While I was in Vietnam, Dennis and my brother, Rodney, took
care of Daddy’s needs. I was hoping for a very uneventful couple of weeks, so
they wouldn’t have to do much; but the best laid plans….
Daddy fell the week I left and bruised up his face pretty
bad. He didn’t want to go to the doctor, but Dennis talked him into letting him
take him to the ER…just in case. There wasn’t any internal bleeding, just a lot
of bruising (plus his blood pressure shot up really high). Afterwards, his hand started hurting. Don’t know if it was a mild
break or just sore from trying to break his fall. It is still giving him some
trouble but is slowly getting better. His doctor decided he probably needs some
physical therapy to help him gain some strength in hopes of preventing future
falls. He has been pretty unsteady lately. They haven’t started the therapy
yet. Daddy was supposed to go see his primary care doctor today, but we had a
last minute cancellation, so it will be next Thursday before I get to talk to
him about it. They also changed a couple of his medications while I was gone,
because his blood pressure had gotten too high.
 |
| He actually looks worse now. The bruising has spread all over his face! |
Daddy also lost his driver’s license while I was gone. He
received a notice in the mail that it would be revoked unless he appealed the
decision, which, of course, he did. Dennis took him for his court appearance,
and the judge ruled against him. Daddy says he is going to fight it, but I don’t
see anything coming of that. So now we are driving them wherever they need to
go. So far, it has gone pretty smoothly.
Sheila and Nam spent most of last week with us. Sheila came
home with a nasty cold and wasn’t getting much, if any, sleep at night with Nam
having his sleep cycle off. We were able to entertain him during the days, so
that she could get some rest. We were also able to celebrate Thanksgiving after
all, since we got home three days earlier than expected. I picked up my smoked
turkey on Tuesday, on our way home from Sheila’s, then finished my grocery
shopping and baking/food prep on Wednesday. We kept our celebration to just the
five of us, because we figured Nam didn’t need the extra stimulation of a big
group. We were right. Although he is adjusting very well, he is still an active
four-year-old who has been raised in an institution.
We took Nam to church Sunday night for the first time.
Dennis stayed home that morning with him, so Sheila could rest. We were having
our “singing service” for our afternoon assembly, which was a perfect
initiation for Nam. (He LOVES singing!) You should have seen his face light up
when the singing began! He wanted to hold his song book and have the page
turned to the correct number. He would sing along on a lot of the songs…especially
when Dennis lead “Jesus Loves Me”. He KNOWS that song! He did really well
throughout the whole service. We were really amazed! He also enjoyed meeting
all the new folks. He would shake their hand or give them a hug, and even told
a few ladies, “I love you.” Afterwards, we took them and the folks out to
Chicken E for supper. Nam had fallen asleep in the car on the way and was
pretty grumpy when we had to wake him up to eat. It took a few minutes for him
to get his attitude adjusted and finally eat his supper. Then we went with Sheila
to her apartment, so she wouldn’t have to drive a heartbroken little boy home
alone. He fell asleep in the car and she was able to transfer him to bed
without waking him, so Dennis and I just came on home. They have been on their
own since.
I’ve come down with Sheila’s cold now. I’m not as sick as
she was, though. Her lack of sleep really made her susceptible to it, and she
was miserable! I’m doing ok…just coughing and hoarse and tired. I took Daddy for
some tests yesterday morning, then took him and Bobbie to Walmart to get a few
things. Talk about a circus! They are easy to keep up with on foot, but when
they both get on a scooter…watch out! I spent half my time trying to hunt them
down. They would each take off in a different direction. When I’d find one, I’d
tell them to stay put while I hunted down the other, but no…when I returned,
they would have disappeared again! They wore me out!
Daddy has more tests
tomorrow morning, but Rodney is taking him for that appointment. Dennis and I
plan to go visit Nam. When he woke up yesterday wanting to see us, Sheila told
him we would come over in 2 days. He held up his finger and said, “One day!”
LOL! Then I plan to go with Sheila to take him for his first checkup with his
pediatrician on Thursday. They don’t plan to do any “needlework” that day, so
it ought to go fine. Then Saturday, we are going over for his birthday party.
We decided to postpone the party a week to give him more time to “settle in” before
the overstimulation of a party.
I have a CASA visit tonight and then a court report to
write. I had a long talk with the CPS caseworker yesterday, trying to get
caught up on all that had happened in my absence. I sure had hoped to have this
case completed before getting Nam home! I have to admit that my heart just isn’t
in it right now. I’m looking forward to taking some time off when we finally
get this case settled. Right now, my family needs all of my time and attention.
I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your
families!
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