It was around this time a year ago, when Paul and I drove my mom to the emergency room at the hospital in the middle of the night. Everything started to come to light that night of what had been going on with my mom for the last several years & especially that year. 

This last year has been a big process filled with stress and some sleepless nights, but looking back a year ago.... life is much easier this year. 

The holidays this year are easier and more stress-free. We have our answers. There are no questions. No continuing doctor appointments. No continuing testings. No wondering what will happen next. We have a routine down. It works out pretty good. My mom is happy with the routine.

My mom's update & for my records -

- Paul bought my mom some black long women socks to keep her feet and legs warm. My mom has just been wearing ankle socks and has a very hard time changing her socks & realizing that the socks need to be changed out. We have her feet prepared for the winter!

- Nate took my mom over to his place to have dinner with his family this week. They had a nice dinner and played games on the Wii. My mom told me they played bowling, biking, and other games. She mentioned that Nate always wins at bowling and she continues to say that. Sammy had a birthday on the 20th and turned 10 years old this year.

- Jon invited my mom to a movie with his kids on Thanksgiving. Paul and I drove her up to Centerville and watched Big Hero 6 with them.

- My mom has been enjoying watching the Canadian Geese at the Taylorsville Park by her house and listening to her music while watching them. I walk Lucky around the park while she listens to her music and she enjoys the beauty & I do as well.

- My mom's favorite things right now include: 

 - watching for new Christmas lights or decorations to be put up at houses
 - she loves seeing police cars and firetrucks with their lights on. She will even ask me to go drive by them to see what's going on even if I'm not going that way.
 - she loves feeding Tiger his cat treats
 - she loves waving goodbye and blowing kisses to me out her kitchen windows while I'm in  the car before Paul and I back out of the driveway to drive away every night.
 - she loves watching these tv shows during the day: Kelly & Michael, I Dream of Jeanie, Rachael Ray, Judge Judy, & Magnum PI.
 - she loves her daily movie time at my house (she is lucky if she fits 3 in a day)
 - she loves to check for her mail & if she doesn't get to it during the day, she will do it when we drop her off at night.
 - she is very focused on putting her garbage cans out and bringing them in right when the garbage man empties the garbage cans ( she doesn't understand why others don't stay on top of their garbage cans the same way)
 - it is a must that she leaves on certain lights before she leaves her house. If she has forgotten this or left earlier in the day so she didn't do that, she will ask me if we can stop at her house to turn on the lights. 


The things my mom has a hard time with :

 - showers
 - distractions
 - missing her movies
 - she gets frustrated when she doesn't understand something which can be at different times of the day  ( food sometimes can help this and boost this up so she has a drive)
 - attention span is low
 - washing clothes and changing her clothes
 - realizing what type of clothes to wear for certain types of weather
 - my mom stopped doing her watering and yard work in the summer. She was very obsessive with her yard work and she let this obsession go and didn't care about it anymore. 
- has a hard time with any personal care
- money management
- long conversations
- texting
- answering the phone
- of course this list can & does go on and on.......