Update on Dad 10-10-11

Hi, Everybody,

Sorry I didn't get this posted yesterday--it just got too late in the evening for me.

My report today comes from my brother-in-law Bob, from my sister Christie, and from my conversation with Dad last night.

Bob told me that when he and Lucy visited recently, Dad was aware that they hadn't visited for a while. Lucy was surprised that he was tracking time that well. Dad really appreciated their visit but didn't want them to stay long because he was having some abdominal cramping and was in a lot of pain. In fact, Bob said he had a pain medication patch that he was wearing.

Christie just got home from a trip to Utah and said she was able to visit Dad twice while she was there. She told me she always says when she sees him, "It's your daughter, Christie, and I've come to see you from Pennsylvania." She thinks that helps him know who she is and that she's come from far away to see him.

She reported that he seemed more responsive this trip than when she'd last been to Utah. She and Elaine visited Dad, and he was also in pain then and only wanting to lie on one side. Christie thinks maybe it's gas. He was in enough pain that they asked the nurse to come in. The nurse was really sweet with Dad and helpful. She also told them that she's giving him pain meds routinely at night.

Christie visited Dad again with her daughter Maggie and son-in-law Colt. She was glad to get to see him two times and said he was glad to be visited. She thought he paid attention to the conversations and understood at least parts of them.

Christie did note, however, that Martha and Dave visited Dad the day after one of her visits and found Dad less responsive. So it depends on the day--as we've seen all along.

I phoned Dad last night, and realized that I hadn't really thought of what stories I was going to tell him, so I quickly thought of two as the staff members got him on the phone for me.

I told him that Jeffrey doesn't want to do anything you want him to do. I made Jeffrey an apron with some Winnie-the-Pooh fabric I'd bought in January. He likes the fabric and he was very interested in the process of making the apron, but he wouldn't put it on after I made it. (No response.) I told Dad that Christine was able to get him to put it on by being very casual about it, but when I came into the room and made much of him, he wanted it off! (Dad chuckled after I did.) Dad said his usual, "You sound wonderful!"

I then reminded him that my brother Alan and his wife, Janice, were called to a temple mission in Brazil but don't have their visas yet, so they're serving at the Washington, DC, temple until they get their visas. So when I went to the DC temple on Saturday, I got to see them both and they both looked really happy. He said, "Wonderful! Wonderful!"

Since those two stories took almost no time, I told him that Evelyn was vocalizing more and more. (No response.) I said, "That's a great thing for a grandchild to be doing"--giving him a cue. He said, "Oh, yes."

My phone's been dropping calls, and dropped our call. When I called back--within the minute--and told Dad who I was, he said, "Uh-huh," seeming to understand that we had just been talking and told me again, "You sound wonderful!"

As I was wrapping things up, I said, "It's good to talk to you." He replied, "It's good to talk to you too!" I told him that I love him, and he said, "Uh, uh, love you too!"--as if he had to struggle a bit to get the sentence out.

I felt like he was a bit more responsive than he's been recently, and I also felt he was "warming up," getting into a more talkative mode, and if I'd been able to come up with things to talk about for longer, he would have been even more responsive. I did feel his warmth and love--the best things about talking to him!

Well, that's all for today. Thanks for reading and for letting me know you're out there!