The good with the bad

I finally got the chance to see Ada! I spent a few days in Arizona at my sister and brother-in-law's house. Unfortunately my sweet niece has had a rough beginning. Just before our visit she was hospitalized with RSV. In a way it was nice to be able to help out with "big-brother Brady", but we didn't get much quality time with the rest of them. Ada is going home today. She has been out of the womb a little over a month now and only been home for like 11 days. My poor sister and her little family.

The same day that Ada was hospitalized, my father in law was admitted to the hospital. His dementia has progressed until there is no way that he can be cared for at home. He spent his first three days under 24 hour surveillance. A member of the family stayed with him all of the time until he calmed to his surroundings and didn't try to escape. The night before I returned from Arizona, he was transferred to the nursing home where he got into a physical fight with his room mate and threw a table at someone else. We are fighting an uphill battle. I quickly called to find out the details and discovered that he was transported in the evening (bad for dementia patients) and none of the family was notified that he was being transported. He had no clothes and was wearing a hospital gown. I am sure he was completely freaked out!

Last week was a tough one. My oldest step son was caught with marihuana and started an alternative school the very same day. Completely frustrating that this kid was given a second chance when he moved in with us and has decided to throw it away. Plus his timing is very poor.

Bitter sweetness

Today's buddy walk wore us out! We were there for 3 hours playing games and getting informed. I forgot sunscreen so we are burnt, but we had a great time. It was a great experience to see all of the many faces of Down syndrome. Some of my family came and learned a lot from all of the information. Awesome.


On a different note, we later went to see Jerod's dad. He has been suffering from Alzheimer's disease and is progressing rapidly. He hasn't had a doctor visit that's worth anything in years, so his condition is more than likely irreversible. It's so sad and hard to watch. Jerod's mother is suffering because of it as well. What a terrible disease to have.