The Hannah Family

This blog is all about us

Who are we?  A family of 14 -- 7 people and 7 pets:  G. Pat is 74, Mark is 54, I'm 51, Matt is 25, Katie is 23, Claire is 15, and Dave is 13.

Katie's pups are Maci and Cage. Our 3 sweet cats are Oreo, Jack and Jill. Chloe is our 1-year-old lab-shepherd-husky mix. Claire's Winter White Dwarf hamster is Ozzie. Never a dull moment around here!

Looks like we made it

Happy 4th of July!

This girl is becoming calmer as the years progress, but I will still spend the next 6 hours convincing Chloe the fireworks aren’t going to get us.

Latest on Pat

Mom is eating and drinking well this week, they keep saying there’s “nothing new to report.” She’s the toughest Alzheimer’s fighter we’ll ever meet.

Only halfway through 2020?

We don’t really do anything to celebrate New Year’s Eve, but I have never been more ready to ring in a new year...

Chloe has Mom and her Thomas blanket

Mom is officially Covid-19 negative

How she’s in this dire state and yet recovered from Coronavirus humbles me. Visitation is on hold indefinitely, but Mom just had her second negative test, and awaits the rest of the residents on the hall to do the same. She is “less interested” in fluids so they try every hour to get her to drink and continue to classify her hospice status as a “slow decline.” We’re in agreement on that one, but she’s in good spirits, has no pain, and best yet: She’s cleared to return for regular showers! That part made me cry tears of pure joy. 

We’re getting old

Today we celebrated Mark’s (our) 26th Father’s Day. Thursday, we celebrated our 28th anniversary. Two kids have moved out, and we have two kids in high school. The years are flying past so quickly these days.

The one where Pat came home with 3 men

I phoned Mom’s old neighbor in Tampa to keep her updated. We reminisced about how smart and funny Mom is, which was great. Then she shared a new story that Pat and Leon hadn’t.

Mom had been diagnosed with dementia, but only the two of them knew and she was still driving. She came out of Walmart and couldn’t get her (in good working order Hyundai) car to start. She encountered a few gentlemen who agreed they would all go back to Mom’s townhouse to get her debit and credit cards (probably already in her purse so dementia helped a bit that afternoon), and then hit the banks to get the money for the “easy” repairs they were willing to make.

Fortunately Leon met the four of them at the door with his customary “What the hell, Pat?” and sent the guys packing before they committed any number of felonies. Nice job, Leon! That was a close one.

 

Apparently, I had the flu in March

I had a flu shot in the fall, but I was also exhausted from grad school by spring. I was sick for almost two weeks at the end of March so I was hoping I had COVID-19 early, built some antibodies while my family did the same, and could feel somewhat protected in the classroom this fall (hopefully in a classroom of my own, but possibly substitute teaching). No such luck. Maybe I can plan better and go to the grocery store even less.

I’m glad I took so many photos when I could!

I miss visiting Mom very much, especially during all this global uncertainty. Hospice noted today Mom lost another 10 pounds over the past 6 months (that she obviously didn’t have to spare). She isn’t drinking as much and is “slowing down.” I take this as a gentle warning of the inevitable, but they aren’t sounding any alarms yet. I probably qualify for a Guinness World Record of “Most Goodbyes Given to Someone You Never Want to Lose.”