Annual Summer Vaca With My Brohter's Family

Every August, my younger brother and his family head down to Avalon, NJ for their summer vacation.
Every year, they always have welcomed us to come for a few days.
I usually bring my mother along, this year was no different.

I worked until 3pm on Wednesday (from home) and closed up shop so I could pick up mom from my sister's house... her current abode.   After stopping at the bank, I drove to my sister's and picked up mom.

Hubby had a treatment on Wednesday and we're awaiting Johns Hopkins' call for him to head down there for his 6 week stint to adjust his meds so he decided to stay home this year.

My daughter and her kids, my other daughter and her friend and me and mom all descended upon my brother, his wife and family at their vacation house.

Weather was picture perfect and we spent Thursday on the beach.  Water was wonderful, low tide and we were out far enough to the sandbar and found tons of seashells that far out while being only up to our ankles in water.

Mom did not join us for the beach day, deciding instead to stay at home and catch up on her Agatha Christie book.  I think she was enjoying the peace and quiet with us all at the beach.  Can't blame her.

Later in the afternoon, we did some antique shopping but alas, the mirror I wanted was no longer in the shop... I saw it last year and had secretly hoped that no one had purchased it so I could bargain them down on the price.  It would have been perfect in my kitchen eating area on the wall.... beveled round mirror, off white beadboard similar to the beadboard that surrounded the eating area and a couple of shelves that I could display some type of awesome art or nicknacks.... Ah, it was not meant to be.

I noticed how mom trailed behind... a little slower than in previous years, but meandering nonetheless.  After our antique shop, we met up with my daughter and her friend and went to another shop that includes multiple vendors' items within it.

We shopped, said Isn't this nice about 1000 times and headed back to the house for dinner.

All of us crowded around the kitchen table and played this really politically incorrect game known as Cards Against Humanity and laughed our asses off as we made awful sentences with the cards.  All in all, we had a lot of fun and it will create some fun memories of time spent with Nana (mom).

Thursday saw mom and I heading down to Cape May and Washington Street Mall for some shopping.  We hadn't been there for a couple of years so it was nice to spend the afternoon walking from shop to shop looking at the merchandise.

Mom is a little bit slower and not as 'with it' as she's been in the past and sometimes I found myself cringing and saying to myself, OMG... but I persisted and thought I'd rather have to be with her and be more patient than to have do walk the mall myself.

Towards the end of our shopping trip, I could see mom starting to tire so we decided to grab some grub and get some energy.  Ended up getting a hot dog, chips and soda... just enough to get some wind beneath our wings.  By the time we were finished, it was nearly time to get back to the car to beat the meter maid.

As we got up, mom still had her drink but only one strap of her pocketbook made it over her shoulder.  She had a napkin in the other hand and was attempting to correct the strap when she dropped her soda and it spilled on the ground right next to another customer.

The gentleman was very nice and luckily nothing went on him, however, mom was apologetic.  I tried to coax her out of the eating area and towards the car...

I begin to see and notice little things that cumulatively are showing her age progression.  She's not as steady on her feet, she speaks really softly, shes slower than in the past and she needs to have things repeated... and sometimes she forgets that she already knew what we already talked about.

I do my best to give her the respect, dignity and time she deserves.  Afterall, she was very patient with me while bringing me up, I need to do the same as our roles are reversing and her needs increase.

Anyone else have stories they can share about the transition they went through while watching their parent(s) age?  Thoughts, ideas and comments welcomed.