A bit of normalcy, such as it is, and a bit of grieving

Since my last post things have continued pretty smoothly. Near my son's birthday my mom did mention something about having less money - she thinks she's getting less interest on her accounts since I made the changes, but she really isn't. She mentioned it because she sent him a much more modest birthday present than usual (I had reminded her the week before of his birthday - I don't know if she would have remembered). I quickly got off the phone to avoid any conflict.

I'm planning a trip there next month and will write out for her the interest she was getting and what she is currently getting, so she doesn't continue to think she's earning less on her savings.

I'm very grateful that she seems to have gotten over most of her anger - at least I hope she has. I know that everything can change in a heartbeat. Members of my Alzheimer's support group assured me that things would get better, but it was hard to believe it. She was just so angry I couldn't imagine the situation ever getting better.

I've been calling her more frequently, and she seems to enjoy our conversations. The last time we talked, Sunday morning, she seemed in very good spirits. We laughed and joked around.

When I first told her I was going to be with her for her birthday, she didn't sound pleased, but when she asked if I would be there in June, she sounded, dare I say it, happy.

I'm looking forward to my trip. I realize how much I'm losing and how quickly.

In editing the above photo for this post, I remembered what a special relationship my mother and son once had and how it has been decimated by the disease. At one time they talked on the phone about once a week, and she was genuinely interested in what he did. My son loved his grandma and enjoyed talking to and visiting her. Now she never asks to talk to him and doesn't even seem to want to see him. She prefers that I visit her alone. It makes me so sad.

All Quiet on the Front, More or Less

Not much has happened this week, but I'm trying to post every week, so I wanted to write a little something.

For two years I called me mother nearly every day. When she got mad at me over her finances (see below), I realized I had to stop calling so often both for self-preservation and because it was making her upset. I've been calling about twice a week.

But I miss talking to her on a daily basis. The last couple times on the phone she has not been mad at me. One time she even told me she loved me after I told her I loved her. It was a bit of a shock. Maybe she is getting over her anger, and we can start to talk more often. I hope so.