Update for April 25, 2010

Hi, Everybody,

I have quite a short report on Dad again this week. (I tried to contact family for reports on how Dad's doing, but I was only able to reach Martha.)

Martha says that Dad is always very pleased to see them. Even if he's asleep when they arrive, he usually wakes up if Martha calls his name.

She reported that the staff members at the care facility say Dad often doesn’t get up for dinner, but since he eats a good breakfast and lunch, they don’t worry about him missing dinner. (We were told a couple of years ago that Dad probably only needs two meals a day because his activity level is so low.)

Martha reported that she's finished reading Dad House at Pooh Corner, one of the Winne-the-Pooh books. She says she wasn't always sure whether Dad was listening to the entire chapter, but she read a chapter each time she visited. She's also read him some verses from Now We Are Six and When We Were Very Young, Milne's books of children's verses. Dad mouthed the words along with her for some of the verses he knows so well from our childhoods—“Lines and Squares” and “Disobedience” and “The King’s Breakfast.”

I'm suddenly remembering that Dad used to recite "Lines and Squares" to me when he'd pick me up from pre-school at BYU. We'd go to his office in the McKay Building where there were big squares on the floors in the hall, and as he recited, "Look at me walking in all of the squares," I would take great big steps to make sure I was avoiding all the lines and walking in all of the squares!

Martha says she doesn't think that her husband, Dave, had ever read the Winnie-the-Pooh books either, so it's been fun for him to hear them as Martha's read them to Dad. Enjoying Winnie-the-Pooh as an adult is also carrying on a fine Craig tradition. When Dad was in the Navy in World War II, Mom sent him a copy of Winnie-the-Pooh, which he'd never read before.

Tonight I phoned and spoke to Dad for a few minutes. He told me he was happy to hear from me, and his voice sounded strong. He chuckled as I told him about my grandson, Jeffrey, who's 20 months old and entering the "terrible twos." The other night when he woke up in the night, Christine told me he kept crying for me--to the point where Christine wondered if she should come wake me up. But the next day when I came home from being out for most of the day, Christine asked him if he wanted to give me kisses, he said (in his sweet little voice), "No." "Do you want to give Oma Eskimo kisses?" "No." "Do you want to give Oma loves?" "No."

When I told Dad that I loved him and missed him, he said, "Well, what I have to say is, 'Repeat, repeat!'"

We're concerned that Dad's not getting visited as much as we'd like. We're going to see if someone from the ward can visit him once a week, so he gets more visits. If you're interested and able to go see him, we'd appreciate it. Be prepared to tell him some stories--he's not really able to have a conversation anymore. Visits can be very short, but please sign the book on his dresser, so we know you visited.

As always, thank you for your love and interest in Dad!

Update on Dad 4-11-10

Hi, Everybody,

Well, it's been a stellar two weeks for me in terms of talking to Dad--I've been able to talk to him three times since I last wrote!

My brother John called me at the beginning of April, and he happened to catch me when I was with my sister Christie, so we both got to talk to Dad briefly. His voice sounded good, he seemed happy and interested in what we were saying.

When we talk to Dad these days, we have to do almost all the talking, so I try to remember things I'm going to want to tell him. I can't now remember what I told him about on that first phone call, probably about going to DC to visit a friend of Christie's, to stay with and visit our brother Alan and his wife, Janice, to go to the temple, and to visit our niece, Britta Schroeder and her family in Harrisburg.

I think Christie told Dad a little about her plans--she and her husband will be taking a number of trips this summer.

Then on Easter, my friend Nancy Valdez phoned me while she and her sister were visiting Dad. I was able to wish him a happy Easter, and Nancy found out through her niece who works at the care facility that it's possible to phone the care center and have them take a phone in to Dad.

So tonight I phoned Dad, and his voice sounded strong, he sounded pleased to hear from me, and enjoyed hearing about my discovery about the nondescript bush in the back yard of our apartment. I usually only see it either from my bedroom window in the basement or from the kitchen window, and I hadn't noticed anything remarkable about it at all, but last week I looked out Christine and Michael's bedroom and saw the bush from above--it's an Eastern dogwood, and it's in bloom! (All the blooms face up, so you don't see them from underneath.)

I was excited to tell Dad about it because years ago, Dad planted an Eastern dogwood in our yard--a bush that's not supposed to grow in Utah's alkaline soil. It's flourished there for many years, and Richard Drollinger who taught biology for many years at the high school used to bring his students to see our Eastern dogwood. Who knows--it may be in bloom now in Utah, just like the dogwood in our backyard!

I also tonight had my grandson, Jeffrey, "talk" to Papadaddy on the phone. Of course he waved to Papadaddy instead of saying hi. I got him to say "Uh-oh," his first word and still a favorite, though "No" is a close second now. Christine got Jeffrey to do his lion roar--a soft little growl, and we got him to make the sound he makes for "tweet, tweet," a soft, high squeaking sound. Dad wasn't able to hear them very well but enjoyed the interaction with Jeffrey.

One of the things we were worried about with Dad going off hospice care was that Medicare won't pay for his variable pressure mattress pad which helps to keep him from getting bed sores, but Martha called me this week to tell that the care facility has decided to purchase a variable pressure pad for Dad to use--we're delighted and again grateful that he's in such a good facility.

Thanks to all who care about Dad and to all who let me know you're reading my blog!