tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68472268993995604292024-02-21T03:26:51.088-06:00The Jones FamilyMatt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-48054593931564494852016-11-12T21:41:00.000-06:002016-11-12T21:41:01.768-06:00A Eulogy for my Father<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX201796288" style="background-color: white; clear: both; cursor: text; direction: ltr; font-family: "segoe ui", tahoma, verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; overflow: visible; padding: 0px; position: relative;">
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Here is a link to <a href="https://1drv.ms/w/s!AlQqNkHjcFm5ml5JecMFujROIlgw" target="_blank">A Eulogy for my Father</a>.</div>
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Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246814075423849911noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-16523979545900237962010-05-31T18:31:00.000-05:002010-05-31T18:31:53.496-05:00April 2010 PortraitsHere are some portraits we had taken last month! Thanks Christina for the wonderful portraits!<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mattjonesphoto/April2010Portraits?feat=blogger" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right;float:right;margin-bottom:1em;margin-left:1em"><img border="0" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_i9LUgX_KVvE/TAQ3e0e5OIE/AAAAAAAABNk/WKLATbYSZvo/s160-c/April2010Portraits.jpg" /></a>Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-14857220002906140962009-04-03T00:57:00.003-05:002009-04-03T01:05:25.784-05:00February and March photos!Here are some photos from February and March posted on Picasa Web!<div><br /></div><div><table style="width:194px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mattjonesphoto/FebruaryMarch2009?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_i9LUgX_KVvE/SdUet25HBvE/AAAAAAAAA2A/6pZtx561bGg/s160-c/FebruaryMarch2009.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mattjonesphoto/FebruaryMarch2009?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">February-March 2009</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div>And here's the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2014338&id=1011159805&l=cba8ab4c21">Facebook album link</a>...Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-83681067477809241822009-02-19T00:11:00.003-06:002009-02-19T00:18:47.300-06:00Peter's Portraits!<p>I must confess that as a former professional photographer, sometimes it is a bit awkward to post photos on the web. For the most part, I'm just a dad who snaps a bunch of photos, and most are not of the caliber that I consider to be portrait quality. However, in this bunch, there are a few which I like a lot!</p><p>I'll be posting photos more often to facebook, so please feel free to add me as a friend on Facebook (facebook at mattjones.org is my facebook address).</p><p>Anyways, here are Peter's first portraits! Click the photo below to see the rest of the album!</p><br /><br /><table style="width:194px;"><tbody><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mattjonesphoto/PeterSBirthdayPortraits?feat=embedwebsite#5304368250586573714"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_i9LUgX_KVvE/SZz2-9-QFcE/AAAAAAAAAyk/mxo1KYbx1jc/s160-c/PeterSBirthdayPortraits.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mattjonesphoto/PeterSBirthdayPortraits?feat=embedwebsite#5304368250586573714" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Peter's Birthday Portraits</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-72171909451482923832009-02-14T06:54:00.006-06:002009-02-14T16:21:36.818-06:00Introducing Peter Everett Jones!<div>Despite Auntie Lori's hilarious recommendation of Xavier Ray Jones (X. Ray Jones), it is with great joy that we welcome Peter Everett Jones into our family. Peter is for Susan's maiden name, Peterson. And my father Everett is a pretty great guy I'd like my children to be like. Together, it's Peter Everett Jones. :-)<br /><br />And now, a bit of the birth story. <br /><br />The plan this time around was to have a midwife attended hospital birth in the Alternative Birthing Center (ABC rooms) at West Suburban Hospital. Baby2 was to be born in the waterbirth tub naturally.<br /><br />Then, on Feburary 5th, we went to the midwifery appointment, and as she's listening to the heartbeat, Susan and I can also hear that the baby's heart seems to skip a beat every now and again. Then, Susan was hooked up to the fetal monitor for about 20 minutes while they ran the tape strip, which seemed to indicate some arrhythmia in the heartbeat. She sent us straight to the hospital for an ultrasound and non-stress test. Everything seemed to check out okay at the hospital, but the nurse could still hear the arrhythmia in the heartbeat. <br /><br />On Tuesday, February 10th, we had a fetal echocardiogram, to check the chambers of the baby's heart. The fetal cardiologist told us that there still was some arrhythmia, but that it was isolated to the top chamber of the heart. As long as the heartbeat wasn't sustained at 200 beats per minute, Susan could still proceed with the planned waterbirth in the ABC rooms and did not require constant fetal monitoring. Yeah!<br /><br />On Thursday, February 12th, we went to the midwife again for the weekly prenatal. The appointment was the last one of the day at 6:30, and since they were busy she wasn't seen until about 7:30. The midwife put us at ease and explained the results of the echocardiogram again, and we thought things were going great. We asked how we would know if this special condition had occurred, and she explained that when the heart is beating so fast it is very hard to find the beat.<br /><br />Then, she listened to the heartbeat. We've heard the heartbeat quite a few times now, and are accustomed to hearing a pretty rhythmic sound. The week prior, it was like an occasional heartbeat was skipped, important, but not too big of a deal, right? This time, the heartbeat was very slow and very irregular. Today she explained to us that what was going on was that the heart rate dropped dramatically. Then, as if to compensate, the heart rate skyrocketed to over 205 beats per minute. Talk about scary, but back to the story...<br /><br />By 8:15, we were on our way from the midwife's office straight to the hospital once again. It took a few minutes of waiting in the hospital before they settled us into a room. Well, settled might be putting it strongly. We forgot the medical records in the car, so I had to walk back to the car to get them while Susan changed into a robe. By the time I came back the midwife had seen enough of the monitoring that she needed to call the doctor who backs them up to see what to do next. By 9:15pm, the decision was made that this baby had to be born via an emergency c-section.<br /><br />Interesting sidenote--the anesthesiologist (Henry), was about to give another woman an epidural when he was called away to help get Susan ready for the emergency c-section. This other woman must have had to wait a very long time, because I understand there were two c-sections that night, and only one anesthesiologist.<br /><br />Anyways, we raced down the hallway and into the operating room. I spent 20 minutes all dressed and ready to go in waiting because they don't let fathers in the actual OR until the anesthesia is working. At 9:51, our baby boy was born weighing in at 5 pounds, 8.5 inches, and with a length of 18 inches. <br /><br />Recovery has been a challenge, and we are nervous about what awaits us at home. But we have the love and support of family, friends, parishioners, and co-workers. We'll make it through it all, and those adventures will be future blog posts on life with the Joneses.<br /></div>Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-83242337002287768302009-02-13T15:30:00.000-06:002009-02-13T15:30:21.020-06:00More Baby2 Photos!<div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTGoc0q7N6osKbbva3NPncowgxltU0X4hZ1ft8Xr_kXgfsSbuZY1uobZhUN6zwkSX8uMHWNQMT6zSTxBYKB4IXaB7z71V9anz-KSQlvp5ya5dTM0uC9iYIzj1yVeWhcV8n9XlltvOwYo/s1600-h/IMG_0413.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTGoc0q7N6osKbbva3NPncowgxltU0X4hZ1ft8Xr_kXgfsSbuZY1uobZhUN6zwkSX8uMHWNQMT6zSTxBYKB4IXaB7z71V9anz-KSQlvp5ya5dTM0uC9iYIzj1yVeWhcV8n9XlltvOwYo/s320/IMG_0413.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a> </div><div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMz3qVKro9G_L0CcCP5VbRw_UG-uPMMbxAtSNCRkETHPofXJjr6mFtUTGaSqDnsr9OMhSorCCmTpRd0Jg0Tkv3XzFvOFc7EAGoR6TUFjA0RTcdJcrzCOxWv2IP1mrBMaEApAkYBRVaMzI/s1600-h/IMG_0415.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMz3qVKro9G_L0CcCP5VbRw_UG-uPMMbxAtSNCRkETHPofXJjr6mFtUTGaSqDnsr9OMhSorCCmTpRd0Jg0Tkv3XzFvOFc7EAGoR6TUFjA0RTcdJcrzCOxWv2IP1mrBMaEApAkYBRVaMzI/s320/IMG_0415.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a> </div><div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPNxthV8KqWWLQgSXsMfb3T9cR7_O5fLi3N0PjvmWKyOoihSSom7k2MAjFDGGt0azDM9KKA59EXNTYwRB-EDbWM3PIujaMWAt3MsSlhjGeuIjC54uM4Go7IUwF_iB9elECQrIlxvZFVhs/s320/IMG_0408.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></div><div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-48816884105846363782009-02-13T15:14:00.000-06:002009-02-13T15:14:14.477-06:00Baby2 Still Needs a Name...<div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;">We think we have a first name decided. Still figuring out the middle name.</div><div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnX4plHd-9MrbBsKPpNG0KEbWrMYp_H31dlCFVj3Xbyrujc1065ecCrV0O45ZxZXLbPyOSPWImePr2PxPEmbHGZtQj8rrErks2DenJsFUVgwGg9nlSGkTPE35Y5fhPqtANUgEytdIlzyo/s320/DSC_8981.JPG" border="0" alt="" /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1TGP4OeiZCjVvf5Y8PuaclzO8CF-JIwcM5vA0aw0tngxFY9EkcBwKKE4QGlaOd0HFOHb5bjXYNZ5bZElbBmU-lCT-xWtsLBwjtopbK-MtDRKbXDIblPe8uxHXp2PF6Oj7t9T_LSbBf7E/s1600-h/birth_images.jpg"></a></div><div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1TGP4OeiZCjVvf5Y8PuaclzO8CF-JIwcM5vA0aw0tngxFY9EkcBwKKE4QGlaOd0HFOHb5bjXYNZ5bZElbBmU-lCT-xWtsLBwjtopbK-MtDRKbXDIblPe8uxHXp2PF6Oj7t9T_LSbBf7E/s1600-h/birth_images.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1TGP4OeiZCjVvf5Y8PuaclzO8CF-JIwcM5vA0aw0tngxFY9EkcBwKKE4QGlaOd0HFOHb5bjXYNZ5bZElbBmU-lCT-xWtsLBwjtopbK-MtDRKbXDIblPe8uxHXp2PF6Oj7t9T_LSbBf7E/s320/birth_images.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzhMiTV2lvqAZthpGSo0aLZ_0S4uneH6FQy7wgdp8RC0X7sQoEeWgzpjQ4ecVlr-FwwxdiEWVmuSVIaZfQG2qz9iyg6Ue0A0pkGA3hi7CZZWNCWtxYDoWgtrqkyTkg51IE6EpVIfCwWfk/s1600-h/DSC_8983.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzhMiTV2lvqAZthpGSo0aLZ_0S4uneH6FQy7wgdp8RC0X7sQoEeWgzpjQ4ecVlr-FwwxdiEWVmuSVIaZfQG2qz9iyg6Ue0A0pkGA3hi7CZZWNCWtxYDoWgtrqkyTkg51IE6EpVIfCwWfk/s320/DSC_8983.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a> </div><br /><div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;"> </div><br /><div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrC7jOB26DVN7oIykNl9se0jdAX4ViK_5TwXrN5mHj0YKHhI-j6ygdNIcpR8d20ptk2g3qK1X9X03a5G0hBy8yoJJomZl_WLkx4RyAdnd1ZFVN1gJDi6YhCSTtyXSZjB68s86C9vVx1TE/s1600-h/DSC_8979.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrC7jOB26DVN7oIykNl9se0jdAX4ViK_5TwXrN5mHj0YKHhI-j6ygdNIcpR8d20ptk2g3qK1X9X03a5G0hBy8yoJJomZl_WLkx4RyAdnd1ZFVN1gJDi6YhCSTtyXSZjB68s86C9vVx1TE/s320/DSC_8979.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a> </div><div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-15540929512806665232009-01-21T20:47:00.005-06:002009-01-21T20:55:18.761-06:00Baby2's first pics!Karen says to Baby2: "Cheesy Wheesy!"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG3XHlnzmiBbdJBFkfgEnH5fdmeG3EMuQPVPQUMZ5WQ4SikvcsC2c7Vva8s74kuQqZboo1MjWD4Y8txR5LXftt69QZXSntqf2X68jjIlThcJjrEiK55g6d7_p-5JYKSgF8ebzedhsxsU0/s1600-h/baby2_ultrasound3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 284px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG3XHlnzmiBbdJBFkfgEnH5fdmeG3EMuQPVPQUMZ5WQ4SikvcsC2c7Vva8s74kuQqZboo1MjWD4Y8txR5LXftt69QZXSntqf2X68jjIlThcJjrEiK55g6d7_p-5JYKSgF8ebzedhsxsU0/s400/baby2_ultrasound3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293944991440559426" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixrzD_fMOD8iDYEmrSuWtm5Rz-h9Ki3liudy_wHAYAfBAiqfPeWyDUJ_dFMeLMIkeS6GtGt3dZ-sxn_TcM8IpS82fTuitZm5OLQG6yDusH1bx164G5Q47uikdiOfp8pIJaZtqvCRV4TIo/s1600-h/baby2_ultrasound2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 288px; height: 221px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixrzD_fMOD8iDYEmrSuWtm5Rz-h9Ki3liudy_wHAYAfBAiqfPeWyDUJ_dFMeLMIkeS6GtGt3dZ-sxn_TcM8IpS82fTuitZm5OLQG6yDusH1bx164G5Q47uikdiOfp8pIJaZtqvCRV4TIo/s400/baby2_ultrasound2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293944808656657634" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqg-0bUnwP-ZDw0Gg1J-LCBbMH7-KSn7-ZyAU3VRVESfTU8lhqLQFyJmxb0kOQqbm4pt_oh1nJK-Uq5NgpmN6UyxzHIFQQES2x7p_tICVxltZh34dPP2OULF7kOS3IvcgE6Uhqw67vxt8/s1600-h/baby2_ultrasound1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 292px; height: 226px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqg-0bUnwP-ZDw0Gg1J-LCBbMH7-KSn7-ZyAU3VRVESfTU8lhqLQFyJmxb0kOQqbm4pt_oh1nJK-Uq5NgpmN6UyxzHIFQQES2x7p_tICVxltZh34dPP2OULF7kOS3IvcgE6Uhqw67vxt8/s400/baby2_ultrasound1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293944653835797218" border="0" /></a>Not sure if this is a boy or a girl, but I do see a resemblance in this last photo to <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/We_Can_Do_It%21.jpg">Rosie the Riveter</a>!Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-41063404420084672292009-01-12T23:29:00.002-06:002009-01-12T23:32:08.759-06:00Photo Booth Fun!<div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;">We had some fun with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photo_Booth">Photo Booth</a> tonight!</div><div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_xOQmhIBVyw8iwNn6RyOCxDPxIXmNXrHH9aiKl_E0nsWqBUA2k-MZTKy5NZezZ7V5DbMKg9WurbNgUxdmsZZ6_SAe-IJBH8kFfFLor_SPAHEUTIJ79jLxeXQqQeXlaoOxI4AMAWtdJcI/s1600-h/Photo+59.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_xOQmhIBVyw8iwNn6RyOCxDPxIXmNXrHH9aiKl_E0nsWqBUA2k-MZTKy5NZezZ7V5DbMKg9WurbNgUxdmsZZ6_SAe-IJBH8kFfFLor_SPAHEUTIJ79jLxeXQqQeXlaoOxI4AMAWtdJcI/s320/Photo+59.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> </div><div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;">Self portraits are fun!</div><br /><div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-atnJ-Vo0Z5RbH0COI3ILJo2ZZlaEc0kMm5NTvXcvf7qwyTJcu_Zxp-21_kpQIOxLhk9BTzn8F1KFOymcT2PxbUIBhZbY0vo1ubWz6-RnTdkxYhCe00b0EMxL-84m6lx49swNNCODIFI/s1600-h/Photo+62.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-atnJ-Vo0Z5RbH0COI3ILJo2ZZlaEc0kMm5NTvXcvf7qwyTJcu_Zxp-21_kpQIOxLhk9BTzn8F1KFOymcT2PxbUIBhZbY0vo1ubWz6-RnTdkxYhCe00b0EMxL-84m6lx49swNNCODIFI/s320/Photo+62.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> </div><div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;">So are effects!</div><br /><div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NF0Aa8sp6pS1viYqOpNiOqDWVy1Wi7nevAGk0UXXf6tr4aMG9AoK0Qvt53zPh9F4ZtQpdQNX00kZhHtcHGoN3QZysrOdUF4LNKgZcAfgtUrLm9C__f_4Y2NAHcpCVAsbdZfyO-61zoU/s1600-h/Photo+68.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8NF0Aa8sp6pS1viYqOpNiOqDWVy1Wi7nevAGk0UXXf6tr4aMG9AoK0Qvt53zPh9F4ZtQpdQNX00kZhHtcHGoN3QZysrOdUF4LNKgZcAfgtUrLm9C__f_4Y2NAHcpCVAsbdZfyO-61zoU/s320/Photo+68.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> </div><div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;">So is Karen!</div><br /><div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxUKhNnmvTzCSihU0JJG5DY00Q6aD_RFWd9I8X3Uxg4S5nOKelnVuv4aeBRX7TwhyXW_ubiJSHf9HDIrY_xwY3I2HwOJx-fxbHMlIh30TzEXO1GxbVql-LZmuRt3hXCeOko1qtAwP8Fk/s1600-h/Photo+77.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxUKhNnmvTzCSihU0JJG5DY00Q6aD_RFWd9I8X3Uxg4S5nOKelnVuv4aeBRX7TwhyXW_ubiJSHf9HDIrY_xwY3I2HwOJx-fxbHMlIh30TzEXO1GxbVql-LZmuRt3hXCeOko1qtAwP8Fk/s320/Photo+77.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> </div><div style="text-align:center;margin:0px auto 10px;">What to say about this effect? We need to smile more!</div><div style="clear:both; text-align:CENTER"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-63821256814884923912009-01-02T19:36:00.000-06:002009-01-03T14:22:37.303-06:00So what is it?<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>Life is full of ups and downs. Last week Monday and Tuesday were okay. But then the pains were bad on Thursday, Friday, and today.<br/><br/>This has been a week of a few answers and more questions. On Tuesday, the immunologist said I have <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herpes_zoster'>Shingles</a>. But not normal shingles, I supposedly have <a href='http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/medical/zoster_sine_herpete.htm'>zoster sine herpete</a>, or shingles without the rash. The pain is symptomatic of shingles, so it kind of makes sense. Take some anti-viral pills, wait, and it's all good. Well, I did have a very tiny rash on my arm, far away from where the pain was, that looks nothing like the <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herpes_zoster'>photos on the web</a>. The big concern with Shingles is being the 1 in 5 folks who end up with <a href='http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/postherpetic-neuralgia/DS00277'>Postherpetic Neuralgia</a>.<br/><br/>Then, I talk to my primary care doctor, <a href='http://www.homefirst.com/component/option,com_contxtd/Itemid,34/task,blog/id,0/'>Dr. Mark Zumhagen</a>, and read the test results over the phone to him. He says, "that's not the test for shingles." A little googling later, and indeed the test was related, but not exactly the shingles test. Still, the symptoms match, so let's go with it.<br/><br/>Then, yesterday the neurologist calls. It is never good when the doctor calls. He agreed that the test the immunologist did was not conclusive. And the lumbar MRI showed an enlarged disc. This could also cause nerve damage to the areas where I am having pain. So now I'm wondering, is it shingles or an enlarged disc in my spine?<br/><br/>But he continues.<br/><br/>Early on, I had an EMG test. This test has two parts. First they first hook you up to two electrodes, shock you, and measure how fast electricity travels between the two electrodes. The second part, they have a needle that is hooked up to a computer, and they poke you with that needle. It makes an audible sound as well as graphs on the computer. My test showed <a href='http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/myotonic+discharge'>myotonic discharge</a>. This is kind of wierd. <br/><br/>So, <a href='http://neurology.uchicago.edu/Person.aspx?PersonID=7'>Dr. Rezania</a> ordered a genetic test to see if I have the gene for <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myotonic_dystrophy'>myotonic dystrophy</a>. Turns out I do. There are a lot of things I want to pass on to my children -- love for God, a desire to serve, and a sense of adventure. The gene for <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myotonic_dystrophy'>myotonic dystrophy</a> is not on my list. This looks pretty bad. The doctor did make it clear that this isn't conclusive that it is the cause of my pain. There will be at least another evaluation, and probably more tests. <br/><br/>Lucky me. Why couldn't I have just had a <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidney_stone'>kidney stone</a>? Or <a href='http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/diverticulitis'>diverticulitis</a>?<br/></div>Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-62863970625081559572008-12-15T20:07:00.001-06:002008-12-15T20:07:43.599-06:00The days Jesus came to visit!<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'>It has been a really hard two months. The pain gets worse and better with no particular pattern. Wednesday when I saw the Neurologist, I was in pretty good shape. By Friday, the pain was so bad we thought about going to the hospital for the pain medicine. Today, it's under control. But this post isn't about me, it's about all the love that has been shown to us by family, friends, and strangers. This will be a very long post.<br/><br/>Our lot has four really big silver maple trees. That means a lot of leaves come down late in the fall. The day after Thanksgiving, Jesus came in the form of 8 men from the Men's Club at church who came over and raked all the leaves up and mowed the lawn. These are folks who I might have met twice at the two meetings I went to, so I barely know them. But when the president of the <a href='http://www.stgerald.com/parish/mensclub.htm'>Men's Club</a> saw me limping through church one day, he stopped me and asked if there was anything they could do to help. And so they spent a couple of hours cleaning the gutters. Thank you!<br/><br/>A few days before Thanksgiving, Jesus came in the form of <a href='http://www.stgerald.com/'>St. Gerald </a>parishioners unexpectedly delivering a box of food. I am still working, we can afford food, and we put money into the poor box at church to help those less fortunate. We've both worked in food pantries and met some people who need food a lot more than we do, so this gift was challenging to accept. We wondered if our situation was really bad enough to warrant a food box, and contemplated bringing it all back to church the next week. But as we looked at the boxes sitting in our hall for a few days, we realized that it was more than a gift of food. It was a gift of support, fellowship, and solidarity. It was really nice for the next few weeks to be able to grab some soup or cereal and say a prayer for the family that donated it. This was a gift of real generosity to Susan, who has a lot on her plate right now. The easy to prepare meals have been a blessing. Thank you!<br/><br/>Last week, Jesus came as a group of Susan's friends who delivered a card that included a variety of gift cards. Again we were overwhelmed with gratitude and emotion. I am still working, and for now, the paychecks are still coming. But this gift has been an offset to the extra expenses we've encountered lately. I take a train to work, and the walk at the other end is 9/10ths of a mile. I can't walk that far, so I take a $6 cab ride each way, when I do go into work, and this gift has helped to offset those expenses. And even though we've reached our out of pocket maximum on the insurance, there are still parking fees, drugs, acupuncture, and copays. Thank you!<br/><br/>I've had a lot of visits, tests, and followups with "ologist's" during in the last two months. Jesus regularly comes in the form of Susan's mom or sister watching Karen so that Susan can accompany me through this journey. And has Karen has grown, Lori has kept a steady stream of hand-me-downs coming! It has been helpful to have Susan with me at all the appointments. Thank you!<br/><br/>Right before this all started, we did demolition on a room upstairs to add insulation. When I was in no condition to finish the job, Jesus came in the form of Susan's dad who came and <a href='http://www.mattjones.org/2008/10/work-and-wall.html'>helped Susan build the wall</a>. Our house is much warmer this winter. He's also helped with a lot of odd jobs around the house that I normally do. Thank you!<br/><br/>The early days of going back to work were a bit of a challenge. And I was always able to ask my friend Bill Murphy for a ride. He normally takes a train also, but has been more than willing to drive when I feel like I need it. Also, he drove me to work the day I went in for a 2.5 hour MRI. Our plan was for Susan to come and pick me up when it was done, but at the last minute he surprised us and offered to stick around in the waiting room. Thank you!<br/><br/>And then, Jesus came again last night when the <a href='http://www.stgerald.com/'>Church</a> delivered some Christmas gifts for Karen and our family. Again, we are humbled by the generosity of so many. It still feels a little wierd to have been chosen for this, but it also feels wonderful to receive so much love from a parish which we only joined in August 2007. We really appreciate the Church reminding us that is how it is with Jesus too--you give a little and get so much in return. Thank you!<br/><br/>Susan has been amazing. Our baby is due March 1, so she's getting bigger every day! In the last two months, she's been so wonderful in her loving care and concern. Normally, I do do some work in the kitchen, and with her being so far along in the pregnancy, I should be doing more, but she keeps cooking great meals as well as holding my arm to help me walk when I need, driving me to doctor's appointments, and <a href='http://www.mattjones.org/2008/10/work-and-wall.html'>let's not forget building a wall</a> for insulation. More importantly, she prays with me, talks with me, and loves me. I do not envy the pain I know she feels. At least I can point to my pain and say "this hurts here." Her pain is that of watching the one you love ride a roller coaster of good days and bad days. I pray that I never have to feel that pain, but if I do, that I will support her as much as she has supported me. Thank you Susan!<br/><br/>Jesus comes to us in many different ways. This experience has been humbling, and has opened our eyes to a whole different perspective of <a href='http://www.vatican.va/'>Church</a>. We just asked for some help with leaves, and they have seen that we are having a hard time and are helping in whatever ways they think of. All of us, every day, have the opportunity to give to help those less fortunate, and that is definitely a spiritual gift which we have some control over. Having been helped so much in so many ways and by so many people this past month, I can tell you that it is also a spiritual gift to be on the receiving side of unexpected help. We would never ask for hardship upon you, but we do pray that, at some point during your life, you have an experience like ours, where friends, family, and Church come together to show you how much God loves you. Thank you!<br/><br/><br/></div>Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-61485385583129377992008-11-03T16:07:00.003-06:002008-11-03T16:10:35.069-06:00More updates will have to wait. Please Pray.I am still in pain, and it's been almost a month. <br /><br />I am seeing lots of specialists, but it will be at least two weeks before I know the results of some of the tests. <br /><br />I just want to ask for prayers. Please pray for me and for my doctors.<br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />MattMatt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-40132937807171323492008-10-23T09:29:00.000-05:002008-10-23T09:33:15.393-05:00Two weeks, and it is still unclear why I'm in pain...<p class="MsoNormal">Yesterday I was in a lot of pain. My gastroenterologist wasn’t in the office so he couldn’t prescribe any pain medicine. I ended up seeing my primary care doctor for over an hour last night for a thorough evaluation.<o:p></o:p><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal">He thinks that the pain is in my kidneys and not due to diverticulitis. His advice was<span style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125);"> </span>to keep my colonoscopy scheduled, but to also see a urologist in case it is a kidney stone. Apparently, my pain is pretty typically the pain that one would have with a kidney stone, though it didn’t show up on the CT scan or in other tests. This is confusing to say the least.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>So, I’m at the urologist tomorrow at 11 in case it is kidney stones. And I am pretty well stocked on Tylenol #3 (with codeine), that do seem to mask the pain, though I do get tired.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p>Please pray for a quick and conclusive diagnosis.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-9958839880255481222008-10-21T22:13:00.007-05:002008-10-21T22:52:29.294-05:00Work and The WallToday's post is in two parts -- one for the update on my health, and the other is an update on our construction.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">Work</span><br /><br />My last update was on Friday, which was a particularly good day for me. I managed to work the entire day, without taking a nap in the middle of the day. On Friday, I decided that Monday would be a great day to try to go back to work.<br /><br />Not so much. There are orders of magnitude of difference between getting out of bed and working from a laptop at the kitchen table to getting downtown to the office to work. Here's what the commute was like yesterday: Susan drove me the three blocks to the train station, where I had to stand and wait about 10 minutes for the train (that was 8 minutes late). The train jiggled me around for about 45 minutes on the ride downtown. Then I walked outside to pay to much for a cab to take me the 0.9 miles to my office. The elevator took me from the first to the ninth floor -- that actually went pretty smoothly. Then I realized that the new glass door on our office was a lot heavier than it ever was before, and had to wait for a co-worker to open the door.<br /><br />After that, it's no wonder that my side was hurting pretty bad. Our COO made several comments that he couldn't look at me because I was in so much pain. Between my pain and realizing that being at work in pain was distracting my coworkers from getting anything done either, I ended up catching a cab back to Union Station to be on the 12:35 train home. After a little nap, I dialed in for one more meeting in the afternoon, but was pretty spent.<br /><br />So I worked from home today, and had an amazingly productive day. I felt like I started to catch up on some of what I got behind on last week. It was great! But after dinner the pains returned. It is on my left side, right below the rib cage. It hurts to be in bed, so I'm up late writing a blog post...<br /><br />Tomorrow, I'll call again to see if the doctor will give me some pain medicine. If I don't get an answer, I'll make an appointment. I need to be able to sleep.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">The Wall</span><br />I normally do all home improvements myself. While sometimes challenging, I enjoy tackling something I've never done before and figuring out how to solve construction issues. But, since buying this house, we've had too much work to do. So, when it came time to remodel the upstairs, we decided to make an exception to the rule and hire help for the insulation and drywall. We even hired the drywall guy to come in early to remove all the old paneling for the insulation contractor. This demolition was done a week before I went into the hospital.<br /><br />Unfortunately, the paneling on the outside wall was just attached to furring strips that were attached to the brick, so there was no room to put insulation. The weekend I was in the hospital, I was planning on framing out a wall that could hold the insulation. Obviously that didn't happen.<br /><br />But, it's getting kind of chilly in Chicago, and not having any paneling or insulation in that room upstairs is having an effect on the comfort level in the Jones household, so we had to figure something out. Last week, Susan asks me "how would you build the wall?" So I explained it to her, and she says "that doesn't sound hard, can I do it?" Remember, she is five months pregnant, and asking if she can build a wall!!!<br /><br />She did it!<br /><br />Her dad came over, and <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mattjonesphoto/SheSBuildingAWall#5259820446531717794">while I sat in a chair directing</a>, the two of them got the wall up, and neither had ever built a wall before. There are a lot of things I admire about Susan. Her "Can Do" attitude is high on that list. I am very grateful that my children have such a strong woman for a mother!<br /><br /><br /><table style="width: 194px;"><tbody><tr><td style="background: transparent url(http://picasaweb.google.com/f/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat scroll left center; height: 194px; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" align="center"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mattjonesphoto/SheSBuildingAWall#"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/mattjonesphoto/SP6ifkIT6BE/AAAAAAAAAks/49eJGY3u3i0/s160-c/SheSBuildingAWall.jpg" style="margin: 1px 0pt 0pt 4px;" height="160" width="160" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align: center; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mattjonesphoto/SheSBuildingAWall#" style="color: rgb(77, 77, 77); font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;">She's building a wall</a></td></tr></tbody></table>Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-7938152350382352472008-10-17T07:58:00.002-05:002008-10-17T08:16:40.452-05:00ImprovingOn Wednesday, my side was very tender, and hurt with almost every movement. But I slept good on Wednesday night and woke up Thursday in pretty good shape. As the day wore on, the pain came back. I also went to the gastroenterologist yesterday. He was recommended by a family friend, and seemed like a pretty nice person. Though doctor appointments are always stressful and quick, and I always forget to write down my list of important questions. Next time I will write the list down.<br /><br />The only weird thing was the nurse's insistence that I provide my social security number in order to have any procedures done in the office. Social security numbers should only be used for tax purposes. Unfortunately, they are also necessary for credit reporting. <br /><br />In this day and age of rampant identity theft, we have to guard our social security numbers well. I can think of no good reason for the doctor to need my social security number. They obviously need the insurance ID in order to be paid, and in the past, I've confirmed that our insurance company does not require the social security number for doctors to be paid. The doctor agreed, but when meeting with the nurse to schedule, she said "it's our policy that to have a procedure done in the office, you have to provide your social security number" and that's the best explanation she could give. If she had said that they needed to run a credit check, I would have been disturbed, but understood. But there's no good reason to have my SSN listed on the coversheet of my medical file, available for any worker in the office to see.<br /><br />At any rate, I'm going in for a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colonoscopy">Colonoscopy </a>and <a href="http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/upperendoscopy/">Upper Endoscopy </a>on December 2nd. <br /><br />And I hope to be going back to work on Monday!!!Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-3926254097998154562008-10-15T20:17:00.003-05:002008-10-16T06:36:56.091-05:00My co-workers are trying to kill me<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR0yUB5PRdLjWXWChWzs0WnUmoAar6Dbs6WDlrvU467pvAt0niD5C5gP5gb05tbFZqyhEUMCfJtyTE5v37qQivjl2sjBL3Q1rSiGdK64krI-olArySt9VdPOoszhEaQnWQD5ftre3xIGM/s1600-h/photo.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR0yUB5PRdLjWXWChWzs0WnUmoAar6Dbs6WDlrvU467pvAt0niD5C5gP5gb05tbFZqyhEUMCfJtyTE5v37qQivjl2sjBL3Q1rSiGdK64krI-olArySt9VdPOoszhEaQnWQD5ftre3xIGM/s200/photo.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5257555792238342162" /></a><br />A good friend from work, Bill, came over to visit tonight. He brought a card from all my coworkers at work. It made me laugh so much it hurt. <div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-64442209558595941422008-10-14T19:46:00.003-05:002008-10-14T20:13:04.304-05:00Three days after three days at the hospital...It is Tuesday now, and I was released on Saturday. My best day in the past week was the day I came home from the hospital. I wasn't in pain, rather I just had a little discomfort. Solid food also hadn't worked it's way entirely through my system either though...<br /><br />Sunday, my belly was a bit more tender, but I was able to rest and make it through the day.<br /><br />Monday, my goal was to take it easy working from home, preparing for a training that was today. But I had already missed two days of work, so I had plenty to catch up on. And in my new job, there are always URGENT SITUATIONS that need to be addressed right away. Yesterday was no exception, though I did break away a few times to lie down for a rest. Monday, my belly was tender most of the day, though there were a few times when I noticed it didn't hurt too much.<br /><br />Today, a vendor we recently purchased a tool from came into the office to give our professional services team a bit of hands-on training. Since I'm now the director of professional services, and I led the effort to choose this tool, I felt a personal responsibility to be there. I woke up with some pain in my belly, so I decided to webex into the training. Then, there was a company meeting and a meeting with a big client that had already been rescheduled twice due to my illness. Needless to say, I didn't get the rest I needed today. And the pain was pretty constant most of the day.<br /><br />Tomorrow, we will make an appointment with a gastroenterologist. I should be doing better than this, and I'm almost out of antibiotics. When I was admitted to the hospital, they assigned me a doctor who works there, but neither Susan or I were very impressed. He kept talking about the ultrasound I supposedly had done in the ER, when I had a CT Scan, and no ultrasound. <br /><br />That's where it's at. Please keep me in your prayers.Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-4038150422568693802008-10-11T17:39:00.002-05:002008-10-15T02:02:14.582-05:00Three days at the hospital!<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><table style='width: auto;'><tbody><tr><td><a href='http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mgQeW7g0Dqx4OYM09U68jA?authkey=Rpfg26fxTBA'><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/mattjonesphoto/SPWT2zOkuMI/AAAAAAAAAj8/46sbD5LhJH8/s144/%5BUNSET%5D.jpg'/></a></td></tr><tr><td style='font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;'>From <a href='http://picasaweb.google.com/mattjonesphoto/BlogPhotos?authkey=Rpfg26fxTBA'>Blog Photos</a></td></tr></tbody></table>It all started Thursday morning at 2:50 am when I awoke with the worst pain I have ever felt in my abdomen. I tried to sit on the toilet but that hurt too much and I ended up lying on the floor. Susan (and Karen) woke up about then. We talked about pulling the car around to the front and driving to the hospital. But I could not bend to sit in the car. Pretty quickly we decided to call 911, and within minutes, the Oak Lawn Fire Department was there to transport me to the hospital. Susan stayed behind to wait for her parents to arrive to watch Karen.<br/><br/>The initial thought given the type and location of the pain was a kidney stone. But initially I did not have back pain, which apparently is normal with a kidney stone. Still I drank the "contrast" solution and waited two hours for the CT scan. Blood, urine, and CT results were all normal except I still was in a lot of pain. The ER doc at 8am said that he did not know the problem since all the tests came back okay, but decided to keep me for a 23 hour watch to see how I handled the pain. Then I was moved into the hallway to wait for a room.<br/><br/>At about 4 I was taken to a room, and at about 7 I saw Dr. Poleszak. He said the only other cause he could think of was diverticulitis, and prescribed antibiotics and pain medicine. That evening and night I took lots of pain medicine which helped a lot.<br/><br/>I was not allowed to eat until Friday at lunch when they gave me a liquid lunch. I am not sure if grape juice and Italian ice counts as really eating anything, but it was better than the ice chips I had been limited to before!!!<br/><br/>Friday night I finally got to eat some solid food. That went well and when I woke on Saturday, I felt good and ready to go home. I miss Karen!<br/><br/>Now, it is 2pm, and my cantankerous old neighbor is snoring while the football game he was watching still plays on the tv. The nurse says my doctor said he would be here between 3-4. So I expect him here by 8pm to discharge me!<br/><br/>UPDATE: The doc was there at 3:10, and by 3:45, I was out the door!<br/><br/><span style='font-size: 180%;'>Thank Yous</span><br/>In times of crisis and unexpected pain, there is always room for much gratitude.<br/>To <span style='font-weight: bold;'>Ron and Bettie</span> -- Thank you for answering the call at 3am on Thursday and taking care of Karen while Susan took care of me. And thank you for visiting last night.<br/>To <span style='font-weight: bold;'>Lori</span> -- Thank you for watching Karen all day on Thursday and Friday so Susan could spend the days with me. And thanks for being there for Susan so she could be there for me. It really helped.<br/>To <span style='font-weight: bold;'>Ken and Jenny</span> (neighbors) -- Thanks so much for the blueberry and banana (nut-free) muffins that were baked fresh when you saw me arrive at home!<br/>To <span style='font-weight: bold;'>everyone who prayed</span> -- Thank you! I am grateful for your prayers!<br/>To <span style='font-weight: bold;'>Susan</span> -- Thank you for handling everything so well. I know I was the one in physical pain, but I know this took it's toll on you too. More than you know, I appreciate all the time you spent in the hospital with me.</div>Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-87950310684536320372008-09-28T18:29:00.002-05:002008-09-28T18:33:51.920-05:00The Two Year Height PredictionKaren had her two year appointment on Friday. Her official height is 33 inches, and she weighs in at a whopping 25 pounds!<br /><br />They say that a person's eventual height can be determined by their height at two years of age. Their height is supposed to be double that of their two year height. The doc said she'd likely end up being 5 foot 4 inches, which I believe is the same height as my mother.<br /><br />In about 15 years, we'll check the blog for this entry to see what her height was when she was two!Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-2338427682986453272008-09-18T20:21:00.002-05:002008-09-18T20:43:08.182-05:00Baby2 UpdateTuesday we had another appointment with the Midwives. Susan is doing great. If you want to listen to the baby's heartbeat, <a href="https://mattjones.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/2008/Baby2+Heartbeat.wav">click here</a>.Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-9502150300833518532008-09-15T08:05:00.002-05:002008-09-15T08:17:40.989-05:00Chicago's Rainiest Day. Ever.<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><b><big><big>Saturday</big></big></b><br /><table style="width: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/LQYbecid0FkSHng1jw1K8w"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/mattjonesphoto/SM4_zNCdAqI/AAAAAAAAAb4/6Gna5QsxPgA/s144/_MJP8333.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mattjonesphoto/ChicagoSRainiestDayEver">Chicago's Rainiest Day. Ever</a></td></tr></tbody></table>6.63 inches is what they recorded at O'Hare. Our basement has an area that is unfinished, and an area that is finished. On the unfinished side, there was a leak that allowed water in every time we had a big rain. Saturday's rain kept up for hours, so I was able to find all four places on the unfinished side where water came in.<br />The biggest leak was where the gas line comes in. You can see in the photo there is a gap between the pipe and the concrete. When you are in a closet, and the leak is on the bottom side of a pipe and you can't get below the pipe, it's really hard to capture a photo, but trust me, the water isn't just dribbling in, it is pouring in. Google saved the day once again! A quick search told me that the answer to my problems is Hydraulic Cement. This is really cool stuff. You can apply it while the water is pouring in. And it sets permanently in 3-5 minutes. What makes it special is that most cement shrinks while it cures, but hydraulic cement actually expands slightly. <br />Two of the other leaks where between the foundation and window sills. One of them was easily accessible from the outside where I was able to dig out the area around it and patch from the outside using the hydraulic cement. The other window is right next to our concrete back patio. Over the years, the patio has shifted away from the foundation creating a crack which is allowing the water to pour in. Once it is dry, I'll apply Pli-Stix to fill this crack. <br />And the last leak on Saturday was the "Clean-Easy Drain." The seller said that it was the last remaining part of an incinerator they used to have, but had to remove once they became illegal. I really wish they would have really taken it all out, as we now have to have a bucket below this drain to catch the drip!<br />At any rate, by 5pm on Saturday, we were satisfied that we had taken care of the problems, and were grateful that our finished side hadn't shown any signs of leakage.<br /><b><big><big>Sunday<br /></big></big></b>At about 10am on Sunday, I went down to the basement to check on the improvements from Saturday and was pleased to find that the hydraulic cement had really worked to fix two of the leaks, and the bucket from the third wasn't overflowing. The fourth was still a problem, but we knew we couldn't fix it until it is dry outside. I then went over to the finished side, checked my e-mail, and life was good.<br />At about 2pm, I went downstairs again, and everywhere I stepped on the finished side, I made a big wet footprint in the carpet as water seeped up from the padding below. This made me sad. <br />So, I ran around and got all the toys and books up off the floor, and we decided to just wait it out. Tonight I'll go down with a wet/dry vacuum, but I suspect the carpet will have to be removed to prevent mold. We don't live in a flood plain, so we didn't have to buy flood insurance. I doubt that it will be covered, but we'll be checking with the insurance company anyways. The good news was that it seemed slightly drier this morning, though the carpet was still soaking wet. Basements should not have carpet.<br /></div>Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-5956867094189388362008-08-20T19:33:00.002-05:002008-08-20T19:46:57.515-05:00Choosing a birth practicionerWith another baby on the way, we find ourselves looking for a birth practitioner to accompany us on our journey of welcoming our baby into the world. Susan did a lot of research on birth in America before Karen was born, and what she learned was shocking, and makes it difficult to find a doctor or midwife who shares our outlook on birth.<br />When comparing the maternal death rate around the world, America is ranked 26th, right above Costa Rica. That’s right. 26th. We have more medical equipment at our births than anywhere else in the world, yet our rate of maternal deaths is high. This could be related to our obesity rates, or it could be related to the unique experience that is birth in an American hospital. Consider the Netherlands, which has the lowest maternal death rate. 75% of the births there are home births attended by midwives. Obstetricians are only brought in when there is a problem. Fetal monitoring occurs intermittently rather than having to wear a strap throughout labor. Women are free to eat and move around during labor to ease their pain. <br />In the developed world, America has the highest rate of cesarean section deliveries. At 29%, this is far higher than necessary. Why? Because for a doctor, it is a twenty minute operation and he gets to go home? Because if they get sued, at least they “tried everything possible?” Because labor started with an epidural? Because women needed the epidural because the doctor wouldn’t let them move around to ease their pain? We don’t know, but it seems clear that questioning the rate is justified.<br />So, after all this research, Susan has decided on three things she’s looking for in a birth practitioner.<br /><ol><li>Freedom to move around during labor – We’ve talked a lot about what went good and not so good about Karen’s birth. And the ability to move around, in and out of the waterbirth tub was a huge help. At most hospitals constant fetal monitoring and IVs are standard. Constant fetal monitoring has not been shown to be more effective than intermittent fetal monitoring, and IVs are really just a preparation for a cesarean section.</li><li>Freedom to deliver the baby in whatever position is most comfortable at the time – No, she probably won’t be standing on her head and delivering a baby, But there are other positions such as squatting which many women find comfortable. Susan leaned on the edge of the waterbirth tub when Karen was born, and while she’s never delivered a baby on her back, she does feel like her position was helpful.</li><li>Freedom to decide what medical treatments will be delivered to Susan and Baby. We want our birth to be as stress free as possible. We don’t want to fight with our practitioner during birth to avoid getting pitocin or an epidural, and we certainly don’t want our baby to have treatments such as eye ointment administered without cause.<br /></li></ol>It shouldn’t be that hard to find a natural minded doctor or midwife. Homefirst certainly fits the bill, but their bill is a bit steep. The midwives at West Suburban hospital are great, but it is a one hour drive each way for each prenatal appointment, and there’s a concern about getting to the hospital in time to deliver the baby. <br />We live within a mile of one hospital and within two miles of another. Susan has asked around on some internet groups to see if anybody knows a doctor who delivers at one of these hospitals that is more natural minded, to no avail.<br />Alas, we are ending up at West Suburban Hospital, with a birth attended by some really great midwives.Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-28951191690801611542008-07-29T08:00:00.002-05:002008-07-29T13:13:04.618-05:00Pregnancy Update<div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Well, this time around, Susan isn't nearly as sick as she was the <a href="http://www.mattjones.org/2006_02_01_archive.html">first time</a>. Of course she is tired and can't keep all her food down, but it's not as bad. The hardest part this time around is choosing a doctor or midwife. <br /><br />Though it was hard, Susan and I are fans of natural childbirth, and we'd like to find a practitioner who will support us. Susan is a member of a few online forums for mothers in our area, and she's asked if anybody on those groups knows of a doctor or midwife who is natural minded. The results of these inquiries has been a bit depressing. Our options are either midwives at West Suburban Hospital or a homebirth with <a href="http://www.homefirst.com/">Homefirst</a>. <br /><br />Now, we were very happy with <a href="http://www.homefirst.com/">Homefirst</a> for Karen's birth. When Karen was born, they billed insurance and we were settled. Now, however, they bill insurance and charge a $2,000 "<a href="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=649491">Home Fee</a>," which is not billable to insurance. Given that even with the pretty good insurance we have we will already be paying around $1,500 in deductibles, an extra $2,000 is quite a hit. There is a lot we could do with $2,000. <br /><br />The other option is midwives at <a href="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/archive/index.php/t-59265.html">West Suburban Hospital</a>. They have some really great labor and delivery rooms, and women can even deliver in the waterbirth tub. And we really like the midwives we have met who practice there. The biggest problem with West Suburban is that it is an hour away. While we probably should be more worried about driving an hour during labor, we really don't want to have to drive an hour for all the prenatal appointments. That would be really hard on both Susan and Karen.<br /><br />Upon visiting one of the midwives and explaining our issues with Homefirst, one of them<br />said "It's really too bad that women are losing another great option<br />for childbirth. I wonder if Dr. Eisenstein knows how many women have<br />come in here since he started the concierge fee?" It is strangely comforting to know that we are not alone in our frustrations.<br /><br />So please pray for us that we will make a decision and feel peace about our decision.<br /><br />Thank you!<br /><br /><br /></div>Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-36376196138883937052008-07-08T19:35:00.007-05:002008-07-09T09:27:42.929-05:00How our house almost burned down last night<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mattjonesphoto/BlogPhotos/photo?authkey=Rpfg26fxTBA#5220806828499768082"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/mattjonesphoto/SHQIJkWpkxI/AAAAAAAAAaU/GQpaHN-nuD4/s144/power-cord.jpg" align="left" /></a>I love my <a href="http://www.apple.com/mac/">Macintosh</a> computers, and would recommend them to anybody. My <a href="http://www.apple.com/macbook/">MacBook</a> is wonderful. It's not too big, not too small, has plenty of power, and comes at an affordable price. But I really wish it wouldn't have come this close to burning my house down.<br /><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/mattjonesphoto/BlogPhotos/photo?authkey=Rpfg26fxTBA#5220806833878041826"><img src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/mattjonesphoto/SHQIJ4Y7hOI/AAAAAAAAAac/MLuUOaNvlBU/s144/power-cord1.jpg" align="right" /></a>Check out that power cord!! It is supposed to have fuses in the brick to prevent these things from happening. I'm just glad that the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuse_%28electrical%29">fuses </a>finally blew before our new <a href="http://www.mattjones.org/2008/06/talk-amongst-yourselves-smoke-detectors.html">smoke detectors</a> had to have a real world trial. I just hope the computer isn't fried as well. I'll find out tomorrow when a friend from work lets me charge it with his power cord.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">UPDATE</span>: MacBook seems to be accepting a charge now. Yeah!Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6847226899399560429.post-21708893854751997802008-07-02T12:41:00.006-05:002008-07-02T22:15:05.905-05:00Strep Throat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/19694.htm"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/images/ency/fullsize/19694.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>A mere two days after finding out we are having a baby, Susan had a very sore throat last night. Fevers can be bad for babies so young, so she went straight to the doctor today. Strep throat was the diagnosis.<br /><br />She starts on antibiotics today, and we are sure everything will be okay. But it's a good time to ask for prayers for a safe pregnancy and delivery.<br /><br />Thank you,<br /><br />Matt, Susan, Karen, and Baby2Matt Joneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07229790621377312118noreply@blogger.com0