A Certain Woman in Eastern Europe

I did get home from the WW meeting before 8 and got mom settled by 9. So exhausted myself, I slept in the lounge chair until 12.30! As I passed mom, she wanted to talk and she didn't act the slightest bit tired. I went on to bed and was awoken at 1.30 so I spent the rest of the night downstairs and mom called me to get her up for the bathroom - every hour on the hour (Literally!) She had all sorts of tales to tell me and every hour the story became more and more elaborate. The interesting thing was that for the previous 3 or 4 days she had a hard time stringing a sentence together or talking loud enough to be heard or walking without assistance but here she was from 1.30 am - 9am speaking loudly and clearly and walking to the bathroom unassisted! But what crazy stories she was telling and how upset she got when I "suggested" she was having very vivid dreams and imaginations. We did manage to sleep for a couple hours in the morning and when revived, she told the very same ...

We are beginning to see that when mom gets overstimlulated ie LOTS of company like on Sunday we can expect sleepless nights and hard days to follow. BUT, we are just starting to realise this. So this Monday after only getting up 3 or 4 times in the night, I wasn't surprised that mom wanted to sleep alot. She got pretty cranky when I tried to keep her up so... she slept. We knew she was exhausted. I was looking forward to joining Weight Watchers on Monday evening but had to keep dying to it as one brother (who ALWAYS visited on Monday eves started an 11 week Pitch leauge) and another was busy and one was working and ..and..and. At the last minute I got a call "ok, I can stay with mom (BUT you better get home quick!)" and off I went BUT I never noticed the ice storm we had that day, then discovered I didn't have a scraper, aaaargh but why was I crying?? Then another brother "happens" to drive up and rescues me by cleaning off the car and off I go. Well, on ...

Over Christmas mom was longing for a visit from her relatives in Whitehall, NY and my brother Jack called to ask them to stop in and today was the day! Here is mom's nephew (inlaw) Jim St Clair and his daughter Jackie and her husband Tom. Jack cooked a turkey for sandwiches and Jim brought beverages and David and Sue dessert. Kathi and I got the house and mom ready. As always these days - a team effort and what fun we had!

Jack and Deb Callery CALLERY TAKES COUNTY CHAIR Johnstown 3rd Ward Supervisor Jack Callery followed in the footsteps of his father and his brother Friday, when he was appointed chairman of the Fulton County Board of Supervisors. Appointments of the chairman are for one year..... He is known for asking many questions especially at budget time, and for being one of the more outspoken and vocal supervisors on a variety of issues that come up in the Supervisors Chamber. "Our meetings will be a lot shorter with me up here rather than out there," Callery quipped after being seated as chairman. Callery joked that he had made a promise to the family to trim down his waistline this year. But the supervisor said he would like to simultaneously help "trim down government" in 2009. Congratulations Jack!

Kathy and mom - note the decorated walker The "olde homestead" I was really surprised with the snow we already had here. This area just missed a terrible ice storm that hit a week ago. Some areas are still without power and now we are waiting for a signifigant storm to move in sometime tomorrow. They are saying by noon time a heavy wall of snow which will drop 6-12 inches by 9pm and will be followed by another storm on Sunday. Today I ran out and did last minute shopping and post office etc. I am glad I brought my boots! We are mostly ready for christmas.

My brother Jack and his wife Debby just arrived back from Florida where Jack was trying to hide out from having to face a "big" birthday. So my sister Kathi and I decorated his house to welcome him home - and left him a card that said "You can run, but you can't hide! :-). Some of you know Jack by his more common name "No rules for kids, Uncle Jack". Well, mom really enjoyed visiting with Jack and Debby and as a result she stayed up until 10.30. Most nights she can only sleep for about 5 hours tops and even then gets up a number of times. That means I get up with her :-). Night before last that was at 1.30, 4, 6 and 7!! So when this morning I realised I had been able to sleep through the night I was more concerned than relieved. I checked my monitor and yes it was working and finally turned on the light to check and see if mom was ...alive. Do you remember the first night your baby slept all the way through to morning? You awake with a start and run in...

Mom has failed noticeably in the 5 weeks I've been in Hungary. Needs help in bathroom - trouble getting in and out of chairs, on and off toilet, etc. Nurses come twice a week plus nurse we had. Monday, my first day here I started slow as the sitter comes Mon & Fri for Kathi and we left her on same schedule this week. So I got to go to Post office for Tammy, the bank, bought cards, out for lunch, stopped to visit Kathi at work etc. Then my brother in law came to put lights on tree and tonight I put tinsel and my brother helped me finish decorating. That was fun. Mom thinks she is living someplace else at times and she is a bit nervous that I will not know how to help her. Praise God we got the monitor - she is supposed to call and ring bell so I wake up to hear her and come down to help her in the night. Because of frequent urinary track infections we need to wipe her and keep her clean. She is a pretty good sport about it. She had trouble getting off the toilet last week and sh...

The finished tree - isn't it a beauty? Mom and her best friend Libby supervising. My brother David helped me decorate. My loves tinsel and he reached the top for me. We think this is my first Christmas at home since 1997! The house was decorated inside and out but they saved the tree for me. As we decorated mom asked me to share my best Christmas memories from home. It was a really special time.