update

I'm a little loopy. Continuing the "it's always something", Hope calls me early yesterday (Friday) from the hospital, says she's sick and has been throwing up. I dump Meg on a neighbor at 6:30 (thanks, Susie), get dressed and off to the hospital. It's now10:45 Saturday morning, and I just got home. Hope had picked up a stomach bug of some sort (they said that something was going around the hospital), and had to have a neighbor (thanks again, Susie) come pick her up. So while Hope tried to keep her cookies, I had Matt duty for a double shift. That said, he's doing pretty well. They've taken him off the oxygen and reduced the medications, so we hope to get him home tomorrow (Sunday). Be another week before he can go back to daycare. Hope has recovered and is back at the hospital (odd, she's feeling better, so she's back at the hospital). I'm going to bed.

Under the category of "It's always something"...

So, Matt's had a little cough for a week or so. Last Saturday Hope gets concerned enough that she takes him to the doctor (Matt's group has Saturday hours). Doctor thinks Matt has bronchiovitis, wants him back on Monday to hear his chest again, see if there are any changes. So we take him back Monday, Doc listens, says he sounds better, probably just a mild case, call in if Matt gets fussy or irritable, off his food or runs a temperature. Tuesday evening Matt is fussy and irritable, off his food, and running a temperature of 102 something. Hope calls in, they say bring him into the emergency room at Children's Hospital (which we knew they would want). So Hope loads the little feller up, takes him in, and he's been at Children's ever since.





Sorry for the redeye, forgot to clean the pics up before I posted, too tired to go back and do it.

He had the bronchiovitis (not bronchitis), RSV (a nasty little thing), and a "touch" of pneumonia. They want to keep him as long as his oxygen level is down and he needs to be suctioned with more than a bulb. At least one of us has been with him at all times. Hope gets the night shift, I cover most of the day. That means I get Meg up and off to school, Hope gets her off the bus, etc. It's worked so far, but with his birth, the problems with my mother (who continues to improve) and this, my bosses are starting to sound a bit irked at the time I'm missing! I'm sure Hope's are not exactly thrilled, either.

Anyway, probably be there another day or two, hopefully home this weekend. I'll update when I get a chance.

My In-laws!

Hope's cousin, Kathy, sent this picture of the Leach side of the family, taken at Matt's baptism. It's nice anytime the 4 generations can come together. I love the fact that our 8 year old is barely a head shorter than her mother.

Wow, it's been a while since I've posted something!

For those of you still interested in the goings on of Matthew and his family and friends, sorry for the delay. With my Mom's situation, Thanksgiving, and Coach Fulmer getting fired, I've just been a mess. Oh, and somewhere in there we got the baby baptized.

Let's see, where to start. I guess I'd better stick with chronological order. On the Sunday before Thanksgiving we had Matt's baptism. Took advantage of Hope's cousins (and their families) being in town (or at least East Tennessee), and had a great group of friends and other relatives at the church, as well. My brother in law Russ and his daughter, Amanda, came up from the Atlanta area Saturday and spent some time with my mom, which she really appreciated.

Anna Calhoun, on the right, is one of Matt's godparents, along with Brian and Stacy Patterson. That's Molly Calhoun gettin' up in Meg's face!

Father Cal and Taylor


Matt gets a little wet. Episcopalians don't usually go for that dunking stuff! Molly Calhoun looks on.

Matthew does his best Simba impression, with Father Cal playing the role of Rafiki. If you don't know the reference, ask a kid. Thanks to Chris Vinson for taking the pictures. Had some camera battery problems, but got the good stuff.

I had to work Thanksgiving, but went straight from work to the Leach's home at Laurel Valley. Dinner was awesome, and had a great time watching football and enjoying the view. I left after dinner to take a plate of food to my Mom. Later on Meg made a gingerbread house. Turned out pretty good, I thought.

The Friday after Thanksgiving, while rest of the world went shopping, we loaded up the crew to have lunch in Maryville with my sister, Kathy, and her family, who had come up from Atlanta (or was it Destin?). Had a great visit, and they enjoyed meeting Matt for the first time.

Kathy and Terry Holt, their daughter (and soon to be college graduate) Laura, and her boyfriend Nick. Hope says I should call him a fiance' (there's a ring), but I'm waiting on a date, guys.


After lunch with the Holts, we went back to Hillcrest North so Matt and Meg could spend some time with Grandma Mitchell. She's continuing to do better (compared to where she was a couple of weeks ago), and has walked some, but still a ways to go before we can get her home. Her dog Susie is getting along ok at my house, Captain has been very tolerant.

For the Kentucky football game we had the best picnic in a parking garage while it's cold, dark, and raining that I've ever had. Then we (Hope and I, and my brother Mark, who was in town to see Mom) went and sat in the cold and rain as the Vols beat Kentucky and sent Coach Fulmer off into the sunset. I'll reserve judgement on the new coach for about a year, but looks good, so far.

So, I hope ya'll understand how all the running around can cut down on my blogging time. Hope all ya'll had a great Thanksgiving. It's amazing to me how many blessings I do have in my life!

Update on Grandma Mitchell...

I'd said I didn't want to dwell on this, but it's been about all I've dealt with for almost 2 weeks. From the previous post, things have changed quite a bit. She spent about a week in the Critical Care Unit (what used to be icu) at Parkwest, 4 days of it with the ventilator (?). Was then moved to private room, then Monday we moved her to Hillcrest North nursing home. She went there under the auspices of hospice, but the doctor there thinks she could be helped with some rehab, so they took her off hospice care (had never heard of that happening, have you?). Still in less than great shape, not walking yet, but for someone that essentially had "Last Rites" twice last week, she's doing pretty good.

Oh, and Matt's fine.

It happened again!

Matt, Hope and I were having dinner at Cracker Barrel (Meg was at a church youth dinner), and an old gentleman stops to admire the baby. After a moment of small talk, he asks if we were just babysitting. It was obvious to both Hope and I that he thought we were the grandparents. Do we look that old?!

On another note...as many of you already know, my mother was taken to the hospital Saturday night about 2:30 with breathing and heart problems. She called 911 herself. She is on a ventilator and feeding tube, and only occasionally conscious. They keep her sedated most of the time because of the tubes. We expect her to be in the hospital at least a week, and that may be optimistic. No feel for long term prognosis as of yet. I don't want to take over Matt's blog with this stuff, so if you would like updates on her, feel free to email me at hsmitchell@charter.net , or call me at home 865-777-4842 or cell 865-806-5691.

Might be a lull in new Matt posts until we get past the current crisis.

Happy Halloween...

In honor of Halloween, I'm posting a couple of pictures I took Summer 07, when Meg, Uncle Jimmy, and I took a tracking course in the Great Smokey Mountains. No, they have nothing to do with each other...I'd forgotten these pictures until they popped up on my screensaver, and I thought they were neat!

There are, or at least were, beavers along Abrams Creek in Cades Cove. Saw some of their dams, but no live sightings.

Abrams Creek. Just beautiful!

And this is what you really wanted to see...Meg was "Molly, the American Girl", which is some sort of doll series for those of you without young daughters or granddaughters. She, of course, was dressed to match the doll beside her. Matt was a noisy pumpkin.

Went trick or treating for about an hour here in the neighborhood. Nancy Brown came over to tour with us. Dad Mark walked escort patrol with me whilst the moms held down the fort. Nancy managed not to hurt herself.