Pool Party II

Let me tell you, Mom sure knows how to "throw" a pool party! Today was a bit of a rough day and we spent 3 hours at the Mountain States Tumor Institute (MSTI) for labwork, radiation and then an hour of iv fluids. Mom needed the fluids as she's had a hard time getting any food or liquids down and keeping them down. She was a trooper and hung on through the long afternoon at MSTI, then lay down exhausted when we got home. About 6:30 p.m., Natalie arrived and I walked past Mom's room to see her dressed in her swimsuit, wrapped in a beach towel. "Get your suit on," she said to me, as she tossed a suit to Natalie. So we did! The three of us hopped into her pool and splashed around for half an hour! Of course we got to wear Mom's stylish swim caps and she had us pointing our toes and posing for Dad to snap a picture. It was SO refreshing but the effort cost Mom as she came inside and lay down for the rest of the night. Her tenacity is amazing--she pushes through the pain and discomfort and keeps on going.

Sunday Feast

Mom and Dad invited the gang over for Sunday dinner. I was excited to have the 4 girls who live here and their families come over, but we were worried about Mom and the effort it would take. Everyone pitched in and brought side dishes to ease the load, but Mom and Dad cooked a roast, potatoes and carrots and then we caught Mom making apple crisp! That go-getter! We had a wonderful feast and enjoyed visiting and laughing. When everyone was gone and Dad came over to sit by Mom on the couch, Mom contentedly said, "That was a fun night." It really zapped Mom's energy but was well worth it.

Flower Cake

Look at this awesome flower cake! Natalie's hotel made it for Mom and she brought it out the other night. It looks edible, but is all made of flowers!

And here's the bearer of this cake...complete with a potato chip clip in her hair! :)

Saturday Was A Busy Day

Saturday was a very busy day. Since Mom didn't have a treatment, she wanted to try to get over to her brother Don's to visit. Sharon joined us and we were able to go to Don's and have a great visit with him and Bert. We shared some yummy Arizona oranges with him. It's such fun to share them--wish I could have brought a vanload with me!

 (Sharon was with us, too, but she graciously took the picture so I don't have one of her to post here!) After our visit with Don and Bert, we stopped by Mom's Aunt Ellen's for a moment. Mom was tiring quickly, so we just said hello. We'd driven by her home a few times this week and Mom had wanted to stop by, but just hadn't felt up to it. It was sweet to see her. Our last stop of the day proved a bit too much. We went to RC Willey's to check on an adjustable bed for Dad and Mom. Mom was feeling pretty miserable by then, so I had prepped the salesman on the phone before we got there and we rushed him through his explanation of features and pricing as quickly as we could. By the time we got home, Mom retired to the couch with a terrible headache and nausea. Her biggest challenge these past few days has been finding anything she can stomach (nothing tastes good or sounds good) and then keeping it down. It's been pretty difficult.

There's Nothing Like A Sweet Toddler

Friday we ventured out to see Lynette, Michael and Matthew. It was sweet seeing what that little toddler did for the spirits--Mom even got down on the floor to find some toys for him! The trip to treatments each day is about enough to wear Mom out, so any extra activity is a special treat.

Purple Sisters

Mom had another fun visit today from Darlene and Jerry. Both Mom and Darlene were dressed  in purple so I had to get the picture! We did a bit more today than yesterday--Mom had some bloodwork done before her treatment and then we grabbed a bite to eat before heading to her organ lesson. Her teachers are awesome and it was fun to be there and see firsthand why Mom enjoys it so much. She hadn't been for 5-6 weeks, so it was nice for her to go and everyone greeted her so warmly. We made it home just in time for Mom to catch Dad's phone call, telling her he was at the airport, ready to start his flight home. She was so glad to make it home for his call! The labwork was routine and came back good as kidney function and blood sugars were all normal. Now it's time to get back to recording memories and life's experiences. {Below is a picture of the "purple ladies" with Jerry.}

Mementos and Music

Any visit to Dad and Mom is always a treasured opportunity and I am blessed to be in Melba now with them. I arrived Monday night to find dinner waiting -- Mom had made spaghetti and strawberry fruit jello! No matter how she feels, she is always a mother and taking care of us! After dinner, she treated me to some beautiful organ music. It was so wonderful to hear her play so well and to know she now enjoys the gift of making music that she gave to all of us--all those lessons for piano and band/orchestra instruments and enduring years and years of us practicing and now she finally gets her turn. Her organ is so fun--if I wasn't here for a purpose, I'd be taking her up on her invitation to try it out. As it is, I did get to play a song or two.

We spent a bit of time looking for parts of Mom's life story that she had written over time so I could start putting it all together but got a bit sidetracked when we ran into Romney mementos -- George Romney, that is! George Romney, father of Mitt, was Dad and Mom's stake president in Michigan and they worked on his campaign when he ran for governor of Michigan. They still have scrapbooks full of newspaper clippings, pictures, campaign buttons and huge posters. It was SO FUN to see! I had to share a few pictures here:

Yesterday I went to her radiation treatment with her. They began radiating a third area, this one on her back near the second area. We spoke to a social worker for a bit after her treatment, then made a quick trip to see if we could find an adjustable base bed. After a quick look and some pricing help, we headed home as Mom's pain medication was wearing off.

Today has been a bit harder day. We went to radiation treatment again, but Mom's back has been hurting more and she has been quite dizzy. I made a major mistake and am in the doghouse with Dad now. We didn't record earlier, but after Mom's mammogram MRI a week or so ago, which caused her to lie in an excruciatingly painful position for 45 minutes, she walked out into the waiting room when done and Dad looked up, surprised, and said, "What? Done already?" Mom retorted, "Do you want to get hit?" To her, those 45 minutes were forever. Well, today she went back to her treatment and before I could even open my book to read, I looked up and there she was, all finished. I said, "That was fast!" and she said, "Just like Dad -- did you forget what I said to him?" Uh-oh, I had forgotten! To me it may have gone quickly, but every procedure is long and painful to Mom. Her back especially hurt as she was lying there today. We made it home okay and she did let me in the house, so we worked on LDS Journal a bit and got a few entries made. It is such a gift to me to be able to listen to Mom talk about her life and experiences.