Today I called Mom's neuro to talk to her about her recommendation to half the Aricept in order to control Mom's diarrhea. I told her that it seemed somewhat better so she suggested that we try eliminating the Aricept. In two weeks she wants to hear how that goes. So we will try it. I asked her about Mom's diagnosis since no one has actually come right out and said the 'A' word. She said the 'A' word today. So there it is, the elephant in the room is no longer; it's out in the open. It's painful to hear it even though I've known that's what we are dealing with for at least 2 years.

I bought 2 Webkinz which are stuffed animals that are a cross between a beanie baby and a tamagotchi. Mom immediately claimed the Persian Cat as her own. She asked if she could sleep with it. Of course I said yes!

Gloomy weather again today. But it was humid too. Had my hair colored today.

Allyson comes tomorrow. I'm excited to see her. I hope she isn't too freaked out by Mom. I've tried to prepare her, but there is nothing that prepares you for seeing your Mom losing her mind. My nephew and brother-in-law will be here on Thursday. I worry about how my nephew will react to seeing his grandma like this. He watched my father, his grandfather, succumb to cancer. I still remember the last time they said goodbye to each other. My sister had cautioned Matt not to hug grandpa too hard. They hugged and my Dad's eyes filled with tears, realizing that this would be the last time he saw his beloved grandson. Afterward Matt said that it was Grandpa who had hugged tightly. God I miss my dad.