Thank you so much for all the calls and messages asking about Daddy.  He’s doing great today, making the nurses laugh, and is a day ahead on their physical therapy goals.  He thinks all is well with Mom which probably helps.

As far as Mama goes, while we were still with Daddy at the hospital yesterday afternoon, our Aunt Betty agreed to go sit with Mama until my daughter, Caroline, could get there and take her to dinner.  Caroline arrived and for the first time Mama didn’t know her and wouldn’t go with her.  There was no time for heartbreak however because Mama scooted out the back door, got into Aunt Betty’s car, and wouldn’t get out.  The whole day had been so confusing for her I’m sure.  After much deliberation, they decided to leave Mama in the car, Aunt Betty drive her to her house with Caroline following, and they’d figure it out on the way.  I guess they were going to mastermind a plan in that 1/4 mile stretch…  Aunt Betty lives next door:).   On the way Mama said she wasn’t going anywhere with “that girl” but when they got out of the cars, she hugged Caroline, all was good, and off they went to dinner.

When I finally got to Mama’s, she was panicked and crying and begging me to take her to find Daddy.  It broke my heart.  I think I convinced her he was still working but I had to think of something.to get her mind distracted.  I remembered that Wheel of Fortune would often calm her down like cartoons to a child and the Wheel was on!  Thank you Jesus and Vanna!  She did start to quiet down but she was watching this darn birdhouse clock beside the TV and kept saying, “It’s only 7:20, where’s your Daddy?” “It’s only 7:25, where’s Bobby?” “It’s only 7:30, where’s Daddy?” but she didn’t want me to move that clock.  Then she commented that she and Daddy never went to bed until 9:00 and it hit me she was going to do that until then.  I knew that clock had to die before daylight.

Wheel of Fortune came on again at 7:30, same contestants, different channel, and after that episode, I went to Daddy’s list of recordings searching for anything else she’d enjoy to keep the calmness.  Lo and behold, Daddy had recorded Wheel of Fortune!  Thank you Daddy!  When I turned it on, believe it or not, it was the same darn contestants we’d just seen twice!  She never realizes she’s seen them before and plays it every time which I try to believe makes her feel good to get the answers over and over again.  This time though there was a News 2 icon in the corner with a clock on it that said 9:37.   My wheels started turning, pardon the pun, and I turned off the lamps so she couldn’t see that lovely birdhouse clock.  I then said, “Mama, look at that, it’s after 9:30!”  She hesitated and said, “Really?  I am tired!” and by the end of that show she was almost asleep.  You do what it takes.

Mama slept until about 4 a.m. when she started walking through the house into Daddy’s room to see if he was there.  I called her name from the recliner so she could find me and she started crying and asking where Daddy was.  I told her he was still working(!) and she stopped crying and said “then I’m going back to bed” and off she went.  She repeated this entire march to his room, back to me, crying, asking, stopping, going to bed, about every 10 to 15 minutes from 4 a.m. until Margaret arrived at 7 a.m.  Literally.  Tonight is a tiny bit better than last night although she’s been checking his room to see if he’s gone to bed.  Now I’m watching her sleep on the couch, her brain at peace for a little while.  And the birdhouse clock?   It was gone before the Wheel came on:)