final farewell

Two days after we left the hospital with Paige, August 9, we went to see Mike's grandma in the ICU. We walked right in with the baby in her car seat, passing about three nurses on the way, making us figure they weren't really enforcing rules for Grandma at this point. P is wearing the outfit Grandma Western gave her, in what turned out to be their last visit.

 Mike had a good visit and a hard, sad goodbye. We stayed for about 15 minutes and Mike got to have some alone time with his grandma (Paige and I tried to be invisible).

Because the prognosis was so grim, Saturday, August 10, Grandma was released to a normal room where she was made comfortable and given time to see her posterity. Monday, she got up to take a shower and fell, widening the hole in her aorta. Everyone was told to get to the hospital asap because the doctors figured she wasn't going to last too much longer. We had Brayden and Hailey this time so they got to say goodbye with Mike. Paige was crying, which kept me in the hallway so as not to stress all the people visiting in the room out.

We had a typical, waiting in the hospital morning, with Mike's extended family.

the kids had hospital cafeteria breakfast since we left the house
in a hurry-- without eating!

little patient Paige waiting her turn to eat

with no where to go and nothing to do.... bring out the devices!

Evelyn (4 months old), Mike's cousin's daughter, tried to hug Paige

Grandma Harvie getting some baby love

Monday, all day, Grandma Western had visitors-- 48 total, I  hear. By evening, she had been told by her doctor she could go home and do whatever she wanted, because she might as well. Someone brought her an Arby's sandwich and some ice cream. All her kids were there, and for the first time since she got to the hospital, she told everyone she'd be ok being alone. So, the five children, started leaving. The last two to leave left the elevator and were walking out of the hospital when they were called and told their mother had passed away.

The nurse had gone into the room after all the kids left and was talking to Grandma. He turned to hook up the oxygen machine to get her set up for the night and she finished her sentence and passed away.

She had the perfect last day-- everything she had ever wanted. She wasn't a burden on anyone. She wasn't in pain. She was embarrassed- no one was looking at her. And she spent an entire day with her family.