At no time during those first three months of mourning his passing did we ever imagine that we would be taking on again, so soon, another caregiving mission. One of a very different kind from what we had been accustomed to.
Caring for the needs and nurturing of our one and a half year old granddaughter is what we are now engaged in.
She is an absolute blast to have in our home to watch over, to protect and to teach. She also has proven to be an ace at pushing the energy expenditure of one adult in her late 50’s and the other in his early 60’s to the very limits of their original factory design tolerances. Most days, we find ourselves hitting the tachometer redline by early afternoon!
The best part of each day is at meal time. That’s because it is a crack up watching how she takes to the introduction of new food items. Presently, fruits seem to be an instant hit, while vegetables are touch and go (throw). Meats are a work in progress. My wife recently discovered a Zucchini bread at Costco that is heavenly. Granddaughter just craves it. Chock full of vegetables besides zucchini, it is both nourishing and tastes good.
Our granddaughter has brought a good measure of fun and has served as a positive influence with us that has countered the grief,mourning and exhaustion we have had on our plate for the past decade as Alzheimer’s dementia caregivers.
Caring for a grandchild is an excellent source of infusing your life again with squeals of joy, the patter and oomph of running little feet interspersed with lots of conks and falls as they motor about your home and hallways, either running away from you or running right at you to show or bring you a new toy or object of their immediate interest. It is eye opening and uplifting to be re-introduced to the world of no-limits, endless wonder and the joyful sparkle of bright little eyes amazed at the smallest or most ordinary things about the house.
The arrival of our granddaughter in our lives has been just the therapeutic balm my wife and I have needed for quite some time.
Living again with such an energetic wee person is like drinking down a shot glass of elixir from the fountain of youth.
It is good to be alive.
Jeff Dodson
March 1st 2015
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