After having had a wonderful time at Jim and Greg's for Thanksgiving, it was back to the daily struggles of living with ALS. It hurts me so much to see him struggle, his body revolting against anything that he wants it to do. I love him so much and there's nothing I can do for him except be here. I don't know if that's enough, but it will have to be; I don't have a choice in the matter.
Saturday night, November 27 and it's after midnight. Dennis was in the bathroom when his legs just gave out and he fell. I was already in bed and didn't hear him. He managed to crawl back to the living room and get in his chair for the rest of the night. He told me about the fall the next morning.
Dennis heard from Aragorn on Monday. He will be by on Friday with Calvin, so Dennis will finally be able to meet his only grandchild—after all, he is four and one-half years old. They arrive about 7pm. I answer the door and meet a shy Calvin. I tell him, "You have a very excited grandfather in the living room and he can't wait to meet you. Follow me."
As we all enter the living room, Dennis's face just lights up with a huge smile. "Hi, Calvin. I'm your grandfather. Can I give you a hug?"
He shyly approaches Dennis as Dennis picks him up in a big hug. "It's so nice to meet you, Calvin." Dennis was beaming.
After the initial shyness wore off, Calvin turned out to be a real handful. He had brought numerous toys with him as Aragorn figured he'd need diversions from being with adults. Dennis tried to engage him in conversation, but he mostly played with his toys. When it was about time to leave, Aragorn told him to put his toys back in the bag, but Calvin wasn't ready to leave. He threw what we considered to be a tantrum; we just looked at each other as if saying, "What's this all about?"
After they left, Dennis looked at me and said, "I guess we don't need to worry about being babysitters for that one. He obviously has control over Aragorn, probably his mother too. What a little hellcat!"
Dennis was very happy though. He had finally met his only grandchild.
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