Great Visit

Shirley and I buzzed down to see Elbert yesterday. As usual he was in rare form .... when he was focused. But, you just aren't going to get him to come back from his little world way out in space until he is ready. So, there are times of connecting and times I just pull my embroidery out and work while I wait for him to return.

He never ceases to amaze me and I am so overjoyed at getting any semblance of normalcy out of him I just find everything he says funny. I laugh a lot when I am with him and that is a good thing. Sometimes he knows he's being cute, too. And, of all things, Shirley was making a photo of him with her cell phone and the little stinker was 'posing'. Oh, yes, that man is still in there wandering around somewhere.

I had on a skirt with a rather 'loud' print in black and white. He looked at it and then commented 'That sure is black and white'. 'Yep' I said. and he came back with 'There's nothing you can do about it'. I laughed and laughed. Nope, there wasn't a thing I could do with that flowered print. He sure was right about that.

Seeing that he recognized his colors I decided to ask him if he could name our children. That was nowhere in his brain so it did not happen. So, I asked if he knew Elbert and Willie and did they go together. He said 'Well, part time they could'. That made me stop and think.... We are together part time now, he in the nursing home and me back home and we are together when I go visit. Could he have been referring to that? Did that little brain connector link up with another little brain connector and he knew we weren't together all the time? Wow.

One day when I visited he was sleeping in the bed. I gotta quit going to the nursing home late in the afternoon. That's his naptime. I shook him and asked him if he was sleeping. He begrudging nodded yes then he added, 'You can crawl in the bed with me if you want'. Ahhhh. sharing time.

Shirley showed her Dad a picture of the his great-grandson off her cell phone. You know those pictures are hard to see but he stared at it until the screen went black.

New Beginnings

Elbert and I welcomed our second great-grandson into this world on Monday afternoon. A new beginning. He is so adorable. Of course, all great grandmothers would say that their little greats are the most beautiful babies ever. But, I sort of think you will forgive me for saying that Vann is just the most beautiful baby.

Following a month of Elbert's terrible illness and us nearly losing him here's comes little Vann and there is once again hope and love abounding in this family. Kenny, Bethany and Vann are home from the hospital now setting off on a journey of their own.

And, I am happy to report there is a new beginning for us older folks, too. Elbert is making some slow recovery but he is anxious to get out of that wheelchair so they asked yesterday if I would agree to their starting some physical therapy with him. Of course, I said yes.

My visit yesterday was really good. I wheeled him into a large tv, sitting room and we did manage to visit there for a few minutes then the room started filling up with residents. The activity director told me there was another smaller, very quiet living room down the hall and so we went there and talked some, he napped some and I even dragged out some embordiery I had taken with me. It was kind of like being at home.

The nurse said that they have started calling Elbert 'Dr. Barton'. Why, I asked. 'Oh' she said. 'After lunch he gets restless to get out of the wheelchair so we just wheel him into the nurses station and park him at the desk. He's written quite a few 'orders' for the residents here' (grin)

And, that is where I left him yesterday, sitting at the nurses desk, shuffling papers around. (gee whiz, I wish I'd had my camera with me) Let's see... how long ago was the drs. telling us it wouldn't be long and to prepare ourselves. Amazing God, amazing Elbert.... well, I've always known that!!