The Heumann Experience: September 2014

September 2nd

Yesterday Steven and I went to the movies with David, Tyler, and Heidi. Max called panicked Because Olivia had fallen down the stairs. It appears she did not learn her lesson because this morning I ran down stairs to find Sam's shoes and when I returned I found her STANDING on the top step, with no hands, and smiling from ear to ear.

She is quite the little dare devil. She loves climbing up on the bookshelf and peering over the stairs. She stresses me out.

September 8th

Sam and I are making cookies. I kept Olivia occupied with chocolate chips...

After almost 2 months of living with us my mom finally decided to pick up one of the many comic books laying around and see what all the fuss was about.

September 9th

Instead of saying tomorrow Sam says, "on the next day". "Miss Natalee have really big juicy juicy apples. You want to try some on the next day?" I love how his mind works and how he expresses himself.

September 10th

Max got a game ball at practice for having courage. This was the first game ball of the season. Max is a light in a world filled with stress and competition. When his coach asked him to go tackle the 2nd biggest kid on the team, Max was courageous and ran with full force to take him down.

I was working on Elese's photo book when I heard some noises. I turned around and this is what I found.

September 11th

Reading Book of Mormon Stories before school. Sam usually just plays but today he sat with the family.

Later that day Olivia decided she wanted a bath. Fortunately, I was close by and there was no water in the tub.

September 13th

I picked up some plants for my new flower bed today. and then took Max to the Cub Scout bike rodeo Sam was a moving obstacle with his little car. He kept crashing into Simon. When we returned home Steven was working hard in the yard and Olivia was by his side helping out.

In the days following this (15, 16, and 17th) Olivia continued being her by being silly and getting into mischief.

Playing with make up with Elese.

Trying to help herself to a banana.

Keeping grandma company.
September 23rd

Sam and Olivia's first trip to the zoo. For some reason they were both terrified of the train and screamed and cried but they warmed up to it.

Sam loved his map and kept getting it out to show us what he wanted to see next.

Olivia didn't like the animals at first and would scream at them "uh!" Like she was trying to get them to go away. Sam wanted to climb on all the animal statues and Olivia was trying to escape her stroller to join him because she loves climbing.

Steven was out of town last weekend and will be this weekend so he took the day off. I had to go to the chiropractor so we made a day of it. Walking around the zoo is tiring, we are both ready for a nap.

I've been watching the Burt girls at night while their mom works. They just sleep on our couch. They are sweet girls. I enjoy having them. Steven thinks Amileia is very sweet. Last week Brooke was sick and threw up several times so I had Ashley come get them. Just after that Ashley and the other kids were really sick. Amileia is teething so she screamed a lot last night. Steven let me sleep in on his day off. He's so good to me. Evan was in town this weekend. Mom is reacting badly to some medication changes.

Below is an email update I sent out to family regarding my moms current health situation.

Dear Family, Friends, and loved ones of Gayle-

It is our hope to keep all of you informed in regards to our Moms health. We know all of you have a tremendous amount of love for her and would like to be kept informed. We also know that because of her optimistic attitude, as well as her forgetfulness, that our mother may neglect to tell you these things. Email seems to be the best forum for keeping multiple people informed. It may seem impersonal so if you would like a more personal approach please feel free to call any one of us with any questions or concerns you may have. Becky may be your best choice as she has the most up to date information.

This past week Becky took our Mom to the doctor. Her A1C (This measures her blood sugar levels over the period of a few months) has gone down quite a bit since moving in with Becky. In March it was 9.6 and it is now 7.8. The doctor hopes that this number will get below 7, so that is what we are aiming for. Fortunately, this is a step in the right direction.

Another test she was giving in March was the MoCa test which tests her cognitive abilities. In March her results came back with the score of 24 which indicates Mild early onset dementia. Unfortunately, when tested again this last week the results for this test were not positive like her A1C. She scored an 18 and the doctor called it a “significant decline” and recommended that we take action to get prepared for a continuously steady decline. A score from 11-21 generally indicates Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Technically AD cannot be diagnosed with 100% certainty until autopsy but experienced doctors are usually about 90% accurate when they make such a diagnosis. Her doctor then prescribed a memory pill to help slow the decline. We also plan to search out an AD specialist to see if there are other things that can be done to help slow things down.

Our hope is that with medication we can slow this process down and enjoy many more years with our mother. Please feel free to contact her for nice uplifting chats that include lots of fun memories (she still has the same home and cell phone numbers). If there is anything in regards to a date for a visit or something that you would like to be sure she remembers please also give this information to Becky via a phone call, or email, so she can make sure it’s not forgotten.

This is a sad and scary thing for all of us and we appreciate your love and concern for her. Please keep her in your prayers. This is not an easy thing for any of us but we are so happy that our Mom is who she is and that she has a positive demeanor. Despite this big news, things since she moved in with Becky have been going really well. She is happy and has shared several times that she has prayed about being here and knows it’s where she is supposed to be. Becky and her family love having her in their home and say that she “has truly been a blessing to have around.” Thank you for your love and concern. If you want any more information about her health please feel free to contact Becky at 801-568-7048.

Sincerely,

Eric, Evan, Blake, Spencer, and Becky

PS – We have done our best to contact everyone but we don’t have email address’ for everyone. If you don’t see someone listed on this email that you feel should know what is going on please feel free to forward them this email or call them.

I'm also watching the Butt twins and James on Mondays for two hours. I'm thankful for opportunities to serve and I'm feeling happy and blessed and overwhelmed. The Primary program is coming up and we have no chorister or pianist and they won't be called until one month before the program. I have worries about the future with my mom...but I'm feeling happy despite it all.
It's now the 25th. Sam has asked at least once a day if we can go to the zoo today.

September 26th
Sam went to snuggle grandma and fell asleep.

September 27th

After getting sick of hearing the word Mommy I said, "I would like to not hear the word mommy for just one minute." Then Sam said, "Becky. Becky! BECKY!"

Then he read a book with his sister.