wrong.
DH, Micah and my father returned home from their outings by 2:30 or so. DH immediately put Micah down for a nap (Micah was awake and chatting for over an hour), Krystal took my Mom to her room for a nap, and I managed to get Maya to sleep for her nap. DH disappeared downstairs (I assume he napped, too), and I surveyed the house. I'm not sure what my father was doing...probably in and out running errands. I knew that it might be my only chance to do some cleaning and unpacking...and I just couldn't. I was so tired and just sick of unpacking. I stretched out my legs on the couch...and crashed.
I heard Maya wake up, and I went to go grab her, but Krystal got there first. I am ashamed to admit this, but I let her take Maya. I knew it wasn't her job, and I just...didn't get up. I slept for 1 1/2 hours thanks to Krystal, and it isn't even in her job description to help with Maya. DH and my father were nowhere nearby, and without Krystal, I never would have gotten a nap today. I opened my eyes a few times and told Krystal I could take Maya, but each time she insisted she had her and to go back to sleep. And I did. I cannot even begin to thank Krystal for all of her help - she runs a little extra interference with Micah, she picks up and holds the baby when I need to help my mother with things, and she is always happy to help out. She has been unpacking and organizing things in my mother's room, and she has had so many great ideas for getting us set up. She has perhaps been one of the most helpful people to me over the past few weeks, and especially the past 48 hours. So, thank you, Krystal, for all you do. It is GREATLY appreciated.
By 4:30, I was awake again and starting to plan for dinner. My father arrived home at 5, and I sent him back out again to pick up food for dinner. We ordered an assortment of Italian food (pizza, ravioli and eggplant parmesan), and it was a nice meal. I set the table and got everything ready to go. We worked on waking my mother up from her nap, and I got DH up and asked him to watch Maya. My mother was very confused...she always seems to think it is morning when she wakes up from her naps, and somehow, even when we tell her that it is 6:00 pm, she cannot understand how it is not morning.
When my father got home with dinner, I put the food out and Krystal got Mom ready to join us for dinner. My father woke Micah up from his nap, and Micah was NOT happy about that. After grumping for about 10 minutes, he dug into dinner with almost as much gusto as my mother.
After dinner, friends came by with a feast for dessert...chocolate chip cookies, rugelach, apple pie, and maccaroons. We had a great visit - Micah was running around, they brought a beautiful gift for Maya, and we had a lovely evening. My mom went back to her room around 8:30 and our friends left. Krystal stayed a little while longer to help us get Mom ready for bed, and she gave me a few tips on helping my Mom. That has been invaluable, and I hope it makes things easier for us at night.
We decided to keep Micah awake until 9:00 for daylight savings in the hopes that he gets right back on schedule. Micah through a fit because he couldn't play with the "say cheese" (his word for camera). I need to get tempting items like that out of his reach.
Mom dozed a bit from 9 until 11 when I woke her to give her bedtime medications. She immediately fell back asleep, and I hope she sleeps soundly through until morning. Even if she wakes up once, I'm fairly certain she'll fall back to sleep quickly and sleep in a bit. I held her medications an extra hour tonight so that she can sleep later tomorrow morning.
We tried to put Maya to sleep at 8:30, hoping that she would start to fall asleep at a more normal time and that daylight savings time will just push her entire schedule a bit earlier. Unfortunately, no such luck. Maya has been asleep since about 8:40, but every time we put her down, she cries. She just wants to sleep snuggled close to someone. I wish I knew how to make her sleep in her crib, or anywhere but on one of us!
I think we are starting to get into a routine. We eat breakfast at 8:30/9, lunch at 12:30, and dinner at 6. It works for Micah, it works for Mom and her medicine schedule, and it is fairly consistent with the schedule she kept at the hospital. Of course, if you ask my mother, she'll tell you that I need to do a better job of creating a consistent schedule. She thinks it was very outrageous to serve her eggplant parmesan for breakfast, and she thinks I'm going to damage her stomach with such crazy foods. She also thinks I need to do a better job of getting her to eat at normal times, because she shouldn't have breakfast twice in one day. Yes, the confusion about time is a bit frustrating...no matter how many times I explain to her that she woke up from a nap and it was dinner time, she thinks I'm lying to her. It didn't matter that I reminded her that we had breakfast and lunch and that eggplant was dinner - she somehow believes that I forgot to serve her dinner and then I gave her eggplant for breakfast. Logic just defies this situation. My mother ended our 8:00 session tonight chastising me about getting the timing better for meals...but I think I'm going to stick with feeding her (and the rest of us) at 8:30, 12:30 and 6:00 (with an afternoon snack in there as appropriate).
So, if you are planning to join us for a meal...please understand that the timing is fairly important, and while we might be able to fudge things a little earlier or later, we need to keep things on schedule for her medications and for the sake of her time disorientation (that, and mom does NOT like to wait for food these days).
So, after today, I made zero progress on cleaning up. I did get to shower, but I still have no idea where most of my clothing is located. I also managed to sort my mother's pills into a pill container for the week, so that should also make things easier for us. I'm hoping to find more time tomorrow to focus on unpacking and getting organized. My goal is to have the kitchen, our bedroom and the rec room in passable shape by Tuesday. I'm counting down the days until our organizer returns...because I just don't think I can get this house in order without a ton of help, especially when I spend the day with a child (or two) attached to me.
I asked Mom tonight if she was glad to be home. She is...she says she loves the freedom of going from room to room during the day, and she is looking forward to taking a walk outside tomorrow. She is making plans to meet people for lunch in the coming weeks, and she is loving the time with the kids. Personally, I love having her home, too. I can see her every day and talk to her when I want. When she is sleeping or busy, I can do my own things. Best of all, I don't have to drive to the hospital and back every day.
This week, I am looking forward to a bit of freedom. I plan to leave and go out to take care of a few things I've been putting off. I'm looking forward to some "me" time, and I finally feel like I do not need to feel guilty trying to cram in time for everyone during the day. I also feel like I'm on a more normal schedule. It looks like I'm on track to get to bed around 2:00 am for the second night in a row! I think it will take us some time to fully settle into our routine, get unpacked, and lay new ground rules for living together.
Thanks for your good wishes! We are doing well.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Free at last....
Mom is home. After almost 11 weeks (76 days), she is finally home. It isn't the home she left...it is in a new house, with different furniture, different decor, and suddenly more residents, but it is home.
Last night was a horrible night...between the move and the children, I was simply exhausted. I woke at 7:00 this morning because Maya was awake (my formerly "good" sleeper has become a terrible sleeper...either she has my genes, or it is just a phase). At 8:00, our mover showed up to find out that our phone lines were not working properly...and my babysitter, Christin, canceled on us. My father showed up at 10:00, and he and DH left to go pick up Mom at 10:30. I stayed behind to try and deal with some unpacking...but got worried when I realized that I was all by myself with two children for the day.
Luckily, "fate" intervened...my friend called and asked if she could come by to help for an hour or so (and bring bagels). I was excited for the extra help, so I gave her our address. I then checked email...and realized that our organizer was able to come by as well to help with unpacking. I could have started to dance a jig I was so excited! Both of them arrived around 11:30, bearing flowers for my Mom. The organizer did an amazing job combining them all into a vase for display. With their help, we made a lot of progress. We emptied all of the boxes in the kitchen, and then my friend had to leave.
The organizer stayed behind and started to impose order on our kitchen...she put the pantry together, she started putting things into the cabinet, and she took charge of our linen closet. I took some time to vacuum in between chasing Micah around the house and cuddling Maya. I worked with the organizer on unpacking, and tried to keep Maya occupied so I could be useful.
I kept calling to check in at the hospital...Krystal arrived, they gave Mom a shower, they fed her lunch...and around 2:30 or so, they finally left the hospital. Micah had gone down for a nap (and slept for nearly 3 hours!!), but Maya would not sleep all day. I was in an utter panic...especially since our mover called a few minutes later to tell us that they were coming by with the last load of things.
Krystal arrived at the house first. It was great to see her again, and I gave her a quick tour of the house. She said the ride down was much easier than she expected, so I was relieved. Krystal has been such a help to us, and I hope that she will continue to work with Mom for a long time.
Naturally, they were unloading the truck when my mother arrived. Huge boxes were scattered all over the kitchen (where they remain) and the downstairs became a dumping ground. We had to quickly shove things out of the way so my mother could come in the kitchen. We had to experiment a bit with the ramps, but we got her inside. I finally got a look at my mom's snazzy new wheelchair - it looks great! It is far more comfortable for her, fits her well, and is a bright green color (toxic green, to be exact). It arrived today, and it is far easier for my mother to use.
Naturally, they were unloading the truck when my mother arrived. Huge boxes were scattered all over the kitchen (where they remain) and the downstairs became a dumping ground. We had to quickly shove things out of the way so my mother could come in the kitchen. We had to experiment a bit with the ramps, but we got her inside. I finally got a look at my mom's snazzy new wheelchair - it looks great! It is far more comfortable for her, fits her well, and is a bright green color (toxic green, to be exact). It arrived today, and it is far easier for my mother to use.
Mom seemed thrilled to be home. She was smiling, said the house was great, and she moved onto the couch to sit and relax a bit. It was already late, and Micah was definitely grumpy when he woke up from his nap. We put on some Elmo, and all was right in his world again.
We were doing our best to get situated. The organizer left around 5:00 today...we still have a lot more to do around here before I will feel settled, but I just did not have the energy to do another second of unpacking after my mother came home.
My father ran to the store to get some "necessities" like Breyer's Chocolate Ice Cream and prune juice. While my father was out, we decided on Chinese food for dinner. Dad ran to pick it up, and we had a lovely feast! We all sat down together, talked, laughed, and it was such a great way to spend the night...at home, all together. After dinner, my mom sat with the kids for a little while before bed time. We got on track with her medicines, and I gave her the shots. I have to say, fertility treatments were GREAT training for this...my injections used the exact same pen I had to use, so it was quite familiar for me.
At 8:30, my mom decided to head back to her room and get into her pajamas. Krystal helped her out, the kids said goodnight (Micah even signed "I love you") and we started to put the kids to bed. Mom napped for almost 2 hours. Micah went to sleep easily, but Maya has not wanted to lay down at all.
Mom woke at 10:15, so we gave her medication for the evening. Krystal left at 10:45, and will be back again in the morning. We are slowly making a list of things we need to purchase, but I think our first day went quite well. It is wonderful to finally have Mom home again. While so many things will be trying about our living arrangement, I think the best thing will be all the time my children will get to spend with their grandparents.
I sure hope that we can get everything unloaded over the next few days. For now, the living room, the dining room, the kids' bedrooms, and my parents' bedrooms are functional.
It is now 1:00 am...and Maya is sleeping on DH (but she cries every time he tries to put her down). I think I am going to try taking her into bed with me and calling it a night. I have some video of them leaving the hospital, but I just don't have the energy to post that tonight.
My father ran to the store to get some "necessities" like Breyer's Chocolate Ice Cream and prune juice. While my father was out, we decided on Chinese food for dinner. Dad ran to pick it up, and we had a lovely feast! We all sat down together, talked, laughed, and it was such a great way to spend the night...at home, all together. After dinner, my mom sat with the kids for a little while before bed time. We got on track with her medicines, and I gave her the shots. I have to say, fertility treatments were GREAT training for this...my injections used the exact same pen I had to use, so it was quite familiar for me.
At 8:30, my mom decided to head back to her room and get into her pajamas. Krystal helped her out, the kids said goodnight (Micah even signed "I love you") and we started to put the kids to bed. Mom napped for almost 2 hours. Micah went to sleep easily, but Maya has not wanted to lay down at all.
Mom woke at 10:15, so we gave her medication for the evening. Krystal left at 10:45, and will be back again in the morning. We are slowly making a list of things we need to purchase, but I think our first day went quite well. It is wonderful to finally have Mom home again. While so many things will be trying about our living arrangement, I think the best thing will be all the time my children will get to spend with their grandparents.
I sure hope that we can get everything unloaded over the next few days. For now, the living room, the dining room, the kids' bedrooms, and my parents' bedrooms are functional.
It is now 1:00 am...and Maya is sleeping on DH (but she cries every time he tries to put her down). I think I am going to try taking her into bed with me and calling it a night. I have some video of them leaving the hospital, but I just don't have the energy to post that tonight.
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