Do You Have A Spare Pair of Teeth in Your Car?

Today is the day that my family has always come together on. My grandfather's family has forever met on the Saturday before Labor Day to celebrate our heritage.   Not just my immediate family, but cousins, aunts, and uncles on my grandfather's side. It is a tradition that we have continued since I can remember.  In fact, my mom has group pictures from when I was three years old at the reunion.

All week, Grandma has been keeping up with her teeth for the reunion.  She has been giving them to Daddy to keep each night.  Last night, Daddy was late getting to Grandma's.  She was already in bed and had already hid her teeth.  This morning, Daddy spent some time looking for them.  He finally just had to give up on finding them.  Mom even came over and looked in places Daddy couldn't see.  

I knew last night, when I told Daddy that I wasn't going to be able to come, that something was going to happen.  When I called mom to find out, I wasn't at all surprised that Grandma didn't have her teeth.  So, it was a good thing that I realized the teeth I had were different and were actually Grandma's teeth.  I had the spare teeth to save the day!




When I arrived, grandma was visiting with my cousin Bonnie.  You could tell she was embarrassed and nervous.  When I sat down beside her, I didn't even have to say anything about the teeth, she saw them in my hands and started thanking me for bringing them.  Just realize that three weeks ago, these were not her teeth according to her.  

She slipped them in her mouth and they were loose.  We got some Polident and she was happy.  Her entire mood changed.  

She visited, ate, and asked one question after another.  Carla, my sister, tried to answer her questions and she struggled to remember names.  I started  explaining to grandma who different ones were.  Once I told her who their parents or grandparents were, she started realizing who they were.  The funny thing about telling Grandma who was who is that I struggle to remember everyone's name too.  I know Grandpa's siblings and their kids.  It is the grandkids and great grandkids that I don't know. I was as bad as grandma on naming a few.  

I fixed her a plate full of food.  She ate every last bit of it except the chicken leg.  She started wrapping the chicken leg up in a napkin.  I told her that she didn't need to do that.  She said she wanted to save it for later.  I told her we could get more chicken later.  She finally gave in and handed over the chicken leg.   She made three trips to the desserts.  She sampled each one.  I laughed every time I saw her heading over there and tried to help her.  She really loved the vanilla cake with white icing.  She had two pieces of it.  I guess this is an upside to Grandma's dementia.  She is extremely healthy for a woman her age.  She only takes one pill for blood pressure.  She doesn't struggle with her sugar or any other ailments.  So, we let Grandma eat whatever she wants.  We do have to restrict the amount of cokes she drinks.  Sometimes, we find 2 liter cokes hidden all over the house.  Last week, she had four 2 liter bottles hid.  When I asked her why, she said, "well, lord, are you playing jokes on me?" I told her that she hid them.  She just laughed at me.  Thanks grandma!  I'm not the hide n' seek champion.  Grandma wins that prize!

My cousin Kay wanted to know, who carries a spare pair of teeth around?  My grandma has enough teeth to fill a nursing home, and I can't convince her that they are hers until she's desperate. I ride around with two pairs of teeth in a dora explorer bowl and in the console of my car.  So when grandma loses them again, I can say I have a spare pair!  

Pictures coming later.