June and July Updates

Well, it's the middle of July. About a month since the last time I posted. Since then I've discovered the following:

* Mom's behavior - We finally got in to see the Psychiatrist. It was a fairly simple appointment. He talked to her, tested her by asking her questions, asked us questions and came up with a diagnosis. Alzheimer's Related Dementia. He's prescribed some medication to help slow down the disease and we are now working towards figuring out the correct doses. We are also trying to figure out how this level of care will impact our life. My goal is to have a good idea of what is involved before school starts at the end of August. We are no longer able to leave her home alone for any length of time. We used to be able to leave her for a few hours but now I'm not comfortable with that. Her behavior is very erratic (weepy, anxious) and she uses alone time to get into things that she shouldn't and could be dangerous. Fortunately, the meds they prescribed seem to be helping as is the amount of liquids that she is drinking. She doesn't seem as unhappy as before. I suspect all the errand running she is doing now helps as well. I'm concerned for the winter when the snow is on the ground that it won't be as "easy" (hah) to get her in and out of the house. We'll see what happens.

* Socially - I've become more homebound since Mr. Happy is working more hours between the yearly job and the seasonal one and someone has to be home to supervise. I have mixed emotions about it. My neighborhood is pretty terrific and I have been able to take "union breaks" a few houses down the street while enjoying some terrific conversation with our friend Mrs. Auntie C. This summer has really brought ALL the kids outside and it seems our neighborhood is more poplulated that we thought. Princess Happy has more friends her age that live on the block and it's interesting to watch them float from house to house. Our house is pretty popular because of the swingset and kid friendly basement but they also spend quite a bit of time at Mrs. Auntie C's house too. I suspect she has better snacks. Happy girl is quite a social magnet too. On any given day, there are 4-5 friends hanging around playing Band Hero, using the swingset as a base for volleyball or swingkickball (?). Our kiddie pool is useful for water fights and balloon tosses. Both Happy Girl and the Princess have on-the-go social lives too. Happy Girl hangs out with "The Fish","Tay Tay" and "Mir". They have a group and they travel mostly between Fish's, Mir's, and our house. These are the houses with the most adult supervision so I am happy to let her go. The Metroparks and outdoor pool are also popular hangouts and luckily (for me) within walking distance. The princess (when she is not in the neighborhood) is lucky enough to have friends who will come and get her for a day of fun. She's had her first sleepover out in Medina and loved it. We've also been able to see a few of the movies that are out this summer. Twice my SIL picked up Mom from her hair appt and kept her for the day while we went to a movie and another activity. The princess and I (along with Mrs. Auntie C and Big G) saw "Toy Story 3". Happy Girl, friends, and I saw "Eclipse". I enjoyed both movies and my girls were happy to have some one on one time with mom (if you don't count all the friends that came with us).

* Sports - Both girls have played ball this summer. The princess has enjoyed her season of T-ball. Big G was on her team and the two of them really learned a lot this year. The games I have been able to go to have been filled with interesting conversation with Mrs. Auntie C and Mr. Uncle D and some cute antics from the kids. Mr. Uncle D and I have even been drafted to "coach" a game (along with 2 other parents) when the coach had to stay late at work. (That was REALLY interesting and made me glad the games are only about an hour). Happy Girl's team is pretty amazing and is one we lucked into at the last moment. I had signed her up for a slow pitch team in the spring but all her coaches from the fast pitch teams later told me that wasn't a good idea. It would erase any skills she learned from the spring. Another parent from the school team told us about EFP and we were lucky that they needed more players this summer. This group starts playing the previous fall but fortunately Happy Girl knew enough about the game that she was allowed to play. They are all pretty good and are presently in 2nd place. Playoffs start next week. Happy Girls insists that they are the definate #2 team but I heard her coach talking about the first place team on friday and he is more optimistic that they can take them. According to him, they came close to winning the last time they played each other. I guess we'll see next week if he can convince them they are #1. Regardless, it's been a good season and I'm glad she played with them this year.

That's about all for now. We are getting ready to go to a family birthday party this afternoon. The kids are looking forward to seeing cousins that we don't see very often. I am going to take advantage of Mom being out of the house to get a few things done around here.