A new beginning

(Photo was found HERE )

Friday night my sister came up from Pittsburgh with The Cutest Baby Ever and just about the time she arrived, my 85 year old father in law fell while running an errand with my brother in law. He broke his hip.

Cue the gasps, the knowing statements of "That's the beginning of the end, you know, when they break a hip." I now hate that mentality. Copious baby kisses over the course of the weekend prevented me from slugging anyone. Man, this can be stressful... getting multiple siblings to make decisions on topics they've never really wanted to dwell on.

We have pieced together who would be at the hospital with him and deal with the surgeons, and who would be with his "girl", my Irish mother in law. She is quite unsteady on her feet, and doesn't have a great deal of strength. I believe I could easily pick her up; and because she is so tiny and thin she is always freezing.

But.

She is still one tough dame, I have to tell you. She doesn't want anyone pushing her around, but she is unfailingly polite and sweet about it. I went to take my turn to help her get ready for bed last night and asked as quietly as possible... have you bathed? do you need to be bathed? The reply came quickly. Firmly. Proudly. "I wash MYSELF, every morning." Thank you very much, beat it Carly, I got this.

This morning I was making her breakfast (and doing a little spoof of a diner waitress, which she didn't quite catch - I have to be louder - or actually funnier. ) She knew exactly what she wanted, on every front. Open the curtains, please. Done. Don't forget those curtains there, on the door. Ooops. Who's the sharp one here?

She had a copper pitcher on the center of the table, and mentioned that it used to be up on the shelf, and that she'd like flowers to arrange in it. I asked her what kind, and she said silk ones, and forsythia please.

I googled them, and found this photo with a reference to the flowers representing a new beginning in life and nature. Love it. It's such a far cry from doom and despair and "guess it's time to say goodbyes" that it's exactly what I needed to help me stay positive. I'll be buying some for her tonight, even though I'm SO TIRED, internets, I really need to sleep, but if Lulu wants flowers she will get flowers.

I'm kind of scared of her scolding me if I forget them.

She has agreed to let us hire an aide to stay with her, so that we don't have to worry about her being alone at night. We will go forward; this is a new beginning.