Whew! Im exhausted! Yall know I do an insane amount of work and that Ive put all the yard work on top of it. Well...Thurs and Fri I did 12 loads of laundry (mine, Pops - which, until recently hes been doing, but hes now forgotten how - and that of a friend). Fri., I mowed the ENTIRE yard (??? hours), thanks to Pops son returning the riding lawn mower...although I still had to push mow the fenced in back yard. Pops appetite has increased (Yay!) so Im back to prepping/cooking/cleaning up after 3 meals a day. Pops son and his wife went to their beach house Fri and, because of an apt tomorrow (yes, on a holiday) that I cant get out of, I had to stay behind...and Pop had to stay w/ me. Something about he has to be in the car w/ me (its his car) if Im traveling out of town b/c of insurance purposes. (Not gonna say what I think about that, but whatever). So, Im driving Pop and myself down there after I get home...probably leaving between 12-1:00 (pray for a safe trip, please). Ive gotten Pop packed and all my stuff laid out - Ill pack when I can get some energy. By the middle of the day yesterday, while I was cleaning up a sink full of dirty dishes (yes, at times I do have dirty dishes in the sink), I felt this wave of unusual exhaustion and weakness hit me along with a deep ache in my stomach. Had to ignore it for a while, but eventually, after I finished cleaning up and fixing him lunch, I excused myself and had to lie down for a couple of hours. Never got sick. Unfortunately, I never went to sleep, either, but I did manage to relax a little. Got up. Made a beautiful dinner (my famous chicken and rice and fresh, steamed green beans), managed to choke some down while Pop enjoyed his meal, and cleaned up again. After all, I wanted a clean kitchen and all my chores done b/c... TODAY IS POPS 77th BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!! AT 9:00 pm, when I was ready to do a major face plant on the floor, I told him it was shower time and then bed. Reminded him that when he got up it was going to be his birthday and he needed to have a good rest for his big day b/c a couple special things were happening. Got him all set up for both. At that moment he seemed that he totally understood what to do. I went to bed. Usually, this has worked out just fine. Well... AT 3:00 am, I thought I heard footsteps and saw light under my bedroom door. Didnt think much of it. I listened for a few minutes; there was no knock on my door, so I went back to sleep. Besides, Pop gets up sometimes to check on things and goes back to bed. AT 4:00 am, I heard his dog bark outside my door. I got up, opened it, and there was a rather frantic Pop standing in the kitchen looking like he was going to go somewhere. I asked him why he wasnt in bed. He said he never went to bed. I asked him what he was doing. He said he was standing there waiting b/c they were outside coming to get him. Mind you, there have been several occasions when hes said that, but never in the midst of not going to bed and at this hour. Of course, it took a while to get him settled and to his room. Told him to take a hot shower, that it would help calm his nerves and help him sleep. He did...eventually. AT 5:00 am I heard noises. He still hadnt gotten in the bed, so I just about literally put him in it myself. AT 7:30 am, my alarm went off and, much to my chagrin, I couldnt go back to sleep. AT 8:00 am, I heard the dogs bark. Guess they wanted to go out. I checked on Pop and he was trying to get up to take them out. I did it for him. Told him he had had only 3 hours of sleep and to go ahead and get back in bed. He mumbled something and I told him I was sorry he had such a bad night. With complete clarity, he said, I really thought that was it. That shocked me! I reassured him he was safe and in his own home and everything was OK and to rest up for his birthday day. He readily complied and got back in bed. The dogs did their thing, came back in, and, as usual, went back to Pops room. Neither he nor the dogs will let each other out of their sight. Shortly thereafter, a friend of mine came over with a cake, balloons, and breakfast fixins (eggs, sausages, cinnamon buns, strawberries, and bananas). She and I had planned to have as nice of a day for Pop as we possibly could. He was still in bed. AT 10:45 am, I heard him rustling. Checked on him. Hed gotten up to go to the restroom and said he was getting back in bed. I said that was OK. Kissed him and reminded him it was his birthday and we were going to fix him a beautiful breakfast and have a couple of surprises for him. He said he wanted to just sit it bed. I turned his TV on to NBC b/c his favorite church program was about to start (Grove Ave), and told him he could relax as long as he wanted and to come get me when he was ready to get up and get ready for HIS day. At some point thereafter, he got up and we showed him into the family room where the balloons were. He smiled and seemed surprised. He understood as much as he is capable of (not much these days). AT 12:30 pm, after 45 mins of him getting up, doing the balloon thing, dressing himself, my friend redressing him into clean, nice birthday clothes, nearly teaching him all over again how to shave and brush his teeth, etc., etc., etc., we finally sat down to a beautiful, yummy birthday brunch. We tried to get him to react to it. we had to ask him if he was happy and liked it. Once again, he responded as positively as he is capable of. He ate nearly every last bite of food on his plate. Guess that was positive acknowledgement enough! It was delicious. And then...I cleaned up the kitchen. P.S. Birthday Cake will be presented and served after dinner. And Ill prep, serve, eat and watch others eat, and clean up from that, as well. ;) P.S.S. Photos will be posted from my phone tonight or tomorrow. :) P.S.S.S. (Is there any such thing?...LOL). IM REALLY, REALLY TIRED. My tummy was hurting b/c I was dehydrated and exhausted. Fibro and OA pain is so intense today, but I keep thinking about wanting this to be Pops Day (since it very well could be his last birthday), so I just keep pushing through it. I am going to rest for a little while; then, Ill pack my suitcase, do the dinner and cake and clean-up thing, try to not have a repeat of last night, and rest up for a LONG day tomorrow. WHEW! IM EXHAUSTED!!!!! (Thanks for your tolerance again, dear readers. XO).
Posted on: Sun, 25 May 2014 19:57:58 +0000
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