Hello all... thanks for all the kind words. I am still trying to struggle through the day. Somedays I am ok, but others not that great. It was her birthday on October 20th. She would have been 64 or "39" as she would have said. We went to the park and fed the ducks... she always liked to do that. I also brought daisys and popped the tops off and placed them in the water. I miss the way that I would call her and she would be willing to go with me on what ever adventure I wanted to go on that day. She was always there for me. I know I am lucky to have a person like that and that it was my Mom, but it hurts no less. I am trying to build a new "normal". It is rough though because everything I do reminds me of her. I started to move around furniture in our house and I was thinking that everything I touched we bought together. She was a great decorator and I have no decorating sense at all. I just wonder when the feeling that I am completly lost and alone will go away. The holidays are coming and I hate it. I think we are going to plan a vacation at Christmas so I don't have to think about it. I don't know about Thanksgiving. Mom used to make the best mashed potatoes. This is so freaking hard. I think I am going to check into counseling again. It is so hard because I put on a strong face when I am out, but crumble when I get to my car or at home. I talk to my husband, but I don't think he really understands. What do you all do for the holidays?? Any ideas on how to get through them?

Hello Alisha, I wanted to add to the wise advice given above. It's possible that due to the overwhelming effects of hormones on your Mom's mood, she may need an antidepressant to help her cope right now. This is where the MD comes in -- he/she most likely would be willing to give your Mom a script for medication, and if your Mom is struggling to the degree you described, she may find some relief from taking it. I know I did. Also have your Mom ask the doctor to check her Vitamin D levels. I was shocked to discover I had almost none, even though I made it a point to get sunshine. Vitamin D affects many aspects of our physical health, and I wouldn't be surprised if your Mom's levels are low. The fact that you are there to offer her your support and comfort is wonderful. What a huge blessing you are to your Mom! It must be difficult to see her going through this, but please know your Mom's symptoms will slowly but surely start to improve in the next year or so. She's already been going through the worst of it. It's sad that many people don't understand the first thing about menopause. It's important that your Dad recognizes this is not "all in her head." The physical and emotional changes resulting from hormonal fluctuations are vey real and significant. Reassure your Dad that your Mom won't be in this phase forever, that she is still the same wonderful person, and she needs comfort and moral support. She's not crazy at all, she's snapping because she feels she's not being heard and there's a chance she isn't. Men seem to want to solve problems when a lot of the time a woman is just looking for some validation and reassurance. You are the sunshine in your Mom's life right now, and those walks are lifesavers in terms of stress reduction and overall health. Hopefully your parents can get out to see a movie or enjoy a nice dinner and perhaps take some walks together too. Please tell your Mom there is a rainbow at the end of the storm and she's close to seeing it. God bless you for being such a loving daughter!

ok renaruto this may be a case in which you provided way too much info and details about your ex wife to your new girlfriend and now she is using that against you which imo is immature and only shows how insecure she really is, i only say that because this exact situation has happened to me before only thing different is that my son is 5 yo and is unable to keep a cell phone....women can be very good at hiding their true feelings about certain issues to get you to open up to them and disclose unnecessary information and due to their own insecurities will make you the bad guy when all you were doing from the get go is being totally honest ...i do believe that sometimes theres such a thing as being too honest...did you really have to tell your new gf that your ex wife still wants you?... by saying that you set your self up for constant drama and nagging everytime she contacts you whether it is important or not...any way the answer to your problem lies in your heart i made my decision to make my son a priority and had to break up with my previous gf the good thing was that i am now with a woman who understands and supports my decision to be a good father and doesnt question the communication between me and my sons mother it is truly a beautiful feeling to not feel like you have to choose sides between the ones you love if she really loves and respects you she will trust you and leave it all up to you to set boundaries with your ex wife without having to butt in...hope this advice is not too late

Benjesbride, where does she lose the 2"? It appears that she is not aware of the loss. Rebeccamomof123, are you pulling permits to do the work, or do you live in an area where the city/town/county inspectors are going to become aware of the work and expect to come in and inspect it? Or is your area more like where I live and anything short of an addition is something that no one will notice and that inspectors don't drop in when workmen are around unless it is really obvious that a big job is being done? The reason I ask is that your clearance for the toilet-to-tub distance is right on the edge of being okay. Some towns will not let you get that close. If you could get inspected by the code enforcement officer, or if you are doing this with permits, you need to draw this up and get it approved before assuming it is going to be approved. If you need to steal back a couple of inches to make it fit, one option is a wall-hung toilet. Your contractor opens up the wall behind your toilet and puts the tank and flushing works inside the wall (not the stuff you have, it is custom made for this purpose) and then the toilet part actually hangs off the wall and never touches the floor. It is much nicer for cleaning. All of Europe has been doing it this way for years, I hear. http://www.geberitnorthamerica.com/en_us/target_groups/enduser/products_enduser/toilets_2/concealed_systems_1/for_toilets_1.html