My Dad

Dad


My Dad and Lupe

Here are a few pictures of my Dad. Lupe, his caretaker, brought him over the other day. He's so cute. I really can't tell if he knows who I am. Some days I think he does but other days I think he acts the same to anyone talking to him and I'm sure he has no clue who I am. I'd like to think he does. Who knows what he is really thinking but he sure tries to talk and tell a story, you just usually can't make out what he's saying. He usually laughs at the end of his story and I love it when he does that. It breaks my heart to see him living like this but I was watching him try to tell me something the other day and I was thinking how happy I am to be able to hear his voice still, even if I can't understand anything he says. I'd give anything to be able to hear Laurie talk or my Mom. I was watching him and thinking how alot of his mannerisms are the same from when I was little. I was looking in his eyes when he spoke. It's such a debilitating disease and takes so much of them so to see some familiar things from him made me feel all kinds of emotions. I also get emotional with him because of Laurie and all we went through together with him and his sickness. It's hard to explain. I've been having emotional "missing my sister" days lately anyway.

So onto our caretaker, she's so awesome. She's the same caretaker we had when he was still living at home but when we had to put him in the home he's in now we still pay her to check-in on him four times a week for a few hours a day. She makes sure he's eating and takes him out to McDonald's or pushes him around the neighborhood in his wheelchair. I'm so thankful for her. I hate the thought of him being in a home but it helps knowing that he gets out and she's making sure he's getting a shower each day and that they are taking good care of him. He's still so strong and it's hard to move him around by yourself. I can't do it alone for sure. He doesn't help at all and you're basically holding him up or pulling him up entirely on your own. She amazes me what she does.

A funny story about my Dad, that has happened more than once.... so he basically cannot even say one word that you can understand anymore. Once in a while he will say bye if I say it enough to him but pretty much even if you ask him to say something he really tries but can't get it out then he laughs. He has an agitation time in the evening (part of the disease) and Lupe told me that when he gets agitated and annoyed with people in the home who are trying to help him he has a few curse words for them and the words come out so perfect. It's not funny but I laugh that he can remember those choice words with no problem but can't say my name! LOL.

I have really great memories of my Dad when I was growing up and my whole life really. I was always so worried when I was growing up about him not being a Christian but I'm so happy he became a Christian a week before he started getting bad. The timing was truly God and I know God has him in his care and he will be in heaven with us all.