I continue to notice little things that illustrate Kate’s increasing dependence on me. One of those involves help with her clothes. I think that occurs because she is increasingly unsure of which rooms are which and where things are kept. For example, over the past week or so, she seems to have presumed that I would get her night gown for her at bedtime. She has also been wearing the clothes I put out for her. There have been a couple of times when she hasn’t noticed the clothes. I’ve asked if I could help. She says, “Clothes.” Then I show them to her. She has also started asking me which bathroom to use. I have started walking her part of the way and showing her where o go from there.
She more frequently calls for me in the house. Last night, after she had brushed her teeth in the guest bathroom next to our bedroom, I heard her call, “Richard, where are you?” I told her I was in our bedroom and asked, “Where are you?” She said, “I’m lost.” I met her in the hallway, and we came back to our bedroom. She wasn’t panicked at all. She just didn’t know where I was or how to get there. An interesting side note is that she is able to recall my name in situations like this. I hope that will continue. It seems like it would be frightening not to know where she is or how to call me for help.
Something else that is not new but happening more frequently occurs in restaurants. She picks up the menu, hands it to me, and says, “Order for me.” I find this especially interesting since I have been ordering for her for several years.
Brushing her teeth is another place I see changes. She brushes frequently. I try to keep toothbrushes and toothpaste in all of the bathrooms because she uses all of them. Most of the time she leaves them on the counter, but sometimes she puts either or both in a drawer or takes them to another bathroom. This makes it hard for her to know where she can find them. In our own bathroom, I’ve kept her toothbrush and toothpaste in a drawer. She usually puts the toothpaste in the drawer but puts her toothbrush on the drawer handle. Until the last week or so, I put it back in the drawer each time I entered the bathroom. Now, I leave it so that she can find it easily. In addition, I am starting to leave the toothpaste on the counter. We are both adapting.
