Woo-hoo!!!...

I had the crap scared out of me today. Bob and I were going through our normal morning routine of, "Where do we live?" "What state do we live in?" "Where is that in the US?"... Usually, on the first question, Bob answers "Roseburg" after a long, digging deep in his brain pause. Then, I follow up with the remainder of the questions. This morning he answered, "Roseburg, 2147 SE Lois Drive, Roseburg, OR 97470." I asked him, "Where'd you come up with that?" (because he always needs coaxed to give the full addressed) He responded, "Well, that's where we live!"

Boy, did that moment feel so weird, but wonderful at the same time. Isn't it funny how memory fools the one with memory loss and the one who deals with another's memory loss.

Bob has another day of silence. I still have laryngitis. His hearing is being challenged now. So far so good.

Silence is golden sometimes...

I woke up this morning with laryngitis. My kids love it, but they miss me yelling. See, it's the small things that mean the most.

There was no yelling in the Lakes Trading office either. Anytime I felt my t mess up or he refused to do something, I couldn't raise my voice; it just squeaked. The only thing I could do was jut my bottom jaw/teeth out, wrinkle my brow, and give a little snarl.

I believe I had a "light bulb" moment. I think some of Bob's slow thinking problem has to do with self-confidence. He has been well aware of his lack of short-term memory. He doesn't want to answer questions or have many conversations for fear of being wrong. Maybe it's partially my fault for correcting him so many times. I've been answering for him for a year and a half. It's become a habit. I keep picturing myself as a little old bitty that won't let her husband stand up for himself. That's not a vision I want to portray.

A glimpse to reality...

Bob is recovering miraculously. He survived an event that most people don't live through to talk about. Funny thing is, Bob lived through it, but can't talk about it either. :-/

Even though I've portrayed things as being back to normal, let me give you some downsides. I keep saying Bob's memory is getting better each day. Well, it is; however, he can't remember to take his medicine each day; he doesn't remember where our bedroom is (most days); he doesn't remember where the bathroom is (he asks where it is just about every time.); he hasn't remembered our address, and he doesn't remember how to do basic tasks. I need to retrain him on how to do things; which is ok, I can train him how I want things done, and he doesn't question me or give me a suggestion on how to do the task differently. (I bet all the females reading this are jealous!) He calls Zachary "Joe or Isaac", and sometimes thinks my son is visiting for the weekend.

Bob doesn't remember most of our conversation, though, the conversations are educated and nice while they are going. Bob knows he doesn't remember. He tries so hard and is determined to remember; he just can't. It will come. I know it will. I haven't given up. You know me- Will I give up? No.

My hair isalready white...

Zachary, my son, passed the written part of his driver's test on the first attempt. When he came out of the DMV, it was difficult for him to contain himself. Great, now I have to train two people how to drive. If I start babbling like a fool, you'll know why. My hair is already white, so going gray from stress is already done. I hope it doesn't fall out. :-/

Bob and I went for a walk today instead of doing the wii for exercise. He zipped right along the entire way. He even extended the distance a bit longer. Walking back to our house is all uphill. The grade is slight, but it gives enough of an incline to make Bob huff and puff.

Bob knows his short-term memory sucks. He tells me he needs to start writing things down, but he forgets that he needs to write things down. I know I can remind him, but I need someone to remind me to remind him. geez....

Challenge...

Who's up for a challenge? Our challenge is to just exercise on a continuous basis. Bob and I, once again, attempted the wii fit. This time we both made it to 10 minutes. That's four more minutes than the last time. This time we worked more towards a well-rounded workout. We incorporated aerobics, strength, and balance. You would never guess Bob had a musical background while he attempted aerobics. He got better as time went on. I guess that's part of the fun. :-)

We're getting fit! We have a long way to go, but we've put one foot forward.

Chicago...

Oh dear, I'm a few days behind. Bob and I were in Chicago. The weather was great. We left just in time. The weatherman was calling for snow.

Chicago is too fast paced for two slow-pokes like Bob and me. People (strangers) in Chicago were helpful, but could get irritated quickly if you lolligag. We weren't trying to lolligag.

It was great seeing family and friends. Bob's two boys drove to Chicago from MN to visit.

I'm going to vomit...

Getting the taste of working on the road. I'm glad I learn fast, because I'm learning new things and I'm trying to look intelligent at the same time. :-/