More About Mom

It's been an interesting week with Mom. As I said, her visit to the eye doctor found her vision much improved. Now if only she was cognizant of the change. We worked a jigsaw puzzle together this week, partly a test to see if her spatial skills had improved along with her eyesight. I haven't made a definite determination on it yet, but we did speak a bit of color recognition. I mentioned that her ability to see and differentiate color should be much better now that one surgery is complete. She answered, "Well, I don't know... I thought I was seeing just fine before." I am somewhat resigned to the fact that she may never truly appreciate what was done, and she may always deem it an unnecessary nuisance. At least I know better.

On Thursday this week I noticed Mom's oxygen concentrator seemed different. I could hear the air leaving the nasal cannula in a constant hiss under her nose. There were no leaks in the line and the noise was only apparent on her end. I looked at the machine but am clueless as to setting the actual airflow. I purposed to ask James later in the day, but both James and I forgot to check the contraption's settings that evening and he was gone to work the next day when I remembered. I went in and stared it, not knowing how to read it or make an adjustment. The machine seemed unusually quiet Friday morning, but being blond, I thought little of it. Mom was relaxing in her chair with her morning newspaper and a cup of coffee. Rocky climbed in and out of the chair with Grandma and I went about my business.

I was in the computer room when Mom called from behind the bathroom door at the other end of the house. "Mart! Mart!" she called, "There's no air coming out of my hose. Somebody must have turned my machine off." This is when it dawned on me why the device had been so quiet. (Did I mention being blond?) I immediately knew the culprit. She is about 3 1/2 feet tall, has blond hair and big blue eyes, and had just recently been sharing the chair with Grandma. I flipped the switch back on and turned my attention to one small girl who was severely warned to stay OUT of Grandma's room  and NOT to touch her machine.

Somewhere mid week I totally forgot Mom's Wednesday night shower, but this evening I made up for it by giving her hair a good scrubbing (I washed it twice), and tucking her into clean sheets for the night. She should be smelling sweet for church in the morning.

Payers would be appreciated for my sanity. I am finding it difficult to keep up with the growing responsibilities of caring for my mom, keeping a house, tending to my family, and babysitting too. I have come to realize my desperate need for downtime and yet we find ourselves dependent on the little income I earn watching children. I am well within the legal limit with those I have now and have no intention of taking on anymore as long as I have my mom to care for. Sometimes I get a bit panicky, especially by the time Friday rolls around.