This morning, I overslept. Mommy was awake when I came downstairs just after 9:00. Amanda had already checked on her once, and Amanda had asked, "Do you want me to turn the light on for you, Grandma?" And Mommy had responded, "You can do whatever you want, but if you want to leave it off, that's okay." So, Amanda left it off. The sunlight through the curtains was giving off a dim light, and it was enough for Mommy to look at the pictures in the Little House in the Big Woods book.
I turned on the light when I brought her the vitamins crushed in a little applesauce and the regular (not ruined by vitamin bits) applesauce. It was the homemade stuff that I made yesterday. I was inspired to make applesauce by Aunt Bonnie, and I think I might ask her for her recipe as I wasn't very happy with this attempt, but Mommy ate it without any complaints.
Then I gave her a couple spoons of Tylenol. I don't think it's helping the pain any though, so I might stop giving it to her. A medicine that doesn't help and might hurt (on a daily basis) seems pretty stupid to me. Once she is off the blood thinner, she can take aspirin again. And, once she gets moving the pain doesn't seem too bad at all. It's just those first few minutes of moving to get up and to get out of bed that are really painful.
After I waited for the Tylenol to ease the arthritis pain, I sat her up and lifted her to the commode. I'm using the method Jeanie used instead of the lift belt. (If I remember what Jeanie told me correctly), and it's working really well. It's much easier to lift with the lift belt, but Mommy is so afraid of the stupid thing that its very appearance defeats its purpose.
While she sat on the commode, I washed her (including hair). Mommy LOVES the hair dryer. She was very pleased when she saw "that thing" ~ I think the warm over her is like a massage.
In the picture above, she is eating her oatmeal (with prunes instead of raisins this time). Even though she seems really regular, and she went this morning, she told me while she was on the commode that something is stuck in that thing back there and it hurts.
Jeanie has suggested that I try to find old Ranger Bill or Children's Bible Hour episodes for her to listen to, and in a few minutes, I'll see if I can do that, and take the computer in there for her if I can.
Like every day (so far) after she's slept the whole day before, she's perky and happy this morning. It looks like it's going to be a good day. :-)
Edit (addendum): As if to make a liar out of me, when I finished the above post and went in the room, she was sound asleep with her head slumped forward. I got the neck pillow that Jeanie made her, and I positioned it so that she was leaning on it, and, of course, she woke up, and she said, "Oh, that's better." Then I got her a blanket, and put it over her, and she gave me the most beautiful smile before she drifted back to sleep. Then, as I was going out the door, she woke a little and said, "Thank you, Laurie." Oh, how I love it when she knows me! This horrible disease steals so much from her, and from us as we miss her, but it gives little reprieves here and there where she remembers - where her brain works. I just love when that happens.
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