Ok -- not really but after lunch she did get a phone call from Grandpa's facility in Idaho requesting/demanding she get there right away to sit with Grandpa even though a deal had been previously made that there would not be additional help on Christmas day. So she was upset and in a hurry to leave. We had her call Jake who went over to sit with Grandpa until they could get there. Then as I was shutting the door behind them I could hear my Dad yell, "Denice" then screaming and I opened the door to see my Mom face down on the pavement and so much blood. She missed the last step and hit her face. Dad was saying her teeth were all over the ground and I ran to grab towels for the blood and yelled at Steve to come up and help. Lila took the boys downstairs so they wouldn't see what was happening. Steve dialed 911 while I helped try to calm my Mom & Dad and notify my siblings that there had been an accident and to please pray for Mom.
When the ambulance arrived Mom was sitting and doing better they checked her out but then said we could drive her to the ER so Steve hurried and through some clothes on so he could take them. They went to new hospital just down the street from us and my sister happened to be down in the area and pulled in just at the same time they did. Steve said it was not too busy there and everyone was really nice and helpful. The x-rays and CT scans showed that nothing was broken which was good, but unfortunately they did not have a dentist or oral surgeon they could call in so around 8:30pm they sent them to McKay Dee hospital to see the dentist who was doing rounds there. The dentist tried to take care of one tooth that was bent and not allowing her to close her jaw properly and Steve said he could tell that was painful. Then he set up an appointment for them with the oral surgeon the next day.
Now I was a ball of nervous energy and I took it out on the girls rooms. They had no place to put their Christmas presents because their rooms had been overtaken with stuff. So I went down and overhauled their rooms. Three bags of garbage later and some things relocated things are back to a good and clean place for them.
Steve got home about midnight after driving Mom & Dad back to their home in Mt Green. We went to sleep tired emotionally and physically, but grateful because it could have been worse.
Thursday, Dec 26th Steve got up and ate breakfast then drove to Mt Green to get my parents to take them to the oral surgeon. The oral surgeon was hopeful he could do implants that day but when he got in he realized that there was too much bone damage so he had to do a bone graft which set back her timeline to get implants but they took an impression to make a flapper and that should be ready at her next appointment on Jan 6th. I drove up to pickup Steve from Mt Green and we visited with Dad for a while. Mom was resting. Marcus said, "yeah, Mimi fell down the stairs and hurt her face. I feel so bad." So cute to see a little 4 year-old show empathy too. We picked up some dinner as we drove home -- some yummy Costa Vita.
Friday I called my cousins Matt & April and told them we were considering moving Grandpa down here and asked if they would like to come tour the facility with us. I also arranged for all the paperwork to be ready for my Mom to sign so we could start the move process. The tour went well we picked out a room and Matt & April expressed their desire to help care for Grandpa.
Saturday my parents decided to go back to Idaho and we took the kids to the aquarium one last time before our membership expires.
Half way through we got a text from our tennis carpool friends and we realized we would have to book it home to get Ellie ready for tennis so we took in the last part kind of fast -- my bad but a lot has been going on. I'm just glad we got to go enjoy it a little.
Then Sunday, December 29th at 5:30am I received a call from my Dad. He explained my Mom was in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. He found her at 4am she was seizing her had a stroke and then she laid there unconscious -- Dad thought she was dead. He explained Jake was on the way to meet them at the hospital and he was calling Venessa next. I was so emotional and in a state of shock. I asked Steve to pray because I didn't even know how to form words right then. We knelt beside the bed and Steve prayed for my mother and father and all the doctors and that we could know how to help. Then I let Steve go back to bed while I tried to keep my mind off of stuff by organizing pictures, checking the mail, reading a book. I reached out to Nessa and we both agreed we were going out of our minds. She was ready to just drive up to Idaho, but I felt like I needed to stay and figure some stuff out. Then Jake called to give us an update -- he asked me to get on top of moving Grandpa and see if we could make it happen. So I sent texts to the administrators here apologizing for bothering them on Sunday but needing to know when we could move Grandpa. We began coordinating his move and caring for Mom & Dad. It was a little like the riddle of getting the fox, chicken and grain across the river because we needed a vehicle not to tall that would be difficult to get Grandpa in and out of and a truck to move his belongings and yet leave everyone in the right location for their assignments.
Nessa left with Nate Sunday in a truck to help out with Dad and Mom and to be ready to haul furniture. I stayed back to wait until the move was set. I finally got word around 10am Monday that the bed we had been waiting for would be there that day and we could move Grandpa in any time. So Steve, Matt, and I loaded in the van and headed to Idaho. As soon as we got there Jake called me and wanted me at the hospital so I left them there to pack Grandpa up.
I made it to the hospital in time to be there to get the discharge directions and help take my Mom home. The first 24 hours were rough as her body had been through a lot. She was a little unbalanced and nauseated and having some memory issues that had me worried. They think it was a med interaction that caused the seizure so I was being super strict on what I would let her take. The next day she was doing better, more stable on her feet and remembering more things which I took as a good sign. So I did a couple loads of laundry and lined things up so I could travel home as it was New Year's Eve and my kids wanted me home.
I could feel the love and prayers from so many friends and family because my mind was clear in knowing what I needed to do and giving me strength because I was tired. We didn't sleep at all that first night home from the hospital but I was able to drive home without being drowsy and enjoy some time with my kids before dropping into bed in exhaustion.
Oh, did I mention I signed up for Disney+ in the middle of this so the kids had fun watching some old Disney shows while we were out and about helping.