May 2013 Posts

Prefix
Updated on May 11th 2012 my updates are in bold below
I created this BLOG in hopes that my journey with my mother and her Alzheimer’s can help others. I list my daily posts below. I wanted to explain a little about my mother Alzheimer’s. She has helped me all my life with my journey of cerebral palsy. My website that talks about my cerebral palsy and my climbing adventures is at www.timsashwood.com if you want to check it out. She is 90 years old and has had Alzheimer’s for at least 15 years now. I first noticed her memory problems back in the fall of 1997. She was able to keep driving and handling her check book until the winter of 2003/2004. She could still go on 2 mile hikes with me into 2005 and ½ mile walks thru 2008, now she mostly can only walk a few yards before her hip starts to hurt her. I moved back into her home in 2005 to help her stay in her house although I have kept my own place thru March 2011. One of the things I feel that has helped her go 15 years and still going is I’ve had people (mostly me) around her quit a bit. This helped her stay engaged with people. In 2003 she averaged people with her @90hrs/wk out of 168 hrs in a week, in 2004/2005/2006 @110hrs/wk, 2007 @125hrs/wk, 2008 @135hrs/wk. Then starting in January 2009 she has had someone with her 24/7. I started using care givers in 2005 to help and to give mom other women to talk to and get use to. Right now she can still dress and undress herself but is starting to struggle with it and needs to be told what to do most of the time. In December 2009 she started to refuse to wash herself now one of the care givers I use sponge bathes her 3 times a week. Right now mentally she is like a 3 or 4 year old girl with just a few seconds of memory. She has started to get confused with the getting undressed and dressed part but can still do it herself. She has also sometimes thought the person she sees in the bathroom mirror is someone else this started in 2010. I started using a diaper pad on mom’s bed in July 2011. In the fall of 2011 we increased the dosage on mom’s Galantamine. In March of 2012 I stopped giving her the supplements it has started to get harder to get her to take the pills. So I started just giving her a one a day vitamin instead. Then in May 2012 we have started to crush mom’s pills and put them in applesauce about 3 or 4 days a week. She loves applesauce. She can still walk on her own with no help. Here is a list of the drugs she takes for her Alzheimer’s.
•Razadyne started in 2000 then in 2011 changed to generic Galantamine
•Namenda started March 2005


Friday May 31st 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  Mom was up, washed, dressed and was eating lunch when I ate breakfast.  It was a cloudy rainy day with temps in the 80’s.  I just ran some errands and did some reading before getting back home by 4:30pm.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was verbal.  I put mom into the bathroom when I got home then we had dinner so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and went to bed at 11pm.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing with mom napping a lot.  We watched the weather a lot since there were storms and tornados in the area.  We went downstairs for a few minutes until the tornados passed us by.  They said the tornados were at least EF3 so the bathroom wasn’t save enough when they are that strong.  Mom was getting impatient sitting down there then wanted to wonder around the house for a few minutes.  Mom was fairly easy to change tonight but instead of her nightgown I put mom in one of her house coats so no need to change her tomorrow.           

Thursday May 30th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  Mom was up, dressed and was eating lunch by the time I left.  I just had enough time to run some errands before getting back by 2:30pm.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was muddled.  Mom was in the bathroom when I got home and we took a drive when she got out.  It was a cloudy and rainy day with temps in the 80’s.  We drove along the river road partway to Grafton IL this is our favorite drive and gives us more to talk about along the drive.  There were no boats on the river and no people on the hike/bike trail today.  We both were fairly quiet on this drive but mom was enjoying it.  Mom then napped a little before dinner.  The last time mom ate was 6pm and she went to bed at 11:30pm.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing.  We mostly watched Nova specials on PBS and some comedy shows.  Mom was fairly easy to change into her nightgown tonight.      

Wednesday May 29th 2013
Mom did have a bowel accident this morning sometime after breakfast.  Mom was up, washed, dressed and had breakfast by the time I left.  It was a sunny day with temps in the 80’s.  I went over to a friend’s house with another friend over we had a bible study and lunch social.  Mom was in the bathroom when I got home by 5pm.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was agreeable and I didn’t ask Patti.  We ate dinner when mom got out of the bathroom so the last time she ate was 5:30pm and went to bed at 1am.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing with mom awake, most of the evening.  We watched the NBC special for the tornado victims in Oklahoma, it was some great music.  We then watched some Nova specials on PBS.  Mom was easy to change into her nightgown.       

Tuesday May 28th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  Mom was up, dressed and was eating lunch by the time I left. I just had enough time to do some reading before getting back by 2:30pm.  It was a rainy morning and early afternoon then it got partly sunny shortly after I got home.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was calm.  We went for a drive when I got home.  We drove along the river road partway to Grafton IL.  We saw no boats or people on the hike/bike trail.  Mom was fairly quiet on the drive but did enjoy it.  When we got back mom went to the bathroom then we ate dinner so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and went to bed about 12:30am.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing like normal.  We watched the NBC show the Voice then Joel Osteen before watching some comedy type shows.  Mom was still in her house coat so no need to change her tonight.   

Monday May 27th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  Mom was up, washed, dressed and was eating lunch by the time I left.  It was a rainy day with temps in the 80’s.  I just ran some errands and did some reading before getting back home by 5pm.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was pleasant and Patti said mom was fine.  Mom and I ate at 5pm so the last time she ate was 5:30pm and went to bed at midnight.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing.  We watched the NBC show the Voice and Revolution then some comedy shows.  We also talked to my brother Larry over SKYPE for a few minutes.  Mom was in her house coat so no need to change her.         

Sunday May 26th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   Mom was sleeping when I left for church this morning.  It was a great service today I enjoyed the whole service and worship.  My friend and I had brunch there at church’s cafĂ© after the service like we normally do.  Patti had mom fed and dressed when I got home with mom in the bathroom.  Patti said mom was nice and tried to talk some.  It was a partly sunny day with temps in the 80’s.  Mom and I took a drive when she got out of the bathroom.  We drove along the river road partway to Grafton IL then to Sioux Passage Park on the way back.  There were several boats out on the river even 2 sailboats, a lot of people on the hike/bike trail as well as a ton of motorcycles driving along the river road.  Everybody was getting out enjoying this holiday weekend the un-official start of summer.  Mom was talkative and alert on parts of the drive mostly when we were along the river road.  We had some lunch when we got back then napped some before dinner.  The last time mom ate was 6pm and she went to bed at midnight.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing with mom napping some.  We mostly watched the NBC show the Voice and some comedy shows.  We also watched Joel Osteen shortly before mom went to bed.  Mom was easy to get changed into her nightgown which is her mew normal.  I did talk to my brother Paul over the phone just before dinner.    

Saturday May 25th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  We got up for the day at 8:30am with mom going to the bathroom first while I crushed her pills into the applesauce.  We had breakfast around 9:30am then we took our drive around noon.  It was a rainy day but we did drive along the river road partway to Grafton IL.  We did see 2 people out in the rain on the hike/bike trail riding their bikes.  We saw no boats on the river.  Mom was fairly quiet on the drive.  We had lunch when we got back then we both napped some before dinner.  It rained pretty much all afternoon good day to nap.  The last time mom at was 6pm then we watched the St Louis Cardinals play baseball on TV most of the evening before watching some comedy.  Mom did nap off and on during the evening.  Mom was fairly easy to get changed into her nightgown and was easy to get her dressed this morning as well.  Mom went to bed at 1:30am. 

Friday May 24th 2013
Mom did have a bowel accident this morning sometime after breakfast then a bladder accident after lunch.  Mom was up, washed, dressed and had breakfast by the time I left.  It was a partly sunny day with temps in the 70’s.  I was able to get in a short hike before running some errands.  I went over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area and walked along the Missouri river.  It was great getting out in the woods again I was needing it it makes me feel great to get out.  I can listen to the birds, wind blowing through the trees and water splashing up on the shore it is very relaxing to me.  Mom was watching TV when I got home and we ate dinner when I got home at 5pm.  So the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and went to bed at midnight.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was lovely and I didn’t ask Patti what hers was.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing.  We do laugh a lot in the evening whenever I act silly.  Mom was easy to change into her nightgown.        

Thursday May 23rd 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  Mom was up, dressed and was eating lunch by the time I left.  It was a cloudy day with temps in the 60’s.  I mostly just ran errands while I was out.  Mom was watching TV when I got home at 3pm but since it was raining some we never did take a drive today.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was cheerful and Patti pretty much said the same thing.  Mom napped some when I got home until dinner time so the last time mom ate was 5pm and went to bed at midnight.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing.  We mostly watched comedy and some Nova specials on PBS.  Mom was easy getting changed tonight into her nightgown.      

Wednesday May 22nd 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  Mom was up, washed, dressed and was eating breakfast by the time I left.  I just had enough time to do some playing before getting back in time for the air conditioner to be installed.   Andrea said her word of the day for mom was wobbly and Patti said her word was calm.  I hung around with the guys installing the A/C while Patti watched mom.  It was close to dinner time by the time they finished so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and went to bed at 1am.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing.  We watched a Nova special on PBS some comedy and then a movie.  Mom did do a little walking around the house tonight which was the first time she did that in a few nights.  Mom was easy in changing as I did it in the bathroom.      

Tuesday May 21st 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  Mom was up, dressed and had breakfast by the time I left.  I just had a little time to do some playing before getting back by 2:30pm.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was engaged.  Mom was in the bathroom when I got home and we took a drive when she got out.  It was a cloudy day with temps in the 80’s.  We drove along the river road partway to Grafton IL.  We saw no one on the hike/bike trail and no boats on the river.  Mom was fairly quiet on the drive.  The tree leafs are now blocking a lot of the houses so we don’t have that to talk about now.  We ate dinner after we got back and mom went to the bathroom.  So the last time mom ate was 6pm and went to bed at midnight.  We spent the evening watching the shows ‘So you think you can dance’ and ‘the Voice’ along with watching Joel Osteen then we watched comedy.  I try not to watch too much news except the weather and sports.  Mom did nap some but mostly was engaged in something.  Mom was easy to change into her nightgown and I changed her when she was in the bathroom like normal anymore.       

Monday May 20th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  Mom was up, washed, dressed and had breakfast by the time I left.  I just had enough time to do a little playing before getting back by 2:30pm.  Mom was in the bathroom when I got home and was in there until 3:30pm.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was smiley.  It was a cloudy rainy day with temps in the 80’s.  We took a drive after mom got out of the bathroom.  We drove along the river road partway to Grafton IL then through Sioux Passage Park on the way back.  We saw no boats except for 1 barge.  There was no one on the hike/bike trail.  Mom was fairly quiet on the drive.  We ate dinner shortly after we got back so the last time mom ate was 6:30pm and went to bed at 12:30am.  We spent the evening watching the NBC show the Voice and revolution then some comedy with mom napping some.   Again tonight mom was easy to get changed into her nightgown.   

Sunday May 19th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.    Mom was sleeping when I left for church.  It was a partly sunny hot humid day with temps of 91.  Patti had mom fed and dressed when I got back from church.  We took a drive along the river road to Grafton IL then stopping at Sioux Passage Park on the way back.  We saw several people on the hike/bike trail and a few speed boats.  Mom was talkative on parts of the drive like normal.  Mom went to the bathroom when we got back then we had dinner so the last time mom at was 5:30pm and went to bed at 1am.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing.  Mom was easy changing into her nightgown.      

Saturday May 18th 2013
Mom did have a small bladder accident this evening.  Mom must have something moving through her she has had at least 5 bowel movements today 1 or 2 are normal for her.  We got up for the day at 10am and I had mom go to the bathroom first before fixing breakfast.  Then after another bathroom break we took our Saturday drive.  It was a warm sunny day with temps in the 80’s.  We drove along the river road to Grafton IL and stopping by Sioux Passage Park on the way back.  We saw several people on the hike/bike trail.  We even saw a few boats including a paddle wheel boat on the river.  Lots of people were getting out on their motorcycles and driving along the river road.  Mom was fairly quiet on the drive for her but was alert.  Mom napped some after the drive until dinner so the last time mom ate was 5pm.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing with both of us napping some.  We mostly watched Nova specials on PBS.  I had changed mom into her nightgown after her bladder accident so there was no need to change her before bedtime.  She was easy to change into her nightgown.     

Friday May 17th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.    Mom was up, washed, dressed and had breakfast by the time I left.  I ate breakfast out then went on a short hike before getting back by 5pm.  It was a cloudy rainy day with temps in the 80’s.  I walked along the Missouri river in Columbia Bottom Conservation Area.  Mom was in the bathroom when I got home.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was alert Patti say mom was talkative.  We ate dinner when mom got out of the bathroom so the last time she ate was 6pm and went to bed at 1:30am.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing with both of us napping some.  Mom did do again her thing of wondering around the house this evening.  Mom was easy to get changed for bed tonight.      

Thursday May 16th 2013
Mom did have a bladder accident this morning after Andrea got here.  Mom was up, dressed and had breakfast by the time I left.  I just had enough time to do a little playing and grocery shopping before getting back by 2:30pm.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was sweet.  It was a sunny day with high humidity and temps in the 80’s.  Mom and I went for a drive when I got back.  We drove along the river road to Grafton IL.  We did see a barge on the river but no other boats.  There was no one on the hike/bike trail today.  Mom was quiet in spots and talkative in other places on the drive which is normal for her.  She talks more when we are along the river road.  We ate when we got back and after mom went to the bathroom.  So the last time mom ate was 5:15pm and went to bed at 1am.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing with mom napping some.  Again tonight mom did the thing of wondering around the house for awhile this is her second night in a row of doing this after not doing it for a long time.  It was easy changing mom into her nightgown tonight I did it while she was in the bathroom like normal.    

Wednesday May 15th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   Mom was up, washed, dressed and had breakfast by the time I left.  It was a partly sunny hot day with high in the 90’s and humidity today but at least there was a little breeze.  I did get in some fun time before shopping for annual flowers that we put outside for mom.  Mom was watching TV when I got home by 4:30pm.  Andrea said mom was talkative with her and I forgot to ask Patti her word of the day.  We ate dinner a little after 5pm so the last time mom ate was 6pm and she went to bed at midnight.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing.  Mom did do a little wondering around the house for the first night in a long time.  Mom did fuss a little when I changed her into the nightgown but she still was fairly easy.   

Tuesday May 14th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.    Mom was up fed and watching TV when I left to spend a little time playing before getting back by 1pm.  The inspector came by this morning at 9am to inspect the electrical work and new fuse box and everything was fine.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was friendly.  We took a drive when I got home.  It was a sunny day with temps hitting 92.  We drove with the A/C on along the river road to Grafton IL.  We did not see any boats on the river but did see some people out on the hike/bike trail.  Mom was fairly quiet on this drive but was enjoying it.  I had Patti over at 5pm so I could go watch the St Louis Cardinals win their baseball game live.  I met up with a friend at the stadium and enjoyed a great game then getting home by 11:30pm.  It was in the 90’s at the beginning of the game but low humidity and sunny with a breeze.  Mom was watching TV when I got home and Patti said mom was nice but quiet.  Mom was in her house coat so I didn’t need to change her when I put her to bed at 1am.         

Monday May 13th 2013
Mom did have a bowel accident after lunch.  Mom was sitting down for lunch when I left to get breakfast.  I was back by 1:30pm since the pastor was stopping by.  I then left after the pastor and got in a short hike before getting back by 5pm.  It was a sunny day with temps in the 70’s.  It was great getting out in the woods and taking time to listen to the birds, wind and water washing up on the shore.  I went over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area and hiked along the Missouri river.  It is so relaxing to me getting outside.  Mom was sitting in the dining room when I got home.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was cooperative and Patti said hers was funny.  We ate dinner when I got home so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and went to bed at midnight.  We spent the evening watching the NBC show the Voice and the Revolution show then comedy shows.  We laughed as I acted silly.  Mom was a little harder to change tonight but still not to bad.   

Sunday May 12th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.    Mom was sleeping when I left this morning for church.  Patti came over while I was gone and fed mom breakfast.  It was a good worship today they had a blues theme to the music.  Mom was in the bathroom when I got home at noon.  Patti had prepared her lunch so I fed mom lunch when she got out then I changed her into her cloths.  Then after a bathroom trip we took a drive.  It was a sunny day with temps in the low 60’s.  We drove some over in Illinois before going to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area then stopping by Sioux Passage Park before getting back home.  Then after mom got out of the bathroom we ate dinner so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and went to bed at 1:30am.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing.  We did talk to my brothers Larry and Tom tonight on SKYPE.  Mom was pretty easy to change back into her nightgown.      

Saturday May 11th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   We got up for the day at 9:30am.  After mom got out of the bathroom I fixed breakfast and crushed her pills into applesauce.  Mom took over an hour eating breakfast and finishing her milk so by the time she finished her milk it was close to time for her to go back to the bathroom.  We then took a drive along the river road to Grafton IL.  It was a partly sunny day with temps in the 70’s.  We saw a couple of barges but no other boats on the river.  The rivers are still very high about 4 feet from the river road.  Mom talked about her normal amount on the drive but did start more talks than normal.  We had lunch when we got back and after mom went to the bathroom.  Then we napped some before talking to my brother Paul on SKYPE.  I fixed dinner after talking to Paul so the last time mom ate was 6pm and she went to bed at midnight.  We spent the evening watching movies on TV with both of us napping some.  Mom was fairly easy changing both into her cloths this morning and back into her nightgown.      

Friday May 10th 2013
Mom did have a bowel accident this morning after Andrea fed her breakfast.  I left mid-morning and met up with a friend for lunch.  We went to Applebee’s and had a good lunch and great talk.  It was a cloudy with some drizzle this afternoon and temps in the 60’s.  I then ran some errands and played before getting back by 5pm.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was affectionate and Patti said mom was quiet.  Mom was in the bathroom when I got home then we ate dinner.  The last time mom ate was 6pm and went to bed at 1am.  She was fairly easy to change out of her cloths and into her nightgown.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing.  Mom was fairly alert tonight.     

Thursday May 9th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   Mom was eating lunch when I left for the afternoon.  It was a rainy morning and part of the afternoon and then just cloudy with temps in the 70’s.  I spent a little time playing before doing some errands.  Mom was in the bathroom when I got home by 5pm.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was dazed I forgot to ask Patti her word of the day.  We ate dinner shortly after I got home so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and went to bed at 1am.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing.  We also did talk to my brother Larry over SKYPE.  I had no problem changing mom into her nightgown.   

Wednesday May 8th 2013
Mom did have a bowel accident this morning before lunch and Andrea put mom into her house coat so I would not need to change her tonight.  I stayed home all morning and part of the afternoon while the electricians where here.  I had electricians out today to replace the fuse box.  The old fuse box was the original put in back in 1956.  It was a sunny day with temps in the 80’s.  I did go over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area after the electricians left and was able to get in a short hike.  It felt great getting out listening to the birds and water crashing up on the short.  It was a little warmer than it has been lately but the wind seemed to blow at the times I needed it thank you god.  Andrea was able to get mom washed, fed and dressed before the electricians got here.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was sleepy and Patti said mom was sweet.  Mom was watching TV when I got back by 5pm.  I only got a few hours away today but it was fun getting outside.  We ate dinner when I got home so the last time mom ate was 6pm and went to bed at 1am.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing and acting silly.  Mom was awake most of the evening.  Just a few days before Mother’s Day I will take her out sometime soon but mother’s day will be too busy.    

Tuesday May 7th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   Andrea came over today for 3 hours at 10am fed and got mom dressed.  I ate breakfast with mom before leaving for some play time before getting back by 1pm.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was amiable.  I then ate lunch with mom before our drive.  It was a partly sunny day with temp of 80.  We drove along the river road part way to Grafton IL then stopping by Sioux Passage Park on the way home.  We did not see anybody or boats on the river.  Mom talked about her normal amount on the drive.  I fixed dinner when we got home so the last time mom ate was 6pm and she went to bed at 11pm.  We spent the evening watching the NBC show Voice and Joel Osteen then comedy until mom went to bed.  Mom was awake most of the evening and very happy.  It is like having a happy little girl around most of the time.  We do a lot of laughing and acting silly.  Even though I spend hours a day with mom I still have no problem remembering mom at any time in my life.  I just don’t think about it and try to enjoy mom now believing god has a reason for her condition maybe it’s doing a work on somebody or something otherwise he would have taken her by now or healed her.  This is also a great mindset to have to trust god has a reason and plan because this mindset keeps me in positive spirits and keeps this time more enjoyable.  It was fairly easy to change mom tonight back into her nightgown.    

Monday May 6th 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  Andrea came over at 7:30am for 3 hours and will do 3 hours each day this week since she is not up to full strength yet.  Andrea washed, fed and got mom dressed.  I got up at 10am just long enough to see how Andrea was feeling then went back to sleep until 11:30am.  It was a cloudy day but the temps were great so I went over to Columbia Bottom Conservation Area and got in a short hike before getting back by 5pm.  It was great walking and listening to nature.  I could hear the water washing up on the ground, wind gently blowing through the trees and birds singing.  It was so relaxing I do love hiking in the woods.  Andrea said her word of the day for mom was helpful.  Patti said mom was reluctant to do things, mom wasn’t mean just not wanting to do things.  We ate dinner when I got home so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and went to bed at 1am.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing.  We watched the NBC show the Voice and then some comedy programs.  Mom did nap some this evening and was her normal self with talking.  I got a little static when I changed mom into her nightgown but it wasn’t to bad plus I had to brush her teeth tonight myself she was just confused. 

Sunday May 5th 2013
Mom did have a bladder accident this afternoon.  Patti was over this morning as I went to church.  Patti fed mom and gave her the pills.  I met like normal with some friends after church service for brunch.  The service was a good one.  It was a rainy day with temps in the 60’s so mom and I did not do any drives.  Mom was in the bathroom when I got home at noon and was in there until 1:30pm then she had lunch.  She then napped until 3pm when she had a small bladder leak when IU got her in the bathroom so if I had gotten her there a minute sooner she would not have leaked a little.  We ate an early dinner at 4:30pm then spent the evening watching TV and laughing with mom fairly alert this evening.  Mom went to bed at 1am. 

Saturday May 4th 2013
Mom did have a bowel accident this morning after breakfast.  She had just had a bowel movement an hour earlier before breakfast and another one about an hour after her bowel accident.  So mom had 3 bowel movements today within 3 hours which is a lot for her and they were all solid ones.  Mom has spent the morning napping when not in the bathroom or eating.  We got up for the day at 8:30am and had breakfast around 9am then lunch at 1pm.  It has been a cloudy day with temps in the upper 40’s.  Mom then napped some after lunch sitting in the TV room.  We took a short drive at 3pm to Sioux Passage Park and I stopped by and got some BBQ Port steaks on the way back.  This weekend is the weekend Florissant has the Valley of Flowers so it is easy to find BBQ this weekend.  Mom was fairly quiet on our drive but we did talk about the trees some.  We ate when we got back and after mom’s bathroom trip so the last time mom ate was 5:45pm and she went to bed at 1:30am.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing with mom napping a lot.    

Friday May 3rd 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.    Patti came over at 9am fed, washed and dressed mom before I got up.  I left around noontime and ran some errands and just enjoyed some alone time.  It was a cooler day and raining all day.  Patti said more was more talkative than the other day mom was also happy and easy going and lit up when she saw Patti.  Mom had just gotten out of the bathroom when I got home by 5pm.  Andrea had fixed us food to last us over the weekend.  She fixed it yesterday and brought it by this morning.  So it is great to be eating her cooking again.  We warmed up dinner when I got home so the last time mom ate was 5:30pm and she went to bed at 12:30am.  We spent the evening watching TV and laughing with me acting silly.  Mom did nap some this evening but did not wonder around the house.  Mom was a little more resistant with changing tonight.  I put her into her house coat from her cloths.  Overall tonight mom was happy, and her normal amount of talkativeness.     

Thursday May 2nd 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.   This was the first day Andrea came back after her operation.  She got here at 10am changed, fed mom and was here until 1pm.  I left had breakfast then went to Sioux Passage Park before heading back by 1pm.  It was a partly sunny day with temps in the 60’s.  Mom was finishing her lunch when I got home.  We ended up taking a drive along the river road partway to Grafton IL then stopping by Sioux Passage Park on the way home.  Mom was her normal on talking but alert and happy on our drive.  We only saw 1 barge on the river and no one on the hike/bike trail.  Andrea had cooked some food that I just needed to heat up.  We ate dinner when we got back and mom went to the bathroom I also had her go before we left.  We then spent the evening watching TV and laughing with mom napping some.  I had no problem changing mom back into her nightgown and I did it when she was sitting in the bathroom, this has proven to be a much easier way for me to change her.  Mom tried to start conversations a few times and was fairly alert this evening.  Mom went to bed at about 1am.     

Wednesday May 1st 2013
Mom did not have any bladder or bowel accidents overnight or today.  Patti came over at 9am and I left to meet up with some friends for lunch and bible study.  I then ran some errands before getting back by 5pm.  It was a sunny warm day with temps in the 80’s.  I had Patti warm up some hot pockets as part of our dinner so the last time mom at was 5:30pm and she went to bed at 11pm.  We did take a short drive to Sioux Passage Park after dinner.  Mom was fairly talkative on this drive mostly talking about the trees and cars.  We then spent the evening watching TV and laughing.  Mom was in her house coat so no need to change her before bed.

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