On our way back to Vegas we made a quick stop at Grandma's.
Grandma has had Parkinson's disease for a number of years, and more recently has been showing signs and symptoms of dementia with lewy bodies. Last August she moved into a beautiful new senior assisted living facility where she enjoyed a few months of making friends and being happy. Around November the dementia started progressing rapidly and she could no longer ride her scooter, use her computer or even her cell phone. She simply couldn't remember how to do things that she's always done. My parents moved Grandma into memory care within the facility so she could get the help she needed and would be kept safe as she had walked out the front door a number of times not knowing where she was going. Grandma experiences hallucinations all the time and truly believes these unpleasant hallucinations are real and is convinced she's done awful things that will put her in jail. At times she will ask my mom if she's going to jail and for how long. She still recognizes her family but much of the time she's confused about where she is or what she's doing.
Grandma has had Parkinson's disease for a number of years, and more recently has been showing signs and symptoms of dementia with lewy bodies. Last August she moved into a beautiful new senior assisted living facility where she enjoyed a few months of making friends and being happy. Around November the dementia started progressing rapidly and she could no longer ride her scooter, use her computer or even her cell phone. She simply couldn't remember how to do things that she's always done. My parents moved Grandma into memory care within the facility so she could get the help she needed and would be kept safe as she had walked out the front door a number of times not knowing where she was going. Grandma experiences hallucinations all the time and truly believes these unpleasant hallucinations are real and is convinced she's done awful things that will put her in jail. At times she will ask my mom if she's going to jail and for how long. She still recognizes her family but much of the time she's confused about where she is or what she's doing.
During
our visit she knew who I was, but was unsure about Evelyn. And she kept
pointing to Wyatt saying, "that's Matt's little boy", as if I hadn't
ever seen Wyatt before. Truthfully, it was tough to see her in this
condition. I struggled to make conversation because I was so taken back
by how quickly she had declined since I last saw her in August. It was
difficult to wrap my head around the idea of possibly not seeing her
again. The most upsetting part about the whole thing was looking into
her eyes... She was there, physically, but there was something missing.
It was heartbreaking and a little bit eerie how evident it was that she
was slipping away. Needless to say I'm very thankful we made this quick
stop to see her. Though her health will continue to decline, she is in
good hands between her facility and my mom who has taken on this
responsibility of making sure grandma is living her life to the fullest.
Jess, Kinzie, Wyatt, Callie, Kella, Evelyn, and I were back on the road by about 7:30pm. The babies slept for the first half of the drive, then we made a pit stop at the halfway point in Barstow to nurse the babes and let Wyatt get some energy out in the McDonald's playground. Callie and Evelyn slept the rest of the way home and we got in at 12:00am. Couldn't have asked for a smoother road trip, especially with two babies.
Jay was still in Ann Arbor, so I was grateful to have the company, and some of the very best company at that.
Jess stayed for two nights then drove back home to San Diego.
Have I mentioned how fun it is to see these two girls together?
Evelyn ten months | Callie seven months
Jess, Kinzie, Wyatt, Callie, Kella, Evelyn, and I were back on the road by about 7:30pm. The babies slept for the first half of the drive, then we made a pit stop at the halfway point in Barstow to nurse the babes and let Wyatt get some energy out in the McDonald's playground. Callie and Evelyn slept the rest of the way home and we got in at 12:00am. Couldn't have asked for a smoother road trip, especially with two babies.
Jay was still in Ann Arbor, so I was grateful to have the company, and some of the very best company at that.
Jess stayed for two nights then drove back home to San Diego.
Have I mentioned how fun it is to see these two girls together?
Evelyn ten months | Callie seven months
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