Slumber Party Hang Over...
...that's what my mother is experiencing. We reassembled the slumber party, hurriedly and fitfully the same night we left it, here at "home", at our house, at MPS's & MPNC's suggestion.
    She seemed lively earlier this morning, performing her pre-awakening toilet rituals. I mentioned her hair appointmentas she headed back to bed before 0700 and she said, "Oh! Yes!" and touched her hair. "We mustn't forget that!"
    But, it has been forgotten. She seemed drawn too long at 0930 and asked me to let her sleep in until the last possible moment for a 1300 appointment, which worked out to awakening her between 1030 and 1045. She emerged from sleep sluggishly, took her breathing treatment, ate breakfast, then headed back for bed.
    I was able to arrest her the first time and turn her toward a filling tub. The second time, though, moments later, she turned out the light on a bubbly, steamy bath and crawled back into bed before I knew it.
    So, I told her hair dresser, "Slumber Party Hang Over."
    She laughed.
    I left her sleeping at home to do some errands. I have a few more to do later. She's up, but I haven't talked to her. She's been in the bathroom since I returned. The cats aren't frantic, so I know she's all right, relatively speaking.
    I wasn't expecting her slumber party hang over, although it's not unheard of. She ate heartily, for her, she also ate impeccably healthily, also for her, was alert and interested in the goings on for the most part, awoke with the rest of us and surprised us all by not being particularly interested in pancakes in the morning. Sometimes she does this "for show", "for company", but this clearly wasn't the case since she was here at home. She just wanted sausage and eggs.
    Ah, here she is. She's decided to stay up and wants me to turn off the oxygen machine so she can smoke in 20 minutes. She argues with the 20 minute wait every time, and every time I tell her I will not risk the possibility of her unspontaneous combustion; I don't care whether she's done it "accidentally" before, successfully, or not. At least once every two weeks, over some smoking incident, I tell her, "Mom, if I die because of careless smoking on your part, I will never forgive you." Her eyes always dance in response. They did, just now.
    She seems energetic. Perhaps I can persuade her to an animated afternoon with the lure of the wheel chair.
- posted by gail rae @ 13:39   email...this post