Part 57 ~ The Adventures of King Ben & Zeus the Big Dumb Dog

If you missed the start of this series, you can find it here. A lot of things will be the same or very similar.

Last night went well. Ben stayed with me pretty much until bedtime. He got a little rambunctious until his night meds kicked in, but whatever was bothering him, stress or boredom, seemed to reduce or go away. We made it!

I fell asleep in the middle of playing a game, again. Restoril never works the same, even though I’ve been taking the same dose for many years. Sometimes it takes hours to fall asleep. Other times, I’m awake, not drowsy at all, then BOOM! I’m out. I’ve switched off with chocolate in my mouth. It leads to brown drool on my pillowcase and face… NOT a pretty sight.

I know I switched OFF in the middle of a game because when the Bounce came, I had to fumble through exiting out before I could see what time it was. (ever notice that the games are like casinos, no clocks?) It was dark, so it could’ve been midnight or just before dawn. It was 5ish. I don’t remember the exact time, I was just trying to figure out if I had to obey the “Gramma come living room!” command or if I could stay in bed. It was morning, too early in my opinion, but reasonable by Ben standards. Dang!

Mr Bootyhead was well rested and full of energy. I was cross-eyed and uncoordinated. A normal morning at Casa Cuckoo. Ben spent the hour or so bouncing and pacing and jibber jabbing. He’s been watching Peppa Pig and I’m developing a great dislike for that show.

Zeus was also full of energy and wanting to play. It would’ve been great if they’d played with each other instead of both trying to get my attention.

Ain’t it the truth?!

Meds were given, Sven was uncovered and lit, and I waited, hoping for some calmness, still trying to get my eyes to focus.

Daughter got home a little after 7:00. I asked how her shift went and she said it was horrible. It didn’t sound too bad, from what she described. I think that sometimes complaining becomes a habit. She asked Ben if he wanted to go to her room (he had gotten fully dressed by this time), he said yes. She told him he’d have to take his shoes off  in her bed. As he walked down the hall, he turned back to me, gave me a thumbs up and said “You be good now.” Oh-kaaay… I promised that I would good.

Horizontal Time lasted less than an hour. By 8:30, I was back on the couch. I could see Sven in his Judgey Corner…glaring at me.

Or maybe he was looking out the open window, dreaming of freedom?

Ben couldn’t seem to settle or focus today. He wandered and went from activity to activity. The constant moving around and restlessness was making me feel a little anxious. He dumped his chalk and left it, he played with three of the four Barber Chairs, he carried his tablet…pacing, wandering.

10:30 meds were given to Ben, and Sven was put in the shower. He got yellow pretty quickly. It had been two whole days since he’d had a warm shower Bliss Out.

I checked on him every 10-15 minutes and did peasant labor for Ben in between. I was writing “DreamWorks Pictures Presents” for Ben (six times, in six different ways, and none of them right), when I heard scratching and thumping from the tub

I guess he was done. I got him out, dried him off, and showed him his nom noms.

Then I went and sat down before he got grumpy. Ben’s noon med was given shortly thereafter.

I was surprised to see Daughter wander out at 12:30. I wasn’t expecting her to get up until 1:30-2:00, like usual. She said her BFF had texted and was available to come get her so she could complete the paperwork for the hospital job. I told her maybe she should stop by McDonald’s on her way home, save her having to cook tonight and it would make Ben happy. What kid doesn’t love the little red and yellow box? She asked if I needed a break before she went, I told her we were fine. Ben was doing his chalk thing. He had finally settled down. She left around 1:00.

Ben used to have me write out, on slips of paper, the names of cast and crew members of his favorite movies. I must’ve written the names Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter a hundred times. This afternoon he found a ziploc with a bunch of names and it revived his interest. Dang it! I spent the next two hours writing names. Not just writing them, but cutting them out so the edges were rounded. I started getting frustrated with him the sixth time he wanted me to write Johnny Depp. He wanted it “like this” or “tiny” or “big” or “capital”… I got a little grumpy.

Daughter got home a little after 3:00 with the red and yellow box. He went to the front door, banged his forehead against it and fell to the ground. This is something he has done for years and we don’t know why. We know it means he’s unhappy about something, but not what. I got an ibuprofen ready to give him, Daughter helped him get up, (he had yelled “I need help!”) and gave him his food. He was apparently hungry because he was shoving the chicken nuggets in his mouth, one after another. I gave him the ibuprofen, then went to my room. He seemed to have transitioned away from whatever made him do the head bang and fall.

I was feeling very drowsy but knew better than to doze off. When Ben is edgy, as he’s been all day, it’s better to stay flexible and loose, ready to jump whichever way is necessary.

Around 4:00 Ben came into my room with his bag of names. I guess he wanted some place to spread them out, and my bed is big. I wish he had the vocabulary to explain why he likes to look at them. Or why he likes, has ALWAYS liked, watching the credits roll by. Maybe someday he’ll be able to explain it. Or maybe not. It’s difficult for us ‘wordy’ people to explain why we like things sometimes.

I’m going to end early again. Things are calmer and nothing is expected to happen the rest of the evening, except the regular routine.

Tonight’s song is a little different. Check it out and tell me what you think (it will remind you of an 80s song)

 

I’ll see you awesome dudes tomorrow, dark and early, right here at Casa Cuckoo. Thanks for sharing our adventures. Take care of yourselves, you’re important to me!

 

Hugs!