Update 8

Last night I slept so well that I did not hear a single time Mom got up, and according to Dad, Jennie and Anne she was up and down all. night. long. Dad chose to sleep in the recliner last night so I had the glorious privilege of sleeping on the couch. All of those sleepless nights finally caught up with me and I made up for it last night. In fact, I was under the impression we had a fairly quiet night because when I got up at 6:30am to start working everyone was zonked out and snoring. But then Dad told me the truth later on. I felt kinda bad.

Mom has been really restless today. She's been up and down and keeps talking about how she wants to go home and how much she hates this and just a moment ago she spread her arms wide and asked the room in a rather disgruntled voice if the water ever came down and then told Anne to fix the pillow behind her back. Dad says this irritation and belligerence and anxiety is due to the morphine and the beginning of her body failing. I will admit, however, that I'm actually just happy to hear her ask a full question. 

I just asked the family members in the room for stories about what mom did today, since I honestly didn't spend much time down here this afternoon, and apparently she turned on a light by herself. We have this floor lamp with a table attached to it and it was, until a couple hours ago, right behind the head of her bed. Well apparently Mom decided it was too dark in here so she turned around, whacked all of the boxes carefully stacked on the lamp's table onto the floor, and turned the lamp on! If you saw how she looks right now, how weak and disoriented she is, you would see that this was a tremendous feat! 

Later, while we all ate dinner, she decided she needed a change of pace and asked Aunt Lauri if she could sit in the newly fixed rocking chair for awhile. So she did. We wrapped her in a blanket and she sat in the chair with pillows supporting her sore back half asleep as Lauri read my older sister's note on Facebook all about Mom's acting career out loud for her entertainment. I told Dad about this and Dad was pretty thrilled, saying that it was fine if she wanted to do that, and once he finished eating he came down and began to read the cards and notes from various students at Dresden and Adamsville schools. And I took a picture.

Some of these cards are absolutely hilarious, especially the illustrations from the first graders. As the back of the rocker isn't high enough to support Mom's head Anne was standing behind her so she could rest her neck every now and again. 

Tonight Dad intends to give mom Xanax for the anxiety with the hope that it will help her stay in bed for the night so Dad can get some sleep and she won't be so freaked out. Hopefully we can get the demands for water and bathroom use and random moments of trying to stand on her own down to a minimum. 

Conversation just a moment ago:

Dad - "I love you."

Mom - "Love you too" (breathed in a barely heard whisper)

Dad - "I like it when you say that."