Paul's Update - 07/20/06

Dear Friends:

Paul went to the clinic this morning to get his blood drawn. The nurse had a lot of trouble getting a good vein to draw from. Afterwards they made a stop at McDonalds for breakfast. Tabby got Paul into the shower before lunch. He enjoys his shower! After lunch he spent some time watching TV and resting. Dad got him up a lot to go to the bathroom. It is good walking. Around 5pm tonight Dad worked with Paul to practice standing up at the walker. Dad had him do that several times. He needs to practice getting his balance. Once he was tired and didn't want to do that anymore Dad took the seat cushion from the wheelchair and had Paul "walk" around the kitchen & dining area. He did that for about 10 minutes. He did pretty good with that. It is a small area and he was able to maneuver it around the cabinets. If he got up against something that trapped the wheelchair he would move the opposite direction and get around it. Later Dad worked on stretching his arms and turning his palms up to put small items in his hand. He has a little trouble with that. Dad tried giving him money to hold in his hand. He held his pinky finger tight to his hand so he could hold the coins. He was able to give them back to Dad all at once and one at a time but when Dad asked him to give back just the quarter he had some trouble with that. Dad got him back in bed prior to leaving for bible study. He had been up quite a bit today. Tabby said last night Paul was up until 2am. He was very alert. She worked with him to write letters on paper and draw. She tried to get him to write his name. He tried real hard and you could tell he was writing letters. He also put the marker in his teeth and tried to write with his teeth ... we aren't sure what that was all about!! LOL Tabby went out with Max this afternoon so that Tai's coworkers could see the baby. She also went to GNC (the folks that fixed the van after she bought it). Evidently they are looking for a new receptionist but Dad wasn't sure that she applied for it. The search continues!

Have a great day TGIF, Lynne & Carl