Christmas 1950

I only have one picture from Christmas 1950.  I think that's because a picture of my mother, father, sister and I was never taken because Mr. Sheriden (the photographer) came to the house that year for my sister's birthday party.  Dad was probably at work.  Her birthday is December 23rd, but I'm assuming the party was held the week after Christmas.  That's when this picture was taken because we're wearing the same dresses as we did in her birthday party pictures.  (I'll be posting the birthday party pictures on December 23rd.)

I remember these dolls.  I loved the size and thought I had a real baby!  Aren't they nice?  I understand that these dolls didn't hold up well over the years because they had "Magic Skin" which was a rubbery type skin that turned black and rotted over the years.  And you'll notice that my sister and are are still dressing alike only in different colors.  My dress was green.  I don't recall the color of my sister's dress.

And see the Christmas stockings hanging behind us?  They're a red cotton knit.  Today, I have mine hanging on the mantle in our den.


Today was the Christmas party at my Dad's nursing home.  I took pictures, but they're still on the camera (which is where a lot of my pictures seem to stay these days).  I'll try and get them uploaded tomorrow.

Reid went to rehab yesterday and today.  He's been complaining that his legs hurt.  I'm so excited!  That's wonderful news!  It must mean that more of the feeling is returning to his lower body.  Two months ago he probably wouldn't have even realized if he had stubbed his toe and broken it.  I think his walking is improving a little too, but it's only been noticeable the last couple of weeks.  To be honest, I was trying to stay optimistic, but deep down inside I was feeling discouraged when I didn't see improvement sooner.  Now I'm very hopeful that he'll be able to walk normally again someday and even drive a car!

Busy, Busy, Busy

I haven't been posting because I've been very busy the last few days. It also occurred to me that I'd run out of vintage Christmas pictures before Christmas if I didn't slow down a little.

On Friday Reid had his doctor's appointment at MD Anderson. He found out that the suture sticking out of the port is OK and it will eventually dissolve. (So I can stop worry about that now.) :) He also spoke to the doctor about how sick he had been after his last chemo, so they changed some of the medication. He went for chemo on Saturday and so far he's much better than he was last time. Thank goodness! He even had a little soup earlier today, so that's a good sign. He didn't have to go back for a shot today because his blood work was good on Friday. Since we had spent the better part of two days down there we were elated that things were looking good and that he didn't have to go back again. He's been sleeping a bit today, but they told him that the new medication would make him sleepy.

Keith arrived from Austin on Saturday and will be here until Tuesday. He's working in Houston tomorrow. It's nice to have him around and Reid is enjoying his company.

And today I put up the Christmas tree and Jim put up the outdoor decorations. So, its beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here!

This week Reid has rehab on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I'll take him on Wednesday and Thursday and Jim will take him on Friday.

Dad's nursing home is having their Christmas party on Friday and I'll go there. I had to buy a gift for Dad and one other resident. I had to think about what to get. I didn't want to get any candy or cookies because quite a few of the residents are diabetic. I also didn't know if the gift for another resident would go to a male or female. And they don't have a lot of space in their rooms. I finally settled on plastic snow globes that run on batteries and play Christmas music while the snow swirls and lights blink. All they have to do is push a little button on the front. I thought it would keep Dad entertained and hopefully whoever gets the other one will enjoy it too.

And now I'm off to bed. Good night!

Some More Vintage Christmas...

I found two more Christmas picture from 1946. This one has the whole family gathered around the tree.

And this is Dad keeping us entertained.

And this is Christmas 1947. I was sick...probably an ear ache. My mother said I was sick every year for either Christmas or my birthday. And the attractive shoes were because I had a clubbed foot. It seems like I wore ugly shoes for years.

I still have that little black rocking chair that I'm sitting in. It's now in the den holding my kids' old teddy bears.

Reid started rehab at MD Anderson today. He's going to have rehab three times a week in addition to his other appointments, so we'll be spending a lot of time down there.

On the way home he told me there was something sticking out of his port. (Here's a site with a good description of a chemo patient's port.) Most cancer patients have a port for their treatments and it's implanted under the skin and goes to a central line. He has to be very careful about infection and my first thought was that this thing sticking out might allow an infection to enter. I wish he had said something while we were down there, but he called when we got home and they said they'd check in out on Friday when he has his doctor's appointment. It's probably a suture and when he scratched the incision it somehow came out. Anyway, he covered it with a band aid and hopefully everything will be OK. While I paniced he was pretty calm about the whole thing.

Since this is his "good" week we stopped for lunch at a local restaurant on the way home. I'm hoping he gains back some of the weight he loses on his "not so good" weeks. He says he's not looking forward to Saturday and his next treatment because he knows what will probably follow. He's going to talk to the doctor and see if a change in naseau medication might help and if there's something else he can do for the mouth sores. Hopefully, the doctor will have some answers.

A Little Vintage Christmas

I've told this story before, but back in the 1940's and 50's my mother had a professional photographer come to our house every year at Christmas time to take a family picture. There were a few years when he also came for our birthdays. My sister's birthday is December 23rd and mine is December 29th, so we also have some pictures of our birthdays. As I grew older I hated posing for these pictures, but now I'm so glad that I have them.

I've shared these pictures online before and people always seem to enjoy seeing them. My only regret is that my mother is no longer alive to know how much her efforts were appreciated. It must not have been easy getting the house straightened, hair combed, everyone dressed appropriately, etc. Anyway, I thought I'd share some of the pictures on my blog this year.

This was Christmas 1946 and I was almost a year old and my sister would have been three. We were living upstairs at my grandparent's home. The war had ended, my Dad was home, and the attic had been converted to an apartment for us.

I'll try and post Christmas pictures from now until the end of the month. I hope you enjoy them.

Reid is feeling a whole lot better this week and eating well. It seems like the first week after chemo really wipes him out and then he has a good week before he goes back for chemo again. Tomorrow he goes for rehab at MD Anderson...the appointment we rescheduled due to the snow last Friday.

It Must Be Working...

I tell Reid that the chemo must be working. Yesterday morning he woke up with sores in his mouth and it's worse today. The nausea is better, but now the sores are preventing him from eating the way he should. He's already lost fifteen pounds as of a week ago and I'm afraid it's probably more by now.

I'm hoping he'll feel a bit better tomorrow since he has his first rehab appointment at MD Anderson. He has been walking around the house without the walker lately, but the numbness from the chest down remains. He still uses the walker when he needs to do a bit more walking...like when we go to the hospital. He tires easily and it helps.

Progress has been made! I took down the remaining Halloween decorations today. Of course, I cheated and threw them in the garage. I still have to pack them away. Christmas decorating can't be too far behind...I hope!

And I attended a meeting at Dad's nursing home this morning where they gave me an update. Since Dad doesn't say or remember much I had no idea that he was participating in some of the activities. He enjoys the "country ride" they have once a month. They load them in the van and drive around looking at the countryside. I'm sure he enjoys getting out, but probably doesn't remember as soon as he gets back.

There were some people singing Christmas Carols at the nursing home this morning. Afterwards, Dad continued to sing Carols and even remembered all the words. It's strange how Alzheimer's affects memory. He can't remember what he did fifteen minutes ago, but he remembers all the words to some of the Christmas Carols. Anyway, he was having a good time and that's what counts.

And I'm starting to worry about my memory! (Maybe it's just the stress?) I went grocery shopping and completely forgot about Sophie being in the backyard. I never leave her out longer than fifteen minutes. I hope she enjoyed all the extra time she had to watch squirrels. She sure was happy when I got back!