Mall Walkin With Mad & Grandma

So, the mall walking. Not really something I envisioned doing in my life on a regular basis for, oh, maybe another 35 years? 40? But, my life has most definitely changed, not only in the past year with the arrival of the Madster, but changed in a whole different way starting about 5 years ago. That was about the time that my mother called me at work to tell me that she had received the results from a Neurological test she had scheduled after months, maybe a year of feeling cloudy and unfocused at work. She had early onset Alzhiemer’s she said. She was 60 at the time. That was the beginning of a large transition in my life, including being a quasi caretaker for my mom, managing an actual caretaker for her, then finding an assisted living facility when she could no longer live at home, moving her in and finally, clearing out her house and renting it. That transition continues today, and will continue for years to come.

Ok, don’t want to get too low here, just trying to paint a picture, and I wasn’t shooting for an Edvard Munch per say. Part of the reason I decided to leave my full time job and be a stay at home dad was to be able to give my Mother some time with Maddie while she can still enjoy it. With the way the disease progresses, a certain percentage every year, I’m not certain how many more years she will have left in which she can interact with and enjoy Maddie. So, Maddie and I go out and pick my mother up 2-3 times a week and head to the mall (Plymouth Meeting Mall) and do two or three laps. It’s actually kind of nice. Though, when spring arrives, i’m sure we’ll opt for the trails of Valley Green instead of the store fronts of Verizon and Boscovs.

My mom seems to really enjoy it, as does Maddie, and it really makes me feel good to give my mom that happiness, considering she’s lost so many other parts of her previous life.

Here’s a little sample of how Maddie rolls:

(Sorry about the vertical shot. It’s the only way i could prop the phone up in the cup holder of the stroller):