Beauties

It was a nice warm day yesterday so I took mom out and got her hair washed and cut. We came home and I gave her a shower and got her all cleaned up. There's nothing worse than having all those little hairs all down your neck after a cut. She loved getting out and going for a ride. She's like a small child full of excitement when we go out. Now that the weather is warm, we can start our daily luncheons again outside the house. She loves that.

I know it felt good to her getting a "bath." She doesn't take showers any more without my help. That's a good thing. My worse fear is that she will fall. At any given time, not only in the shower. When we finished the basement for her apartment, I made sure that everything was wheel chair accessible. Not only is my brother in a wheel chair; but just in case, Lord forbid, anyone else ever has to be in one, either temporarily or permanently, I wanted to have one part of the house that was usable. Her shower has handles for her to hold on to; but daig, it's still slippery. So, I am quite happy that she doesn't attempt to do it on her own any longer. She's not as cleanly as she was in days of old; so I try and make sure I help her out at least every other week with a shower. That is, in warmer months. She gets chilled so easily, I let it go a little longer during the winter. The same with washing her hair.

Mom (second from right) was raised during the depression and lived in the country. I'm not sure they had running water. I do know she is a firm believer of "sponge baths." I can remember growing up and her telling us we didn't have to take a shower every day as long as we "cleaned" ourselves with soap and water. These days, I run down to gather her wet wash cloths to clean them. Ew. That is one of my creepy crawly things, having a wet cloth sitting around growing bacteria. Ew. These days though, I think the entire process confuses her as I don't need to grab them as much as I did. But, she has been very alert the past week which I am so happy to see. She will go through periods where I have to show her how to put her deodorant on, brush her teeth and so on. But, this week, I saw her brushing her teeth by herself. She is even putting a few words together which she has struggled with since last summer. She does especially well with the kid. (Think I'm just old hat. hehe) He came upstairs after visiting with her. She was telling him "I don't like that woman" (speaking about one of the game-show hosts she watches). Amazing. The brain never ceases to amaze and scare me.

Today was rainy, off an on, all day. We had torrential downpours at times (and I have a soaked car to prove it after leaving the moon roof open during one of them--duh). Tornado warnings were popping up also so I didn't take her out today. I'm hoping next week, spring may decide to stick around a little while and we can start our daily outings.

Since the flu season seems to over with, I called and made an appointment with her doctor next week just for a general checkup. I haven't taken her all winter. Another one of my fears is her contracting a virus and it turning into pneumonia. I can't wait to see if she will need to continue her B12 shots. I've been giving her B12 vitamins and hope that has helped during the winter. We'll soon find out.
I just love my momma and her beautiful self. (Mom and dad above.) And speaking of mothers, please keep Lottie, Beth's mom, in your thoughts again. She is still in much pain after her back surgery and they are now thinking it didn't do any good to have it. That's not something you want to hear.

Top photo borrowed from www.shorpy.com.