Time flies

(hard to believe this picture was taken 7 years ago,

I cry thinking about that moment, we had no idea what we were getting ready to face.)

"He is much more advanced in this than he was 6 months ago," the doctor told my mom. After routine testing, the doctor confirmed to my mom that dad's dementia had now progressed to Alzheimer's Disease. He explained to mom that it will progress even faster now and the decline in cognitive impairment and functioning is inevitable. In the beginning, the doctor told us that dad could be in this current stage of dementia for a while, maybe even a few years. So here we are, adjusting to our new normal and bam! We find out that our new normal is going to change again and probably even quicker than we think (or want).

At this moment, I can't think about what our new normal is going to look like. I can't think about the changes coming our way. And to be honest, I really just don't want to right now. Some may say I need to, and I know that in the upcoming weeks/months I am going to have to. There will be changes, new adjustments, and new normals. But for today, I am just going to let it soak in and look at the bright side of things...

The doctor tried to get my dad to talk during the appointment. He asked him several questions with no response from dad. Mom would say my dad was being stubborn, I would say my dad was hurting. I don't know if dad understands the extent of what is happening to him. But I can guarantee that he knows something is not right. I imagine that he heard a lot of words during that appointment that didn't sound uplifting or positive. But the doctor kept trying and when he asked my dad what his favorite meal was, he responded, "chicken fried steak."
My mom has never made chicken fried steak and for the last several weeks, my dad has eaten chicken fried steak when we go out for our weekly lunch date. (silver lining).