Paul's Update - 12/29/06

Dear Friends:

Paul continues to make amazing progress each day. Tabby works with his speech each day. He can now repeat most of the alphabet. He has trouble saying letters like D, P & W but he makes it through most of the other letters without much trouble. Every once in a while he will say something on his own. Tonight he said the word "other" in a sentence without any prompting. We haven't tried to get him to say this word at all so it seems he can say some words without being repeated after us. Dad has also been working on getting Paul to stand up with the walker beside his bed. He is able to stand up by himself fairly well. He still has lots of balance problems but Dad and Tabby are right there to catch him is he loses balance. Dad had him stand and sit several times this afternoon. At first he was just flopping down on the bed and falling back but after some practice he was able to bend his knees and sit without falling back. Tabby has also gotten him to roll over on his side in the bed all by himself. This is real helpful since he is such a big guy and it is hard for Tabby to roll him over by herself. He can roll over on either side which is pretty amazing to watch! Tabby tried tonight to get Paul to use a pen and write or draw something on a piece of paper. He took the pen and put it in his right hand and he was able to hold it correctly!! He didn't seem to be able to use the pen though. Tabby tried putting the pen in Paul's left hand but he wouldn't have anything to do with that and he transferred the pen back to his right hand. Maybe with more practice he will be able to use it! It would be so nice if we could get the therapists to come back now that Paul is showing so much improvement but it looks like the insurance company has dropped Paul's coverage and in order to get Medicaid to cover any therapy he would have to be in the hospital for 5 days first. It is frustrating how the system works against those who don't make "typical" progress! At least Dad & Tabby are willing to be Paul's therapists!

Have a great weekend!! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 12/26/06

Dear Friends:

All things are back to normal at Paul's house. Tabby is working, Max is home, Dad is back to full time care with Max, Paul & Ozzy. Tabby & Paul both seem to be better from the virus that was going around last week. Thank goodness! Dad had a pretty typical day. They watched TV and Paul got up quite a bit to go to the bathroom. When Tabby came home Dad & I went to take the car to the Toyota dealer for some service work. She was working with him and she asked him "How are you doing?" and he said "tired". She asked him "did you miss me?" he nodded yes first and then said "I miss everything!". The TV was running and the volume was turned down so Tabby asked him "do you want the volume up?" and he said "Yes and eat I do". While Dad was gone Paul said "I need bathroom". Tabby said "I'm sorry I can't take you, I'm too small" and he nodded yes (I guess he understood what that meant!). He also said something that was hard to understand. It sounded like "I like elevision". Jen figure out that he said "I like Television". These are such amazing things that he is saying without prompting!! What gifts we are being given ... better than anything I could buy! Our God knows our every need and he wants us to be happy. These things make us all VERY happy! Although he does these things, he doesn't do them all the time ... but even short spells of talking seems more wonderful than I can explain. Dad said that this afternoon he asked Paul if he misses Tabby and he nodded "yes", then he asked "do you know who I am?" and Paul shook his head "no". As difficult as this is to accept ... he seems to be consistent in his answer to this question. It appears that he really doesn't know who Dad is. We hope that someday that will change as well. Dad also asked him if he knew his left from right. Paul nodded "yes" so Dad said "can you show me you left hand?". Paul had his fingers interlocked and he took them apart, pulled his right hand to his chest and held out his left hand. Pretty good huh? It is apparent that he knows lots more than he can communicate to us at this time! That is what we pray for anyway! Later this evening Tabby went to get his pants to change into while he was in the bathroom. She looked in and said "Paul ... think fast" and threw his pants to him. They fell to the floor and she said "no ... you need to catch them" and she told him to hold up his hand to catch them and threw them again. He was able to catch them the second time!! What a great ability ... it really does take fast thinking to catch something!! Paul has made so many improvements over the last couple of weeks and it looks like we are getting more each day. How blessed we are!

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl

P.S. I understand the link I sent last night didn't work for some folks ... here is a better one ..

Paul's Update - 12/25/06

Dear Friends:

Christmas has always been a special family time for us. This was extra special since we were able to all be together for the celebration. But first let's start with the update for Christmas Eve. Tabby was still gone to West Virginia having a Christmas celebration with her family (and picking up Max!). She stayed until almost 6pm. Paul didn't want to watch the football game so he and Dad stayed downstairs and watched the movie "King of Kings". Because Paul continues to mimic words that we say we try to encourage him to say new things a lot. Whenever we know (or he indicates) that he wants something we try to get him to say it. He has been able to say an amazing number of new words. I must tell you that this week has been an emotionally tough week for all. Christmas is a time when we focus on family and our family has been given trials that nobody should ever have to deal with. But God is so good ... and every time we need encouragement ... He gives it to us! Last night after Tabby got home she was encouraging Paul to say words and he said "I ... like" so she asked him ... "What do you like?". Without any prompting he said ... "Ice Milk". Tabby was so surprised so she asked "do you want ice milk?" and he said "I like ice milk". This is significant for a couple reasons ... 1) he said this without prompting ... 2) he said four words in a sentence and ... 3) prior to his accident he LOVED milk ... ICE COLD!! After that Dad said he was extremely talkative and said several new words and some that they couldn't understand. What a great Christmas gift!! Today all the kids came to our house. Paul was able to say "Merry Christmas" and it very clearly understandable!! At breakfast we had Bobby and his girlfriend Jen, Carolyn & her husband Billy and their daughter Alysa, Paul, Tabby & Max, Carl's brother Jimmy and Billy's dad Jim. It has been a tradition for several years that I make breakfast for us on Christmas morning (I don't do breakfast any other time!!) and we sit together for a meal prior to opening any gifts. This was particularly difficult for Alysa this year!! She is only 6. But she managed to make it through breakfast. Afterwards we go to the living room and someone gets to play "Santa" and hand out gifts. Carolyn helped in that realm this year! Paul had several gifts to open (as did we all!). At first he had trouble with the concept ... much like a young child would. He tried to eat the package and then he tried to open it with his teeth. After some help and several tries he seems to catch on and was able to open his gifts by himself. He got several movies on DVD and interestingly enough when he opened them if they were upside down he would turn them around so they were right-side up. It may mean nothing but it appears that he recognizes the way it looks and knows when they are right-side up! When someone got a gift from Paul they said "thank you" so we got him to say "your welcome"!! He seemed to be in good spirits and enjoyed being with the family. After we were done at home we piled in our cars and headed to Grandma Johnson's (Carl's Mother) house who lives with his sister and her family. Carl's brother and two sisters were there so Mom got to have all her children on Christmas as well. Paul did well on the trip and we had a wonderful day! I hope your family was blessed as much as we were on Christmas day.

--- New Pictures ---

Love, Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 12/23/06

Dear Friends:

Dad headed over to Paul's early this morning. Once the nurse got there she and Dad got Paul up and dressed. Tabby left around mid-morning to go to her parents house in West Virginia. She was still feeling sick but headed out anyway. She is looking forward to spending some Christmas time with her family. She will be back on Sunday evening with Max. Dad and Gladys took care of Paul until time to head out for El Agave (our favorite Mexican Restaurant) for lunch. This is a trip that Dad & I make almost weekly with Bill & Ronda. It was nice to get Paul out of the house. We rode in Bill's Cadillac (nice riding)! It was a beautiful sunny day in the 60's. The ride takes about 40 minutes to Warrenton. It was a nice trip. Paul had a Chicken Taco Salad and seemed to enjoy it. On the ride home we went past the Bull Run Park "Festival of Lights" and you could see quite a bit of the display from the highway. Paul seemed to enjoy that. Unfortunately we got almost home and Paul got sick in the car. We aren't sure if he has what Tabby has been suffering with or if it was the spicy food, or riding in the back seat of the car. We managed to get him cleaned up and got him home where Dad could change his clothes. Fortunately the nurse was still there and was able to help before she went home. Dad is staying at Paul's house tonight since Tabby is gone and hopefully they will have a quiet night. I spent some of the day finishing up some of the Christmas preparations. I'm looking forward to having everyone for breakfast on Monday. Sunday will be a busy day with our regular church services and a Christmas Eve service at night. We have lots to celebrate as we prepare for Jesus' birthday!

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 12/23/06

Dear Friends:

Paul had a good day today. Dad got there early to make sure that Tabby was up and let the nurse in. Tabby headed off to work but only made it to the office when she got sick. Her trainer told her to go home so she spent the day in bed. Fortunately we don't see any symptoms of Paul getting sick as of yet. Dad worked with Paul to get himself up from the bed today. He tries and Dad is there to catch him once he is up since he doesn't have enough balance to stand by himself. I was off today and went shopping early to try to finish up for Christmas. Carolyn came over to our house to help wrap presents. Once we got finished (mostly anyway) we went to get lunch to take to Dad. Paul had already eaten lunch. We visited while we ate lunch at Paul's house. When it was time to leave I told Paul that I was going to go back home and finish wrapping presents and he said "OK"!! He responded to my statement! I love these small responses ... and they really are small but they are so wonderful! Dad & I went to a Christmas Open House tonight. Tabby was going to take care of Paul tonight since Dad wouldn't be back before bedtime. Bobby was there just in case she needed him. Saturday Tabby plans to go to West Virginia to visit with her family for a Christmas gathering. She will stay overnight and bring Max home on Sunday. It will be good to have him back home!

Have a great weekend! Love, Carl & Lynne

Paul's Update - 102/21/06

Dear Friends:

The last couple of days have been pretty quiet. Paul's day is mostly uneventful. Dad was able to finish up the kitchen and now the only thing left is some paint on the new doors and one piece of baseboard trim. It looks great and I will be able to cook Christmas breakfast for my family! I do this each year ... it's a nice tradition ... and the kids can go and visit their in-laws after we eat and open presents. Anyway ... Tabby is still fighting a cold and she is missing Max. The house is surely quiet without him ... it just isn't the same! Pap-Paw is missing him quite a bit too. Paul continues to "parrot" what we say to him. It is our hope that he will eventually use the words he is learning to communicate with us. He has gotten down "OK" and says that without much prompting. He has trouble saying numbers but he can say lots of words. He also works with Tabby to do facial movements. Puckering, raising one eyebrow and then the other (even I can't do this!!), blinking, closing one eye and then the other. It is pretty amazing what he CAN do! The holidays are a difficult time since we really miss the old Paul so much. This is Tabby's favorite time of the year. She really enjoyed spending it with Paul and it is difficult for her to cope with not having what they had! The same goes for all of us. We are truly thankful for all that God has blessed us with but sometimes it is hard to be patient for the healing to happen. Carl is especially burdened lately since his mother is not well and may be looking at going home to our Lord soon. She is 92 and has had a very full life. Carl and Carolyn took a ride to visit with her today since she got out of the hospital and was at home. Friday Dad will go to Paul's as usual but the Starbucks trip will include a small change. Dad asked Paul if he enjoyed his Caramel Macchiato this morning & he shook his head "no". So Dad asked him if he'd rather have a Vanilla Latte tomorrow and he nodded "yes". Then when Dad was leaving tonight he said "I'll see you tomorrow" and Paul shook his head "no". Dad said "I'll be here tomorrow, do you want a Macchiato?" and Paul shook his head "no". Dad said "you want a Vanilla Latte?" and he nodded his head "yes". He apparently remembered the conversation from earlier! This is encouraging since we sometimes wonder if he really remembers things. Please continue to pray for our family and Paul's healing. I am reminded in a devotional today that "Your faithfulness allows God to reveal greater insight to you than to the less faithful. Faithfulness brings opportunities to you that are not given to the unfaithful. God takes pleasure in answering prayers that come from a faithful heart". Your continued faithfulness has allowed us to be blessed by God. Thanks for standing with us and praying faithfully!

Love, Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 12/18/06

Dear Friends:

Today was a quiet day for Paul since Dad was at our house working on the kitchen floor. It is almost done and looks GREAT! I stayed home from work today ... it seems I'm trying to come down with a cold. I'm sure we will all have it before long! Dad went over this morning and let the nurse in and made sure Tabby was up for work. She slept most of the weekend and was feeling somewhat better today. She isn't use to getting up and having to go out so early but she managed to get out of the house by 7:15am. Dad & Dora got Paul cleaned up and dressed before Dad headed back home. Tabby got home this evening after a stop at the grocery store. Tabby worked with Paul to attempt to get him to say more words tonight. She is trying to get him to identify what he needs. She put some carrots in front of him and asked him to say "I want" and point to them. He can point when given a choice of things but he hasn't been able to point out what he wants without prompting. He wouldn't do it but Tabby is persistent and will keep trying. Dad said Paul can say some words better than others ... like he can say "Tele...vision" but he can't say TV. He can say "Tabitha" which has three syllables but no other three syllable words. Each day he says new words. We hope that this progress will eventually turn into constructive talking. We certainly has good reasons to be hopeful! God has been so good to us!

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 12/17/06

Dear Friends:

Dad went to Paul's early as usual. Tabby was still sleeping. Her cold has really gotten her down and she is getting as much rest as possible. Dad let the nurse in and came home to go out to breakfast. Paul was able to come upstairs today to watch the Redskins game. Gladys really didn't have much to do this afternoon since Paul was upstairs with all of us. She was available to help when Paul needed to go to the bathroom but otherwise she stayed downstairs and watched a movie. I'm sure she was missing Max a bunch too!! Tonight Paul went to the Christmas program at church. He was feeling good and enjoyed the program. He stayed after and went to the social hall for cookies & punch. He really didn't want anything to eat and he was ready to head home soon after that. All of my children were there tonight except Billy (who was working) and Tabby since she was at home in bed. It was nice to have Jen with Bobby tonight!! Alysa got to see Santa tonight too ... he made a stop by the church with one of his elves!! The kids really enjoyed that ... the little ones and the big (adult) ones too. LOL

Some Pictures

Have a great day!! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 12/16/06

Dear Friends:

Dad headed to Paul's early as usual with Starbucks in hand. Once the nurse, Gladys showed up Dad was able to come home and do some errands. Tabby was planning to spend the day with her parents so Dad had to be back at Paul's around 10am. She left to go to Alexandria to shop and look at Christmas lights. They had a good time. Paul had a good day. He spent most of the day watching movies. Dad had him up several times walking to and from the bathroom. Tonight I spent some time with Paul & Max. Paul was able to say "I am Paul". This is significant because he has never said his own name before. He said it very clearly! He also said "Good Night" when he was ready for bed. Max is spending the week with Grandma & Grandpa Smith. They took him to West Virginia for the week. Tabby has a cold so she is glad he won't be any more exposed to her than he already has been. Hopefully Paul won't catch it either!! Dad went today and picked up our flooring for the kitchen. He will spend some time over the next few days getting that installed so the kitchen will be done for Christmas!! Yahoo!!

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 12/15/06

Dear Friends:

Paul has been pretty quiet the last couple of days. I suspect he misses having Tabby around now that she is working. Dad has been keeping up with things at the house. Dora helps to take care of Paul and Dad takes care of Max and Ozzie. All is going well as we come to the end of Tabby's first full week at her new job. Thursday Dad had a talk with Paul to decide what to get Tabby for Christmas ... shhh ... don't tell her. They decided on a nice gift and Dad went shopping to get it! They are quite a team! Dad tries to get Paul to say his words whenever possible. It will help if he can start associating what he needs with what he says. Tonight he was able to say "I need Tylenol". Dad asked if he had a headache and he nodded "yes" so Dad told him to say "I ... need ... Tylenol". He was able to repeat it with Dad. He struggles with some of the words that are harder but he says them good enough to understand. He appeared to have pretty good balance today when Dad walked him. Tonight Tabby went to visit with Paul's best friend from his work. Brian is the fellow that organized the fund raising benefit last year about this time. This weekend Tabby will spend some time with her parents. They plan to go to see Christmas lights and shop in Alexandria. It is a tradition for them. Dad & I will be at Paul's a lot of the day. I will be gone for a bit for the choir practice at church ... we are getting ready for our Christmas program on Sunday. Hopefully Paul & Tabby will be able to come for the program! We are looking forward to another busy weekend!!

Have a great weekend! Love, Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 12/213/06

Dear Friends:

Dad went to Starbucks and got to Paul's around 7am. Dora is suppose to get there by then ... she is usually a little late though. Tabby needs to be up by that time in order to get ready for work. During her training time she will work from 9-4pm. Paul had a mostly quiet day. He worked on a few new words today. He was able to say Bobby's name and he said "I like Ozzie". He was able to say "something" after much work. Tabby worked to say "some" ... then ... "thing", and he could repeat them separately and one time Tabby said "some" and he said "thing". LOL Dad also work with some children's books that Nana sent for Max. One of them has a matching exercise. On one page it has a picture of an animal and on the next page you had to pick out the matching animal among four pictures. He was able to pick out the whale but he wouldn't do any of the other pages. He nodded when Dad asked him if he knew what they were but he wouldn't point out the matches. It is really hard to know if he really can do it since his accuracy is such a small percentage. Dad will keep working on this with him and maybe he can increase his accuracy with practice. It may be that he thinks these are somewhat silly but it would be nice to see him humor us! Tabby had another good day at work. She is really enjoying it so far. She sat with the girl that she is replacing today and "observed" what she will be doing. She wasn't suppose to ask questions ... just observe ... but she asked questions anyway!! The girl was OK with that since it shows that Tabby is interested in learning! Max is growing and learning quite a lot. Dad said he is eating plenty. Today he was eating Cheerios in his highchair. Most of them went to the floor but he was able to get a few and eat them. He gets a little "floor time" each day. He is scooting pretty good. He backed himself under the couch yesterday!! LOL He is now 6 months old ... how time flies!! He is such a joy.

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 12/12/06

Dear Friends:

Paul had a pretty quiet day today. Dad said he wasn't much interested in talking. He was able to get him to repeat some things but when he doesn't want to talk it is pretty hard to get him to. This is the same with anything Paul doesn't WANT to do. He didn't want to get himself out of bed today either. Dad had to get him up to walk to the bathroom and back. Tabby's second day at work went well. She brought home a "whole bunch of homework" as Dad says! She is checking into the insurance so that she can sign up as soon as her 30 day probation period is complete. There is some concern that they may not take pre-existing conditions but there is an exception for people who have had insurance up until signing up for this insurance ... so we think Paul will be covered. It will be nice to have coverage so that Tabby can discontinue paying $1,000 for the COBRA payment. It appears that despite the fact that Tabby is making less income ... she will have her needs met with this job ... and she seems to like it! Dad is keeping Max during the day for now. He is such a good baby and is use to being around Pap-Paw all day anyway! Auntie Carolyn helps out when she can ... until she starts HER new job the first of the year!! God has blessed us so much over the last few weeks. Thanks for your prayers, they continue give us strength & hope.

Love & Hugs, Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 12/11/06

Dear Friends:

Today was Tabby's first day at her new job. She had to be there at 9am to start her day. It was mostly orientation and getting to know people but she seems to like it so far. Dad & Dora took care of Max, Paul and Ozzie. Dad worked with Paul to say some things today. He had to tell Dad when he was done eating or when he wants to get up. He really doesn't say things without repeating what you say but he has said a couple of things that were on his own. It is just a start to what we believe will be great things to come!! Today he was able to say Dora's name. She was surprised and pleased! He has gotten very good at saying new sounds and is saying new words quite easily. It is amazing to watch and hear!! He has trouble with names and when he cannot say a word it usually comes out as "ou". He also has trouble once he is tired. Dad also worked to get Paul to use his hands to help come to a standing position from the edge of the bed by himself. He is able to get to the edge of the bed and put his hands to his side on the bed and push himself forward to stand. Dad has to catch him once he starts to come up because he still doesn't have good balance and starts to fall back easily. I got home about 8pm tonight and was able to visit for a short time before it was time for Paul's medicines. He falls asleep within about 20 minutes after the medicines. It was good to see Paul doing so well ... all this improvement in just a few days!!

Have a great day, Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 12/10/06

Dear Friends:

What a great day!! Dad went to visit his mother today and was gone for most of the day. She is 92 and has not been well lately. He has not had much chance to visit her so it was a good day to do that. While he was gone Bobby's friend Lawrence came by to pick up his water bed. Lawrence was living at Paul's house for some time over the last year to help out with the finances. While he was there Tabby was showing him all the new things that Paul has been able to say. Paul said "I love you", "I love Tabitha" and "I like Opie" (Lawrence's nick-name). He worked real hard today since this is the first time he has said names. It is like he is suddenly making connections on how to make new sounds. When Dad got back Tabby was telling him about Paul's day. She said he had a wonderful day of verbal skills when all of a sudden Paul said "I'm speaking"!!! Tabby has never asked him to say that before!!! And he said this completely without any prompting ... an "unsolicited" comment from Paul! Wh at a blessing!! Isn't God good? I can't help but believe that this week has been full of Christmas presents!! I also found out that Tabby also got a job offer on Friday! She will be working at the same place as Carolyn!! So many good things! I spent the day with my Mother, sisters and nieces today. We spent Saturday night in Columbia SC and had breakfast with Sarah (my niece) before heading back to Myrtle Beach. We will be heading home on Monday. I am anxious to see my family back in Manassas!

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 12/09/06

Dear Friends:

I am in South Carolina this weekend visiting with my Mother & two sisters. My niece Sarah goes to the University of South Carolina in Columbia and my niece Lizzie wanted to visit the campus so today was the "tour day". We have been having a good time visiting. Dad has been home with Paul & Tabby. Paul continues to do real well. Tabby has been working hard to get Paul to say more things. She works with his vocabulary skills quite a lot. She was able to get Paul to say "I'm hungry", "I'm thirsty", "I'm done", and "my name is" but he couldn't say "Paul". It is a great start and it is amazing to see him be able to say so many things. Tabby's brother William came home from the Air Force yesterday. Tabby went to pick him up at the airport and he spent the night with them. Mom & Dad Smith came to pick him up today and Tabby was able to spend some time with them this afternoon. Carolyn found out yesterday that she got the job she interviewed for on Monday. She will start in January!! So many good things are happening! God has been so good to us! Thanks for your continued prayers!!

Love & Hugs, Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 12/07/06

Dear Friends:

Dad went to Tabby's house early and got him up. After he was up and had breakfast, Dad headed back home to work on the kitchen. The bookcase was put in yesterday and today he worked on trim around the window box and the bifold doors. He also put some of the backsplash around the bookcase and a couple of places that still hadn't been done. No word on the flooring yet ... it should be here soon. Tabby had to go to the funeral for her friend's dad today. She left around 1pm so Dad spent the afternoon and evening at Paul's house. While Tabby was working with Paul this evening she asked him to say "I love you" then she asked if it would be OK to try again. Paul said "OK"! She couldn't get him to say it again but once is good!! Dad gave Max some "floor time" today. He is starting to scoot across the floor. He gets on his hands and knees and pushes forward to scoot. It won't be long before he will be crawling! Next Tuesday he will be 6 months old! Friday I will be traveling with my sister Cathy and her daughter Lizzie to visit my mother and sister Ann in South Carolina. Dad will be here to help Tabby & Paul. I will try to keep you updated as much as possible.

Have a great weekend, Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 12/06/06

Dear Friends:

Paul continues to do real well. Since the deletion of the Dilantin he seems to have excelled in many ways. He seems more alert and willing to work with Tabby each day. Since the most recent development of the repeating "I ... Love ... You", he now says the full sentence without repeating each word individually. Tabby did a second video which I hope to send soon. I'm sorry if you couldn't see the first video. I had several people tell me that the link didn't work. Please let me know and I can send you a link to My Space to see it. Anyway ... tonight he told me "I love you". After Tabby got him started with "I", he finished the sentence "love you". It was great. Tabby worked on the "B" sound today. He was also able to say "GEE". She is trying to work on the alphabet with him. Dad still has to help Paul quite a bit with walking but his balance seems to be somewhat improved. Tabby went on a job interview on Monday. It would be nice for her to get a job that has benefits so she can discontinue the COBRA payment that she has to make now. No word from the doctor on the blood tests from last week. Apparently he will only call if he plans to make adjustments to the medicines so ... everything must be OK! We are thankful that Paul is doing so well. Thanks for your continued prayer ... our God is faithful!

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 12/02/06

Dear Friends:

The last several days have been real good. It is mostly quiet but Paul continues to do well. Tabby has been gone a bit this week to help a friend whose parents are both suffering with cancer. This friend's dad has just been moved into her home and hospice has been called in. Tabby has been able to help with handling the hospital, nurses and preparing the home. Carolyn has been keeping Max and she even kept Ozzy on Friday. Dora was with Paul most of the day on Thursday and Friday. Dad is almost done with the kitchen ... our countertops come on Tuesday next week and then he will be able to install the sink, dishwasher & water softener. We should have the flooring come next week as well. Tabby continues to work with Paul to say new sounds. He is getting better at following her when she makes sounds. He repeats after her and she works to improve his sounds. He was able to say "Hi, Bye, Ay, Ee, I, Woo, Why, & Wow" this evening. While Tabby was sitting with Paul he was trying to say something to her and then he held up his right hand and used his fingers to tell Tabby "I love you" by doing 1 finger (I), 4 fingers (L O V E), 3 fingers (Y O U). This is something that Paul and Tabby did with each other all the time before the accident. He also interlocked his fingers and "twiddled" his thumbs. Amazingly this is a difficult task that he was able to achieve with some work. Then he linked his fingers from the top and did the "Here's the church, Here's the steeple ... open the doors and see all the people". Making the steeple is very difficult and he had to work several times with help but he was finally able to do it by himself!! It was amazing ... he seems to enjoy working on new challenges. Gladys, the weekend nurse continues to come on time and she loves working with Paul & Max. She likes encouraging Paul to make word sounds. When she isn't taking care of Paul she loves taking care of Max. She plays with him and feeds him. Tabby really likes having her around. Tabby spent the day decorating the Christmas tree (it's huge!!) and cleaning out her office to make room for a new futon that someone is giving her. Tabby really enjoys preparing for Christmas!

Blessings, Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 11/29/06

Dear Friends:

Dad went to Paul's early today. Paul had an appointment to have his blood drawn at 8:45am. Tabby asked the doctor if he would order an MRI since it has been a year now. The doctor cautioned Tabby that she may see things that she doesn't want to see. However it is hard to imagine that we would see anything worse than what we've already seen! The doctor felt that he could justify ordering the test to follow-up on his progress. Tabby has an order to schedule an appointment. Dad said that Paul is using his right hand better all the time. He is getting where he can move the hand more quickly and can do many finger movements. He can do the Vulcan hand sign, "I love you", and separate each finger from the rest in rapid succession. He uses both hands to adjust his covers in the bed. When the nurse was drawing his blood today Dad told him to squeeze his hand and he did that with the right hand. It is nice to see such good use of that hand after all the months of him not being able to do anything with it! This evening Dad worked to have Paul walk by holding Dad's hand and attempting to balance himself. He wobbled all over the place but he managed to get to the bathroom. Dad asked Paul "do you know who I am?" and Paul shook his head "no". Then he said "you don't remember me?" and Paul shook his head "no" again. It is difficult to realize that he really may not know who we are. I pray that this is just a confusing time for him. Maybe someday he will be able to tell us what he remembers!

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl