Spent some time with pop yesterday, after mom and I went to the support group. He was sitting in his chair sleeping, and was a little disoriented when he woke up, but came around after a few minutes. Gave him a hug and told him he looked good, and he played the doddering old man for a few minutes. He is missing a tooth on the bottom - right in the middle. Mom said she hadn't noticed it on Friday. Didn't bring it up to him, and it really doesn't matter at this point anyway, but the gap is noticeable. He was pretty sleepy, but was talking about the ranch and his brothers. I couldn't quite make out everything, but just went along with him. It just amazes me, still, that he pulls up these memories from so many years ago. He jumped from one subject to another, asked if I was still working, and where did I live. Then he would comment about the cute little girls that worked there. Told him that yes, they are cute, and they are there to help him, so he needs to be nice to them. He smiled. I said that, because when I was talking to Sally, there has been a couple of times the last few weeks where dad has gotten pretty aggressive with the aides. My guess, is, it's because there have been a few new faces hired on, because he allows Jessica, Sarah, and Melinda, to help him. But, I could tell he knew what I was talking about. He asked about the weather, and I told him that when (if) it every warms up, we will take him to the park so he can watch the ducks. He smiled at this. Mom was napping on the couch, so I just sat on the floor by the chair and talked with pop eye to eye. He started drifting off, and I asked him if he wanted to sleep more. He said yes. Dinner time was coming soon, so I gave him a kiss, told him I loved him, and said I would be back to see him soon. I should mention that the entire time I was by him, he held my hand, or had has hand on my arm. He seems to want that physical connection. Cute little man!
A couple of notes: Pop does continue to wander around, just as the others do. When mom went to see him earlier this week, he wasn't to be found anywhere, and James found him asleep on Susan's bed. Guess when he's tired, he pops in to whatever room looks comfy. There is another guy, Clyde, who has moved in, so there are 5 men now. Mom said when she took dad down to dinner, he sat at the table with 3 of the guys. Remember Miss Chelsie? Well, Chelsie was really a girl, but was referred to as guy while there because it was confusing for the residents. AND...Chelsie and Whitney were "a couple". I was talking with Sally about who has left, and she kept referring to Chelsie as "she", so I explained my confusion to her. So, there you have it.
I should also mention that mom and I had a long talk about sweating the "little things." She is getting better about things, but I told her that she needs to remember that if she wants things to be just like they were at home for dad, we need to find someone that will stay by his side 24 hours. We can't control the fact that he doesn't get shaved every day. In fact, when mom brought his up to Sally, dad hasn't wanted help to shave, or shave at all, on several occasions. When the residents get mad, they let it go - it's not worth the agitation. Virgie suggested to mom that if this bugged her so much, get an electric shaver (the last one broke) and shave him when she is there, then take it home. Mom does seem to be getting better about things, because when we first arrived, someone else's shoes were under dad's bed. She just laughed about it. Two weeks ago, she would have been upset. In time, I guess.
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