May 3, 2017
Wednesday lunch with Jane:
Today’s cupcake was creamsicle – Jane said it was good but lemon is still her favorite. She still gets so happy when I get the cupcake box out of my purse & set it on the table.
Jane was quiet today, but she smiled when she saw me. She was sitting at the kitchen table when I got there, as lunch was being served. She never seems to mind that I don’t get there as early as my dad. I fed her lunch, then moved on to the cupcake. As we were almost done with her cupcake, Jane’s table mate & her husband sat down & that distracted Jane. It took a bit of persuasion to get her to finish her cupcake before leaving the table, but she did.
We went for our usual walk, but it was getting warm & Jane was walking very slowly. So after one lap, we stopped in the clubhouse & rested on the couch. I showed Jane pictures from my trip. She looked at them all on my phone without much interaction until we got a picture of my toes in the sand. I said, “Jane, I put my toes in the sand every single day I was there just like you asked.” To that she looked at me & smiled. She listened while I told her all about my trip to the Dominican Republic. She didn’t really interact with me but I do believe she understood & was listening.
It gets harder each day to communicate with Jane. I think for the most part, language escapes her these days. But if I ask a really important question – like what flavor cupcake should I bring next – she answers. She is still able to tell me yes or no. Given the fact that she only answers to the important questions, I assume it must be challenging for Jane to answer. I can not even begin to understand how frustrating this disease must be for Jane.
Jane got tired from our walk so we went back into her house & sat on the couch to watch tv with some of the residents. Jane held my hand & patted my leg a few times. Her way of saying she loves me. We texted my dad & then texted my sister in law, Marianne, to see if they were coming to visit tomorrow. When Marianne responded they would be there, Jane smiled. It really is the simple pleasures which bring her joy.
As I got up to leave, Jane leaned in towards me so I could kiss her on her forehead. I typically will kiss her forehead goodbye & tell her I love her. I reminded her tomorrow is my dad’s birthday & she said yes & smiled. Even though Jane rarely talks back to me these days, I still continue to babble on about my life. She always seems so calm when I am babbling & will pat my hand from time to time so I believe she enjoys hearing my stories. I don’t know how much she understands, but I like to believe she understands it all, even if she isn’t always able to respond back.
