



It's been a long time since I've posted on this blog but...that doesn't mean that a lot hasn't happened. I could never begin to go back and retrace the past 2 months so I will start from here. I posted this picture because my mom is becoming a bag lady. She got all this stuff ready just to go to church. She is getting worse. I get annoyed with her behavior but know that it's not her fault. It is sad to watch your mother deteriorate in front of your eyes. Today she looked for her watch for about 6 hours. Then she changed her clothes at least 5 times. I don't know why but she thinks that everyday is Sunday so so puts on her church clothes.
I need to be more patient. We have had a lot going on. I need to be more positive.
We will not go
The doorbell rings,
My mom loved and still loves Halloween. Maybe that's why I love it so much. She always dressed up and decorated the house, too. She used to sing this song to us when we were kids. I remembered it a few weeks ago and looked it up on the web-there it was and the music to go with it. I haven't mentioned the song to my mom at all and what's funny is she sang it to Mason yesterday. {she didn't get the words right but she remembered the melody}


We have a great view of the mountains from our backyard. Right now they are literally covered with spots of red, yellow and orange. The leaves turning on the mountains has always been my confirmation that summer is really over and fall is fast approaching. Denial! Yesterday Natalie, Jeremy and Jaxon came for a visit. Mom told Natalie the same strange tale. This time however, she added how scary it is for her. I made a joke and told her to stop waking up so early. We laughed but I don't think she know where she is and between the darkness, John leaving for work and her failing memory this "phenomenon" is very disturbing for her.

So much has happened since I last posted. Really I have about lost my mind (but that's another post). I thought it was funny yesterday when I was at the car wash with my mom. I stopped to get some gas and decided my poor car needed a shower. As we headed into the car wash my mom made her usual off the wall comments but.... what was really weird was her comment as we were about to pull out of the tunnel. There was a light... yellow for hold and green to go. My mom just couldn't figure out what was under that yellow light. "Is that a hat under that light she asked? A hat, what in the world???


I seem to have a bit more patience since my meltdown last Saturday. It's amazing how writing things down can literally calm you down when you're in a craze.
Two weeks ago Jackie called me and asked if I thought mom would like to go to a dinner that the "Mayflower" (genealogy group) was having. Sure, great. The dinner was going to be at the JSMB downtown. They always have great food. There would also be an "artist" of some kind. Yesterday, mom called Jackie and left her a message (she calls her everyday a couple times a day stating that she hasn't spoken with her for a long time. (Try an hour or two). Jackie had forgotten about the dinner and so had I but we both told mom about the evening in advance . The time was 1:30 pm (dinners' at 6:30pm). So mom immediately started to get dressed. Now, mom thinks she's going home and she thinks she's all packed and she can't find anything to wear. I told her she could wear her white suit but she brought out her black skirt that doesn't fit anymore. "I can't find my white suit". "It must be at the cleaners". I thought she probably packed it but found it folded up in her drawer. By 2pm she was dressed and ready to go except her hair. Mom has widow's peak in the back of her head where the hair swirls and can flip out. She called me to help her with this flipped out hair. "Just take some scissors and cut that flip off", she said. Of course I wasn't going to cut off the hair . Instead I sprayed it with hair spray and suggested she not to mess with it. She's subborn. She wouldn't, couldn't leave it alone. I heard her spraying and spraying, it sounded like running water. By the time she was done she had so much hair spray in her hair it looked wet! Finally, that ended and she said with a very disgusted tone in her voice "when in the world is Jackie going to be here"? "She can't call and give me an hours notice and expect me to get ready, where in the world is she"? I stated Jackie would be there in about 4 hours. "Mom, we told you the time". Repeat this whole conversation over and over until 6pm except add hours of pacing as well.

was calling my mom. We all laughed. I said to Chaia lets call grandma "BABS" that's what Uncle Quinny calls her. She laughed and laughed and repeated "BABS" over and over. Let's go to "Bab's" house. I think the whole shopping experience drove my mom nuts. Chaia never stops talking (unless asleep). While we were at Ikea Chaia's shoe rubbed a blister on her foot. She is very dramatic! "My booboo, my owee". This went on for a some time while we waited for Alicia. When we got back in the truck to leave Chaia said "Weesha, my booboo hurts".







These are some of mom's favorite things.



My mom's favorite things in the world are these animals. All day long she tells me how the cat sleeps on her bed and bear jumps on her lap and licks her face (If she only knew where that tongue had been) . Jackie took her to Provo last weekend and mom was adamant about leaving and going back home (my house) because she had to get back to her animals. "I worry about them when I am gone, they need me" and I need them"! Then mom told Jackie that she looks into bears big brown eyes and can see his sweet spirit. True he has a sweet personality but Jackie responded by saying "oh brother mom, you like those animals better than you like your own children"! They both laughed!
Today is my mom's 75Th birthday. Wow, 3/4 of a century old. Can you imagine all the significant changes she has seen in the world? Mom grew up in a very small town in Raymond Alberta Canada. My mom met my dad at BYU and the rest is history. I can't speak for my mom but I know she wanted to be married, have a family and live the gospel of Jesus Christ. She has accomplished all of those things and more but those were her priorities. Unfortunately life isn't always that neat and tidy package that we all hope for. I believe that much of her life has been filled with joy and unhappiness. Not entirely what she expected. In my twenties I thought i would have the house with the white picket fence and the husband that was a night in shinning armor. My kids would be perfect and so would my marriage. Don't we all want that fairy tale? Who came up with that story anyway??? Back to the point... Mom can still tell me about the day I was born and how blessed she felt. She loved being a mother and I read in her diary recently how she prayed daily that she would have the strength to accomplish that daunting task. Mom wanted to be a school teacher like her mother but put that goal aside to raise a family. I know she regrets never getting her teaching degree. My mom was the youngest child in her family and has fond memories of her child hood. She loved her mother and will tell story after story about the faith her mother had. Grandma Wing died from dementia several years ago. Unfortunatelymom seems to be following in her footsteps.This disease is a tough one for everyone!
I’ve decided to start a blog/diary of my daily life as a caregiver for my mother with Alzheimer’s disease. I don’t plan to edit what I say only use spell check for typos. I find I can type much quicker when simply telling what’s in my mind and heart. Feel free to read along.God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr