Hip Hops and Hallelujahs!

Bob and I were sitting on the sofa on Saturday and laughing at our wedding plans.  We've decided it's going to be fun and have a surprise or two in it.  It will be unconventional and since Emily Post will not be in attendance, we can pretty much do whatever we want to.  I told him I planned to sing to him.  He looked at me and thought I just might be serious and said, "No, please don't."  I asked him why not and he couldn't come up with a good reason.  I told him I wanted to be Shania Twain and sing her "From this Moment" which I just knew I could do justice to....he couldn't keep a straight face.  Then he said he wasn't going to shave his beard for the wedding.  You see he hasn't shaved since the stroke.  He looks pretty scruffy to me, but he loves it.  It's all white and I think it makes him look much older.  I have told him many times, that I fell in love with a much younger man and I wanted to keep it that way.  So, now he was threatening me with a no shave gesture.  So, I had to confess there would be no singing on my part.  Somehow though, I got no more promises about the beard.  I am beginning to wonder...will Superman shave or won't he...to be continued.

Yikes! (one of Bob's favorite phrases) The wedding countdown is 13 days and we're hopping down the bunny trail.  I'm checking things of the list like crazy.  Finally found a dress on Friday.  My daughter's fiancee stayed with Bob.  He was not happy about me leaving him with a Bob-sitter.  This is a good thing, that he was grumpy about it.  I think it means he's getting better and better.  I'm thinking he might be ready for me to start allowing him more independence and I can start leaving him alone for short periods of time.  I know he wants it as much as I do, if not more.  He still gets turned around in the condo but he eventually finds his way.  I'm learning to LET him find his way, instead of answering his "where is the" questions.  I have noticed that his memory is a lot better in the last couple of days.  My future daughter-in-law gave me an idea for a dry-erase board to be a REMINDER BOARD that might make it easier.  I'm going to try that.  And he can use his new phone pretty well now; we practice all the time.  I'm on speed dial and he can see to dial 911.  He actually called me today.  He was down in his workshop and I was upstairs. I was so excited.  One giant hop for mankind!!

More good news!  He hasn't smoked since going to the neurologist.  So maybe it sunk in.  I, of course, the ever vigilant sniffer can smell a puff of smoke from a mile away (new nickname:  the Nose) and I haven't.  Got my paws crossed! 

This week we don't have a VA therapist appointment until Thursday.  In fact, the Speech therapist has dismissed us.  Of course, I've got lots of continued therapy that she gave me to do, and I've got the vision therapy and occupational activities.  The VA has now decided that he needs to see their vision therapist (I didn't even know they had one), and a geriatric-neuro psychological person (??) for Bob's memory.  Hey, the more the merrier for after the wedding.  Since we are low on therapists this week, we can concentrate on all things "wedding."   

Chalk this week up to a Bad News/Good News week--mostly Good News for all of us silly wabbits.  After all it's the beginning of Easter Week and that's always Good News!  Hallelujah!

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

From the home of Hope & Courage,
Jody