Friday, October 19, 2012
Update
Today has been such a good day for Tudi. She has been awake all day long and just perky as can be. She feels good and has visited so fun with us. I would say that today has been one of the best days that she has had while being here with us. Ehhh, what a blessing!
Mama Bear
Do you ever feel like an experience or day in your life could be an episode of Modern Family?
Every once in a while I will just think to myself "Man, that could be a scene in a sit com".
One such experience happened a few weeks back. It is under not very fun circumstances but the vision you get in your head is worth the telling.
Kent and I got up early on Monday morning and having both taken work off to attend his Uncle Lamar's funeral we both went in to tell Tudi good morning. Her night had been plain awful and she had been up since 2am throwing up. This was the first time she had been that sick while at our home and we were both concerned about leaving. Luckily Miss Aly was available to come and hang out. After a beautiful funeral for Uncle Lamar a few of the attendees that are close with Tudi and do not get down in our neck of the woods but once a year decided to come to our house to visit with her. Now under normal circumstances we would have said that this was not a good time but it was a now or never thing and so we agreed to let them come. On the way home we called Laurie to tell her that Tudi had not been doing well and wondered if she could come that evening to take a look at her. Weeellllll, I knew that she wouldn't be thrilled with the idea of visitors coming to see Tudi when she was not feeling well so I thought I had better warn her that it was happening. I was still in hopes that company and Laurie would magically come at different times so that it would be a non issue. To my surprise and maybe horror it was Laurie's day off and she said that she would be at our home in an hour. Ask Kent I was a nervous wreck. I want Laurie to feel like we are taking care of Tudi like she is the Queen of England! Let's also keep in mind I did not even go into how many people were coming over....... oh, man Laurie is going to KILL me! When we arrived home I don't even think I could put two thoughts together I was so anxious about how things were going to go down.
Ding Dong! There's the doorbell. Oh, gosh! (Imagine this picture in your head.)
There is Laurie large as life, hands on either side of the door frame, leaning in with that MAMA BEAR look on her face and five smiling guests standing in a huddle right behind her.
I think that my heart stopped and then something happened........ I just felt the most incredible love fill my little beatin heart. This woman loves Tudi something fierce and I am taken back by the strength of it. She has known this incredible woman her whole entire life! She doesn't even know a life without her in it because Tudi was probably one of the first people to snuggle and love her. All of a sudden I was struck with the realization (and maybe a touch of jealousy) of how many more years they have been in each others lives.
I am no longer anxious about Laurie Mama Bearing out on me because if it happens I know I will see it for what it truly is.....pure, beautiful, transcendent LOVE!!!!!!
Every once in a while I will just think to myself "Man, that could be a scene in a sit com".
One such experience happened a few weeks back. It is under not very fun circumstances but the vision you get in your head is worth the telling.
Kent and I got up early on Monday morning and having both taken work off to attend his Uncle Lamar's funeral we both went in to tell Tudi good morning. Her night had been plain awful and she had been up since 2am throwing up. This was the first time she had been that sick while at our home and we were both concerned about leaving. Luckily Miss Aly was available to come and hang out. After a beautiful funeral for Uncle Lamar a few of the attendees that are close with Tudi and do not get down in our neck of the woods but once a year decided to come to our house to visit with her. Now under normal circumstances we would have said that this was not a good time but it was a now or never thing and so we agreed to let them come. On the way home we called Laurie to tell her that Tudi had not been doing well and wondered if she could come that evening to take a look at her. Weeellllll, I knew that she wouldn't be thrilled with the idea of visitors coming to see Tudi when she was not feeling well so I thought I had better warn her that it was happening. I was still in hopes that company and Laurie would magically come at different times so that it would be a non issue. To my surprise and maybe horror it was Laurie's day off and she said that she would be at our home in an hour. Ask Kent I was a nervous wreck. I want Laurie to feel like we are taking care of Tudi like she is the Queen of England! Let's also keep in mind I did not even go into how many people were coming over....... oh, man Laurie is going to KILL me! When we arrived home I don't even think I could put two thoughts together I was so anxious about how things were going to go down.
Ding Dong! There's the doorbell. Oh, gosh! (Imagine this picture in your head.)
There is Laurie large as life, hands on either side of the door frame, leaning in with that MAMA BEAR look on her face and five smiling guests standing in a huddle right behind her.
I think that my heart stopped and then something happened........ I just felt the most incredible love fill my little beatin heart. This woman loves Tudi something fierce and I am taken back by the strength of it. She has known this incredible woman her whole entire life! She doesn't even know a life without her in it because Tudi was probably one of the first people to snuggle and love her. All of a sudden I was struck with the realization (and maybe a touch of jealousy) of how many more years they have been in each others lives.
I am no longer anxious about Laurie Mama Bearing out on me because if it happens I know I will see it for what it truly is.....pure, beautiful, transcendent LOVE!!!!!!
Miss Laurie
Laurie is Tudi's niece and one of her favorite people on this earth.
When I married into the family I am not afraid to admit that I was a little intimidated by this spitfire of a lady. She is super smart and very opinionated! It wasn't until I saw how sweet she was with Grandma Ivy in her final days that I really fell right in love with Laurie.
Laurie is a nurse and seems to "have a good head on her shoulders" as Tudi would put it. She has really had to baby us through this whole experience and we couldn't have done it without her.
Laurie is as tough as nails and doesn't show her emotion that often but I tell Tudi that she is her "tender spot" and when Laurie cries we all cry.
Not including Tudi being ill, Laurie has been dealing with 2 MAJOR and 2 almost could have really been major health crises with immediate family members. How she is keeping it together I do not know but I think she must have wings and whether or not she wants to admit it a little help from above.
When I married into the family I am not afraid to admit that I was a little intimidated by this spitfire of a lady. She is super smart and very opinionated! It wasn't until I saw how sweet she was with Grandma Ivy in her final days that I really fell right in love with Laurie.
Laurie is a nurse and seems to "have a good head on her shoulders" as Tudi would put it. She has really had to baby us through this whole experience and we couldn't have done it without her.
Laurie is as tough as nails and doesn't show her emotion that often but I tell Tudi that she is her "tender spot" and when Laurie cries we all cry.
Not including Tudi being ill, Laurie has been dealing with 2 MAJOR and 2 almost could have really been major health crises with immediate family members. How she is keeping it together I do not know but I think she must have wings and whether or not she wants to admit it a little help from above.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Fun?
Each new gadget or kind of equipment that I know should really be seen as a sign of Tudi's health failing a little bit more has turned into some kind of adventure! The wheelchair has turned into some major family antics and with every story told Tudi just delights in it. Baylee came home from school the other day and found Aly had wheeled herself in front of the fridge within arms reach of the grapes and was enthralled in a book. Baylee immediately started laughing and Aly gave her one of those "What, it's fun" looks. The CNS team sent a hospital bed day before yesterday and the guy had quite an audience, we even gave him a rousing round of applause at one point (which he said was a first) and we all had fun with Tudi trying out all of the buttons. As we were reading scriptures that night the kids took turns sitting in the little scooter/walker that they brought for her. I saw Tudi's face light up and looked to see one of the kids exploring this neat new gadget with a glint in their eye of what fun they could have with it. I know that I would be delusional to think that the thought didn't cross anybodies mind that this wasn't necessarily a good thing but you would have never thought in a million years that this was anything but fun when it was happening. I don't even think the kids have realized that accidentally, just by having that little spark of child's wonder(that we adults seem to grow out of), that they made something hard just a little bit easier.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Leaky Lyman
When I went to tell Tudi good morning;
Tudi: "We've got a problem."
Me " Oh dear!"
Tudi "I've sprung a leak..."
Sure enough, one of the incisions from the port was indeed leaking. The doctor says it's no big deal, but I say he can tell me it's no big deal when he's the one that's leaking like a water balloon!
Tudi: "We've got a problem."
Me " Oh dear!"
Tudi "I've sprung a leak..."
Sure enough, one of the incisions from the port was indeed leaking. The doctor says it's no big deal, but I say he can tell me it's no big deal when he's the one that's leaking like a water balloon!
A start!
Aly and I have been meaning to do this for a while now but ya know, life happens and we are just now fitting it in. We are hoping to tell ya all the neat little silver linings of taking care of a loved one. All of the funny little happenings and cute, fun, inspiring things that Tudi says. With it we want to keep family and friends informed about how she is doing but most of all share the positive, tender things that ARE happening. Tudi is the perfect example of being positive in the face of some lifes hardest experiences.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)