Update on Dad 7-3-11

Hello, Everyone,

I have quite a lot to tell you about Dad tonight: my sister Martha, her husband Dave, my brother Alan and his wife Janice, and my daughter, Christine, all told me about visits to Dad, and I got to visit him today!

Just as an aside, Dad now has his hair cut short--just stubble. We all find it disconcerting though we know it's easier to take care of. Both Janice and I agree--it looks like a prison haircut.

Martha told me recently that Dad has been diagnosed with Type II diabetes. He is on a pill--I'm not sure if it's the kind that stimulates the pancreas to work harder or one that helps the cells absorb glucose from the bloodstream, but it helps to keep his blood sugar levels down. The staff at the care facility also monitors his blood sugar levels four times a day.

Martha also told me that when they visited this week, Dad was cheerful, alert, and as talkative as they've seen him recently--meaning, she explained, that he said a couple of actual sentences.

Dave told me that they took Dad some good chocolate recently, and when they were leaving, he took both of their hands and said, "You are the best relatives!" Dave said, "Why? Because we bring you chocolate?" Dad said, "Yes!"

Alan and Janice also visited Dad recently. (They're in Utah visiting family before they leave for their mission to Brazil in August.) Alan said Dad seemed aware "in chunks," which I took to mean that at times he seemed aware and at other times less aware. Janice noted that Dad was feeling very cold but didn't seem to know what to do about it. He had a couple of blankets on him, but apparently not enough. (Janice noticed that the air conditioning vent in his room blows right on his bed.) They're planning on getting him something that will help him stay warmer.

My daughter Christine and her family visited Dad when they were in Utah in June. Christine thought Dad knew who she was, and he was very taken with my granddaughter, Evelyn, wiggling his finger at her and enjoying her smiling and babbling.

My grandson Jeffrey sang Dad the ABC song, and Christine tried to get Jeffrey to show off his knowledge of what state people were born in. (Dad and Jeffrey's father, Michael, were born in the same state.) Christine wasn't sure Dad understood that discussion, and Jeffrey talked very quietly, but she felt they had a good visit.

I visited Dad today with John's daughter Lisa and her husband, Court. When we walked into the room, I thought there was no one in Dad's bed, just crumpled blankets, but Dad was there, looking shrunken and frail to me. He woke up and greeted me warmly and seemed to know who I was.

He seemed to remember visits from Christine and her family and others, but he may just have been faking it well--it's hard to know. He chuckled at my story about Jeffrey's exaggerated sentence intonation--something I've told him about before.

I showed him pictures of the kids. He made admiring noises about Evelyn, and he chuckled at a picture of Jeffrey nursing his stuffed cow.

I tried to tell him a story that was probably too long about Jeffrey being dissatisfied with my explanation of why we don't see well in the dark but grinning at his dad's scientific explanation about wavelengths of a certain magnitude.

I kissed him goodbye, and he kissed me back. I told him I loved him, and he said, "I love you too--I hope you know that!" I told him I did, and we left.

I hope to see Dad again before I leave, and I'll report on that visit next time I blog.

Thanks for reading and caring!

Alison