The Barrington

Jack sitting in his smaller room. His TV is hooked up but it holds little interest for him. He often watches the weather channel.

I did my best to put it together so it would be like before somewhat.

His drilling Rig and the Torch Singer Bear are right there to remind him of his favorite things.

This is the dining area and they congregate there as the rooms are small and mostly just for sleeping or resting. Very few have their own TV.

I have not gotten a smile out of Jack since we moved him. He hates it and wants out. I am trying to let him know I hear him and agree we need a better situation. He is supposed to get better care there and I hope it soon begins to give evidence of that as they get to know him. If they even can as he is not communicating well.
I spoke to his nurse from Care WI again today as I ran into her at the grocery store and asked her to make certain our names stayed on the list to move to Reedsburg. That is all I can do but be his advocate and reassure him verbally and pray that his name comes up. I am sad that he is so unhappy.

Mikey will be two on the 27th!

Daddy helped Mikey with his new Chuck the truck toy!

Gramma brought Easter and Birthday gifts.

Eliana got a photo album among other things in her bucket.

Finally it is time for eating that cake. Want an ear or the bow tie?

More Easter Fun!

Easter egg hunt after the service at the Crossroads Nazarene!

Eliana scored!

Mikey was finding them also!

Mikey crawled under the furniture to get one more.

Eliana was a cheery sight in her Easter finery! She also shared her eggs with Mikey all on her own.

A Curious Pulling...

Jenna brought her puppy 'Frenchy' to see Jack.

We saw how hard he pulled to get to the scent of the house dog 'Hershey' who was behind closed doors.

So we hollered MUSH and gave the chair a push. It rolled under the power of that little mutsky!

First time I had heard Jack laugh with loud guffaws for months.

Nothing like a baby or a puppy to charm even the most grim or troubled spirit!

Easter Festivities

WE were invited to attend an Easter Party at the Our House in Baraboo. Director Cheryl was excited to have us all come. We were going to dye eggs and eat snacks.

Before I could attend I had to make a Bunny Cake for my Grand kids in Sun Prairie! It turned out real cute and I wrapped it well for transport. I was going down after the party.

Lizzie did not know what was going on. So I distracted her by taking silly pictures.

Frannie from Serbia was thrown into the fray and she loved it, Joyce's grand daughter was very helpful to all the ladies on our end of the table!

Jack made three with Jenna's help and I roved about taking pictures.

June had a birthday too!

Last but not least, June had a birthday yesterday as well. I did not get to ask how old she is. She is a bit lost at times, wandering with her walker, looking for a familiar spot.

They had a cake for June as well and I believe they even ran out with the two cakes. Residents and guests alike enjoyed those two cakes.

New Stage

I cannot explain why but I will tell you my thoughts and what is going on. Jack is more agitated and a bit more aggressive. He is jamming his wheelchair into everything. They will no longer let him have his wheels locked (though I do it when my shins are in danger and I am right there...) as he is in danger of throwing himself over backwards with great force. He has stops but they are not made to withstand the force a 170 pound man can exert. So my time with him is fraught with shin banging at times. He tries to tell me how frustrated he is. His voice is tiny and his teeth no longer fit so he is hard to understand. I hear one sentence I cannot decipher over and over. Lord give me extreme discernment! I do hear him say he wants me to feed him and to stay there with him. He may be wanting to come home as one time he said he wanted the house fixed up. I know his thoughts are always on ways to get out of there and come home. He says he thinks only of me. I have to admit I think of him often too. I soon will be beginning the book. Starting with now and flashing back to days of old. Not to glorify anything but God and how he has changed me. Once I would have run like a scared rabbit at facing this. Now I can stand my ground even when bewildered. The stress of his illness may have increased his agitation and stress where the dementia is going into a different level. I am guessing. There is nowhere to go to find this out. Only guesswork. So I strive to do my best to encourage and pray for him each time I go. To feed him and try to stay positive even when I see the changes in him are not making him popular any longer in the Assisted Living. If everyone else fails I must cling to God and remain faithful. Just saying.....

Birthday Bash for Edith

Edith wanted to ride a big Harley for her 99th birthday celebration.

Cheryl the director made it happen and Edith got to ride for several hours in a sidecar.

She was explaining how she never got to when these pictures were taken. Many of her family members were there. Like 30 or 40....

Then we all had cake, except for Jack and I. Jack had pudding and I had nothing as befits a cake hater. A good time was had by some. There are always naysayers....

Ruby Slippers, Jack and a Smart Phone

Ruby Slippers? These are absolutely heavenly shoes...

Jack was glad to see Anjuli and he remembered her well.

The phones take a lot of our attention these days. I cannot wait to get a 'smart' phone myself as I am pretty phone dumb. My phone will no doubt be smarter than I am.

More of Jamie and Judah's visit

 

Jamie felt pretty good part of the time and she and Judah went several days to visit her dad and hung out with me a lot.

 

Judah warmed up to Papa Jack fairly soon but Jack really didn't feel well enough to give those warm hugs and rides on his lap this time. Judah patted and hugged him often and gave him fist bumps.

 

Jamie and her dad are not either one big talkers but the smiles and affection is plain for all to see.

 

While church was on we ladies went to the lobby with the kids and played trains. I took pictures and just really basked in seeing the cousins together.

 

Eliana and Judah were enjoying the coloring!

 

Jams is a little out of focus and that is the way the visit went. She was feeling a bit queazy and yukko after the first few days. Those two boys were very much enjoying sitting near one another.

 

These two are almost two years old! Their birthdays are two weeks apart!

 

Lance busy on his phone and his son equally enthralled with a teddy that sings. These two are a lot alike. I enjoyed their time with me.