Gratitude - Status...

So I haven't been writing much here. Things have been a little hectic.

I'm not sure of the dates of some of these events because they all kind of run together.

Mom had surgery on November 6, and everything went well. She came home and stayed with us for a couple of nights and we thought she was good to go. We moved her home that weekend, and then all hell broke loose. I think she moved back home with us on Nov. 9th. We signed her into hospice the next week, and she has been living with us since.

Overall, she is in a lot better shape than when she first moved in. It took us a week or so to figure out meds, and she was pretty sick and weak from poor nutrition and being on her own. She is eating better now, and not having to worry about falling or taking meds, or many of the mundane things of life means she is actually getting around pretty well. We're managing the pain with Vicodin, so it isn't real bad yet. She still has her apartment, but she can't go back and stay there because of the painkillers.

So every morning we bring her a cup of coffee, then take her down stairs. She sets up shop in her barwel chair. We fix a breakfast of fried egg and a piece of toast. Lunch and dinner are less - usually whatever we're having. She reads a lot. Ponders life. Receives visitors. We limit most visitors to 15 - 20 minutes. Someone is with her most of the time, although she is fine being left alone for as much as a couple hours at a time.

Thanksgiving and Christmas were hard. Lots of good byes with the grand kids. I don't think any of us expected her to make it this long. Now we're at the start of the new year and most of the kids are gone and now we settle in for whatever comes next.