It's mid-week and it's still quiet. Yesterday our eldest grandson spent the afternoon and evening with us. He has autism and it's such a hoot to experience his world. We took him with us for the southern CA graduation and his world, that trip, included not wanting to put on clothes (For those new to my blog, eldest grandson is 23). After his evening shower, he simply wanted to towel off and go to bed! So Grampa got some clothes on him. And as soon as Grampa left the room, the clothes came off. Then youngest grandson tried. Clothes on, clothes off. At that point, we all said "Oh well" and went to bed.
The next morning, our eldest grandson is sitting in our son's office (oh how I wish I could post a photo of this), no clothes on, both feet up on the desk, watching YouTube Sesame Street on the computer. How can you not laugh? Of course, as soon as he's aware that we think it's funny, actually hilarious, he'll repeat, repeat, repeat. That's what a person with autism does!
After our visit south, we returned him to his apartment and hopefully the no-clothes issue hasn't been an issue. At least we haven't been informed, if so. So last night was just a good dinner, a stop at the dog park before driving back to the apartment. Again--I know. Dogs and barking are a trigger for his anger. BUT he loves the experience of the big dogs, playing with them and giving them lots of hugs. That's one of many reasons why autism remains a mystery, a puzzle, as you can see.
He remains a great joy to me. When he's happy, he's funny, sweet, joyful and wonderful to be with. I call him my huggy bear, he's a big guy and shares great hugs. Do you have someone in your life to create mystery? I continue to live, laugh and learn...Jan
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Quiet....
Yes, thank you God, things are quiet. No one in the hospital, hunky hubby had a day of flying yesterday so he has smiles, and my stomach is beginning to accept food again. Speaking of food, don't we all wonder why some eat when life throws punches and others (like me) start gagging at the thought of having to swallow something not liquid? Anyway, that's another part of my story.
Some time ago, when we were trying to figure out our not-so-golden years, my doctor asked if I was doing okay. Oh what a question. So of course...I said no. I don't have the tendency toward depression, which I think I thoroughly am entitled to. But I do fixate, compulsively and anxiously. So my doctor wondered if I would like to try a medication for anxiety. Wow, I didn't even know they had those. I took that pill the same day. And it worked so miraculously I was totally shocked.
The second time I was totally shocked is when my insurance company said they would not pay for it. *!!**#**?? So I switched to a generic of Paxil. It worked but not as well. I've now been taking it for over 2 years and decided it was time to stop. Life had settled into a more tranquil mode. (Ha, and they say God has no sense of humor!) So in addition to the younger son's hospitalization, I'm now withdrawing from Paxil. To be honest, had I known it was so difficult to stop, I probably would have gotten out the checkbook and paid for the other pill, which was not generic and was more expensive but worked better. My doctor forgot that part of info...
It hasn't been terrible but it hasn't been good. This week I cut my dosage in half. A little flu-like symptoms have appeared. Queasiness, light headedness, a funny kind of headache. I keep thinking each day will be better, but not so. I guess the double whammy has certainly not worked in my favor.
Anyone else dealing with stuff? Meds, kids, life? Yes, I know I'm whining. So I'll close in saying I live and love and thank God for His serenity and sense of humor! Jan
Some time ago, when we were trying to figure out our not-so-golden years, my doctor asked if I was doing okay. Oh what a question. So of course...I said no. I don't have the tendency toward depression, which I think I thoroughly am entitled to. But I do fixate, compulsively and anxiously. So my doctor wondered if I would like to try a medication for anxiety. Wow, I didn't even know they had those. I took that pill the same day. And it worked so miraculously I was totally shocked.
The second time I was totally shocked is when my insurance company said they would not pay for it. *!!**#**?? So I switched to a generic of Paxil. It worked but not as well. I've now been taking it for over 2 years and decided it was time to stop. Life had settled into a more tranquil mode. (Ha, and they say God has no sense of humor!) So in addition to the younger son's hospitalization, I'm now withdrawing from Paxil. To be honest, had I known it was so difficult to stop, I probably would have gotten out the checkbook and paid for the other pill, which was not generic and was more expensive but worked better. My doctor forgot that part of info...
It hasn't been terrible but it hasn't been good. This week I cut my dosage in half. A little flu-like symptoms have appeared. Queasiness, light headedness, a funny kind of headache. I keep thinking each day will be better, but not so. I guess the double whammy has certainly not worked in my favor.
Anyone else dealing with stuff? Meds, kids, life? Yes, I know I'm whining. So I'll close in saying I live and love and thank God for His serenity and sense of humor! Jan
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Peaks and Valleys
I should have written last week during the peaks. Instead, I enjoyed myself and did a lot of smiling and laughing instead of writing. Our two youngest grandsons (now 17 & 19) took their first road trip without mom or pop. And they chose to drive to see gram and gramp! We had such fun. We are sooo good at spoiling them and have had a lot of years to perfect the practice. I spend most of my time either at the market or cooking now; they arrive with lists of their favorite gramma foods. Our eldest grandson, who lives in his "apartment" came to join us each evening for dinner and company. One evening we five sat in our dining room, polishing off steaks, buffalo burgers, cheesy potatoes and salad. I looked around the table and had a sense of the years flying by. We talked, we told stories, we laughed and after two hours we finally left our chairs and waddled to the family room. It was a very, very good week.
This week has been the valley. Younger son was taken to the hospital Monday night after over a year of relatively good health. He's now home and doing okay, but our sense of balance has certainly taken a hit. Add into that a good friend spending two weeks in the hospital, a cousin out of state and two friends dealing with cancer and chemo, and the valley gets deeper. I am resilient but it's sure hard.
I do recognize the good as well as the bad and I'm not minimizing the blessings. I'm just sad and tired. Any thoughts from my blogger friends? They would be appreciated...Jan
This week has been the valley. Younger son was taken to the hospital Monday night after over a year of relatively good health. He's now home and doing okay, but our sense of balance has certainly taken a hit. Add into that a good friend spending two weeks in the hospital, a cousin out of state and two friends dealing with cancer and chemo, and the valley gets deeper. I am resilient but it's sure hard.
I do recognize the good as well as the bad and I'm not minimizing the blessings. I'm just sad and tired. Any thoughts from my blogger friends? They would be appreciated...Jan
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Milestones
I know it has been a long time since I've posted. Life has been very, very busy. But happy too. We had a wonderful, relaxing time with Hunky Hubby's sister & husband in Newport Beach. Wow, I saw a little bit of "Orange County Housewives" there--talk about bling. Not mine, understand, but it's kinda hard not to notice on others...
Our stop with younger son & grandsons was great. The donuts? Not so great. We need a a better recipe for sure! We tried using half of a packaged cake mix batter...don't recomment that. But failures are fun and really are better stories!
We were home for a few days and then drove to younger son's home again for Grandson #2's high school graduation. What a fun and happy event. Cap, gown, party, cake, presents--he was duly congratulated and saluted! We also attended his mother's graduation from Junior College. She has been working full time, raising their two sons, and been a part time student for many years. Now she has her AA degree and will transfer to a four-year university this fall. Milestones of life, for them and for us.
THEN we were home for 5 days and the high school graduate and his brother took their first road trip ALONE (no parents!) to our house. That was an achievement they had been waiting for so many years! They are here now, off golfing, while Hubby and I get a little rest time. The days are over-scheduled with every activity they can think of--movies, bowling, golf and more golf, Frisbee Golf...yes,they really like golf! We also will redo the donuts, and throw in some chocolate chip cookies, lasagne, BBQ...like I said, over-scheduled! But we are all smiling and happy for this day, which the Lord has made. Jan
Our stop with younger son & grandsons was great. The donuts? Not so great. We need a a better recipe for sure! We tried using half of a packaged cake mix batter...don't recomment that. But failures are fun and really are better stories!
We were home for a few days and then drove to younger son's home again for Grandson #2's high school graduation. What a fun and happy event. Cap, gown, party, cake, presents--he was duly congratulated and saluted! We also attended his mother's graduation from Junior College. She has been working full time, raising their two sons, and been a part time student for many years. Now she has her AA degree and will transfer to a four-year university this fall. Milestones of life, for them and for us.
THEN we were home for 5 days and the high school graduate and his brother took their first road trip ALONE (no parents!) to our house. That was an achievement they had been waiting for so many years! They are here now, off golfing, while Hubby and I get a little rest time. The days are over-scheduled with every activity they can think of--movies, bowling, golf and more golf, Frisbee Golf...yes,they really like golf! We also will redo the donuts, and throw in some chocolate chip cookies, lasagne, BBQ...like I said, over-scheduled! But we are all smiling and happy for this day, which the Lord has made. Jan
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Be Careful What You Wish For...
It seems like not long ago that I was thinking how long it had been since I'd been away from home. The last time had been Christmas! Then boom, my luggage hardly has time to unpack before it's packed again. And no, I'm not complaining, not in the least!
Tomorrow hunky hubby and I are going to a very la-de-da resort in Newport Beach, which is a very la-de-da town. It's actually been in the news since lifeguards there are making over $100,000 a year. I'm not kidding. We will be guests of hubby's sister and husband and we are all looking forward to a time of...nothing. At least nothing we don't choose to do. I'm planning on a lot of time to rest, relax and read. Oh yeah, and maybe talk a lot. And maybe eat a lot. We four aren't friends (as well as family) for 50+ years without a lot of love and laughter. Aren't we blessed?
Then to fill my cup to the brim, we will stop to see younger son & our two grandsons on our way home. Hugs fill our time there. And some Gramma time cooking, baking and yes, even shopping.
Many, many years ago (in the 70s) my mother had an electric donut maker. My brother's wife now has hers, memories prompted my niece to buy one on EBay, and you know who was hooked. $10 later I now have one packed and ready to go on our trip. Our grandsons will have as much fun as I will. Memories, now onto the next generation. Love it.
Am I excited? Oh yes. Am I thankful? Oh yes. I count my blessings every day. Hoping you find blessings to count as well, Jan
Tomorrow hunky hubby and I are going to a very la-de-da resort in Newport Beach, which is a very la-de-da town. It's actually been in the news since lifeguards there are making over $100,000 a year. I'm not kidding. We will be guests of hubby's sister and husband and we are all looking forward to a time of...nothing. At least nothing we don't choose to do. I'm planning on a lot of time to rest, relax and read. Oh yeah, and maybe talk a lot. And maybe eat a lot. We four aren't friends (as well as family) for 50+ years without a lot of love and laughter. Aren't we blessed?
Then to fill my cup to the brim, we will stop to see younger son & our two grandsons on our way home. Hugs fill our time there. And some Gramma time cooking, baking and yes, even shopping.
Many, many years ago (in the 70s) my mother had an electric donut maker. My brother's wife now has hers, memories prompted my niece to buy one on EBay, and you know who was hooked. $10 later I now have one packed and ready to go on our trip. Our grandsons will have as much fun as I will. Memories, now onto the next generation. Love it.
Am I excited? Oh yes. Am I thankful? Oh yes. I count my blessings every day. Hoping you find blessings to count as well, Jan
Monday, May 16, 2011
The Missing Link
I don't know if any of you have perceived the "missing" link of our family? I mentioned our granddaughter in one early post and have not updated since.
She had her 21st birthday last Saturday and it has now been eleven months since she disappeared from our lives. This is hard to write, hard to think about but someday we hope she can come back to us. A year ago we were celebrating her birthday in grand style. She thoughtfully prepared her list for us and we loved being able to share her plans and her excitement. If there is one thing that she loves, it is having attention lavished on her and we are all good at that.
To backtrack to her arrival at our home with her brother and father, at age 20 she had never been given the opportunity to mature as most young girls do. Her mother bathed her, washed her hair, selected all her clothing and basically treated her as if she were 5, not 20. I (very slowly) gave her the opportunity to choose how she wanted to live her life. I showed her how to turn on the shower, gave her a towel and left the room. She was so proud to do it by herself. The same with washing her hair. For the first month I took her to a salon so I could watch how they managed her wiry, curly, long, beautiful black hair. Then I did it in our home for a month or so and asked if she would like to learn to do it herself. And away she went! She experienced shopping and choosing her clothing and loved it. I was beginning to teach her to cook.
Then one day her mother arrived with a private detective and kidnapped her. I guess you can kidnap your own child? Our granddaughter was taken from school--not willing to go but nonetheless has now been hidden by her mother for nearly a year. She has had her cell phone taken away, probably thrown away. Any mail we have sent has not reached her. We have not been able to talk with her or see her.
We miss her every day and wonder how she is. I hope and pray she is well. I don't think she is happy but someday, some way, I hope that by her 22nd birthday, we will know. Sadly, Jan
She had her 21st birthday last Saturday and it has now been eleven months since she disappeared from our lives. This is hard to write, hard to think about but someday we hope she can come back to us. A year ago we were celebrating her birthday in grand style. She thoughtfully prepared her list for us and we loved being able to share her plans and her excitement. If there is one thing that she loves, it is having attention lavished on her and we are all good at that.
To backtrack to her arrival at our home with her brother and father, at age 20 she had never been given the opportunity to mature as most young girls do. Her mother bathed her, washed her hair, selected all her clothing and basically treated her as if she were 5, not 20. I (very slowly) gave her the opportunity to choose how she wanted to live her life. I showed her how to turn on the shower, gave her a towel and left the room. She was so proud to do it by herself. The same with washing her hair. For the first month I took her to a salon so I could watch how they managed her wiry, curly, long, beautiful black hair. Then I did it in our home for a month or so and asked if she would like to learn to do it herself. And away she went! She experienced shopping and choosing her clothing and loved it. I was beginning to teach her to cook.
Then one day her mother arrived with a private detective and kidnapped her. I guess you can kidnap your own child? Our granddaughter was taken from school--not willing to go but nonetheless has now been hidden by her mother for nearly a year. She has had her cell phone taken away, probably thrown away. Any mail we have sent has not reached her. We have not been able to talk with her or see her.
We miss her every day and wonder how she is. I hope and pray she is well. I don't think she is happy but someday, some way, I hope that by her 22nd birthday, we will know. Sadly, Jan
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Celebration of Life
Hunky hubby and I leave this afternoon for N.California. Again. Tomorrow will be the Memorial Service for our friend. I think it's a wonderful expression of our times that we have evolved from "Funerals" to "Memorial Services" and now to "Celebrations of Life." I feel so deprived if I miss someone's Celebration.
The services we now observe, at least those in our church, are true celebrations that honor the one who has died. The things I learn about each person enriches my memories. Of course, I always wish I could have known them BEFORE their passing, but the facts and details of each life are honored. And stories are told, so many wonderful stories! Some by family members, many by friends, the stories are rich with sentiment, laughter and memories.
Hunky hubby and I are happy to be among those to honor the life of our friend. I hope to come home with a warm heart, more memories and a lot of smiles and laughter.
How are you all feeling about the changes in our services? Chime in and let us know! Jan
The services we now observe, at least those in our church, are true celebrations that honor the one who has died. The things I learn about each person enriches my memories. Of course, I always wish I could have known them BEFORE their passing, but the facts and details of each life are honored. And stories are told, so many wonderful stories! Some by family members, many by friends, the stories are rich with sentiment, laughter and memories.
Hunky hubby and I are happy to be among those to honor the life of our friend. I hope to come home with a warm heart, more memories and a lot of smiles and laughter.
How are you all feeling about the changes in our services? Chime in and let us know! Jan
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