Papa's visit

So, I can't believe it has been a week since Papa came for a visit. We had such a good time. Papa and Matt went to Mateo's daycare to pick him up on Friday and Papa reported that Mateo came running to him and gave him a hug...in standard Papa-speak, Dad said, "Made the price of the plane ticket worth it..."

Friday night, MamaNona and Pamela cooked up a mean lamb dinner which they feasted upon. It is good to see MamaNona returning to her old self more and more each day. My dad left stuffed...something that any Italian would be proud of.

On Saturday, my favorite men were slaving away, making some stairs between the upper and lower driveways. They got the stairs all built, and as I type this, Matt is out finishing the railing. Yeah!! The project that would never end, appears close to ending.

Saturday evening we had our friends the Kelleys and the Murphys over for a BBQ with Papa. Mateo loves the Murphy boys...and they teach him to do things that stress out his parents! And Mateo is very fond of babies right now...he just loved everything about Eloise Kelley. And Uncle Josiah loves to bounce Mateo on his leg...which causes Mateo to shriek with laughter. See above pictures for proof!!

We finally gave in to keep up with the Jones with the purchase of a Traeger BBQ. Made in the Mt. Angel/Silverton area, these BBQs use wood pellets, and are a bit pricey...but man, oh man, I have never ever had something that wasn't GREAT cooked on one of them. It will be a great addition to our front deck!

We have a big June coming up...our niece Tegan graduates from Seattle University on the 2nd weekend of June. Our friends Dan & Kristi Rose are coming for vacation in the Olympic peninsula and Victoria Island, BC. Then Book Club comes for a weekend of exploring the joys of the city of Portland. That Saturday night, the girls will go home and Mateo and I are off to spend Father's Day with Papa in North Idaho. Then we should be home for a bit. Whew!!

All our love from Oregon!! Sarah

MamaNona is home, finally

So for those of you keeping track, MamaNona got discharged last Saturday morning. It was great to have her home for Mother's day. She is still resting alot to build up stamina, but the addition of a handicap (higher seat) toilet courtesy of brother-in-law Dan, has made a big difference. And she is singing the praises of her own bed!

We all had dinner there yesterday. Pamela made quite a feast and it was nice to eat together with no late night trip to the ER (the last dinner we had there was the night of the first hospital admission). Pamela and I are taking turns staying there for another week or two just to make sure she had everything she needs.

Other than water weight that she is trying to lose with the help of some lasix, she is almost back to normal. Her most pressing questions now: 1) when will my hair grow back and 2) who will clear me to drive again. Both of which are good signs as far as we are concerned.

After a quick trip to Boise for bookclub and to meet my new "nephew" (Hillary's son Brandon Paul), Mother's Day was quiet here, as I spent most of it in bed under the weather. Matt got me a balloon which Mateo proceeded to carry around all day like it was his. He warms my heart just by being here. This weekend last year, we were with Mateo and reuniting after a month apart. How long ago that seems!!

I am feeling better now, and really looking forward to Papa's visit this weekend. Matt is outside as I type this doing pre-work for the visit. We can't wait for some good Papa time.

That's it for now...time to get Mateo ready for bed.

Hope all is well with you. Hugs from Oregon, Sarah & the boys

Countdown to Papa time...

So we have been practicing Papa in anticipation of his visit in two weeks...when we ask "Donde esta Papa?" (where is papa), he grabs his photo album and points to the picture of papa.

We can't wait for the visit...we miss him so much!

MamaNona is getting better each day. She's been cleared to walk with a cane without supervision...which she is very excited about. She should get to come home on Saturday, and we are so glad to be spending Mother's Day all together with a home cooked meal.

Love to all...Sarah

Finally an update...

So the world has been crazy for us Millers. We got MamaNona settled into the top of the line skilled nursing facility in Mount Angel (Providence Benedictine) where she is getting therapy 2-3 times per day and the food is much better. She saw the infectious disease doctor last week who confirmed that she would remain on the three times a day antibiotic until May 9th. She should be able to come home after that which will be a nice mother's day present for all of us. We also saw the hematologist this week who confirmed that her amyloidosis is only involving her skin, not any of her other organs which is also good news. She will begin to get more regular diagnostic tests a few times a year to ensure that if it progresses they catch it as soon as possible.

She is moving much better and has even been able to get herself into bed if it's down low enough. They'll spend the next two weeks practicing at the height her bed is at home. Pamela is due back from France next week, so that will be nice. Her husband, Dan, came back this week and has already been to see MamaNona.

Mateo and I have been to see Papa two weekends in a row. We went to North Idaho two weeks ago, and then to Boise last weekend. It has been great to spend time with him, and the cousins dig hanging out together too. It will be nice when Rachel and John are able to relocate to North Idaho so we can have those visits more often.

And I fell in love with the fountain that John made in their back yard. Man, I want one. Maybe John & Rachel will come visit so that he can show Matt how it's done. Matt took Mateo to the Ag Expo in Salem yesterday. Apparently there were lots of animals and much singing of Old MacDonald...if we're not careful, Mateo might grow up to be a farmer!

That's the news from Oregon. Hope all is well for all who read this. Love, Sarah, Matt & Mateo

Spoons anyone?

So the last night we were at MamaNona's before the subdural hematoma episode, Mateo was jammin' with some spoons...and Matt caught this gems!

For those looking for a Louise update, she had a repeat CT of the head on Monday (which was standard post-op checking) and that came back clean. Unfortunately, she had some infection symptoms and so she got readmitted into the hospital. For the past few days, we have been having lots of work-ups to try to find out where the infection is. Turns out, she has some infection below the scalp, so the neurosurgeon is going to go in again this evening and do some owound debridement to clear out the infection. Should be a relatively simple procedure, but it makes the rehab clock start over. Good news is, we think we have a bed at the skilled nursing facility in Mt. Angel--which is closer to home and has a waiting list (good sign about the level of care there).

Bottom line is: things should be on the upward course. Please keep sending prayers this way. We'll post an update once we get discharged from the hospital.

Love from Salem!!