Grand Opening!

Here's Oona rocking a Carol Brady look. All that's missing is a shag hairstyle but poor Oona is a bit challenged in the hair department, like her Mom that way. At this point in Oona's development it's all about stretch pants. She received a pair of jeans for her 1st birthday which I had to return they dug into her belly so horribly. I figure she has a lifetime to try and squeeze herself into too tight jeans if she wants, at this stage in her young life it should be about comfort.

My first official post, how monumental! My Grandmother moved to Pittsburgh last week. My Mother came to the tough decision to move her closer to family, that would be me, so that I can visit her a few times a week to check on her and make sure she's doing okay. I say this decision was difficult because she was met with much resistance on the part of her two sisters and feels that her relationships with them will never be the same as a result. It's sad really because she was only trying to do what was best for her Mother and I can't really understand her sisters objections - don't they want their Mom to be visited by a family member 2 to 3 times a week rather than 4 times a month? Isn't it beneficial to have someone 15 minutes away rather than a plane flight away? My grandmother is 91 and since Grandpa died back in March she's been hasn't been doing so well. She gets very lonely and is having problems with dementia - she took a test which said her results would qualify as a positive diagnosis of Alzhiemer's except for the fact that she's older than 99.9% of the test subjects so her results aren't as clear cut. I think that given her age she's doing remarkably well. She does repeat herself a lot asking how old my children are or what is my husband's name but I don't mind telling her again and again - being a Mom to a 4 year old and 1 year old I'm used to repeating myself a lot. The difficult thing I come across is not knowing what to say or ask of Grandma and the others at this assisted living facility that specializes in dementia and Alzhiemer's. I went to visit her last night for their Oktoberfest party and I was going to ask the lady next to my Grandmother how long she's been at Sunrise but then thought better of it as my Grandmother moved in last Wednesday and already thinks she's been there 3 or 4 months. My Grandmother, such a formal proper lady, has become obsessed over her urinary incontinence due to a prolapsed bladder. It's something she talks about constantly and she insists on wearing pantyliners rather than resorting to Poise pads or, God forbid, Depends diapers. When I came into her room yesterday she had used a pantyliner to stick up a note (rather ingenious really) on her closet asking the staff to 'please not remove any clothing from this closet for laundering'. I have to hand it to her, she didn't have any tape in her room so it was a good way to post the note but I think of how proper and modest my grandmother used to be - she'd be mortified at anyone even seeing her pantyliner much less having it taped on her closet. Oh well, I know it was worth it moving her here just to see the smile on her face when she sees Oona & Owen. Everybody at Sunrise gets so elated when they see children. And to think the place my aunts were going to put Grandma in would have isolated her from family the first month and asked that family visits be kept to a minimum - it's complete quackery. Alright time to step off my gerontology soapbox and get my son from Pre-k.