Paul's Update - 03/23/07

Dear Friends:

Today started as usual ... Dad headed over to Paul's around 7am. Once Tabby left for work it was time to start getting things ready to move to our house. Dad started with Paul's clothes and toiletries. It was a little overwhelming to think about where we were going to put all the things that needed to go in my spare bedroom which will now be Paul's room. We emptied the dressers and the closet in that room to make space for Paul's things. I headed out to Wal-Mart to pick up some Space Bags and a mattress bag for our bed set. Dad went over to give Paul his lunch. Dora had stayed at the house with him during the morning. While I was gone Bobby & Dad moved Paul's bed to our house. Carolyn came over and helped pack some of the blankets & coats in the space bags. This makes an amazing amount of space in our closet. Once the bed was set up and the room was somewhat organized Dad went over and put Paul in the van for the trip to our house. Paul was able to sit in Dad's recliner for the afternoon. He watched TV while we worked around him. I'm sure we were as entertaining as the TV!! LOL Around 3pm Dad asked Paul if he was hungry. He nodded "yes" so I went to see what I had for snack. I told Paul I had carrots & apples. I asked him "do you want carrots or apples?" ... he said "apples". Our hallway is somewhat long and narrow so when Paul needs to go to the bathroom he has to walk some distance. He did really well and the new handicap toilet is really nice to have!! Tonight I fixed dinner for Paul, Dad, Carolyn, Alysa, my sister Cathy and me. It is the first time I've cooked a dinner in a very long time!! Paul came to the table and waited for all of us to sit down before he ate. Dad told Paul we were going to do a blessing and Paul bowed his head and waited for Dad to finish before he began eating!! It was really nice to sit down as a family. After dinner Cathy helped me organize our sitting room. There is a TV in that room and it is across the hall from Paul's bedroom. He probably won't really spend much time in there but it will also serve as a storage place and can be used as a spare bedroom if necessary since I have an apartment sized sleeper sofa in there. Dad got a call from Tabby that forwarded a message from Paul's neurologist. It appears that Paul's sodium level is back in the normal range and his med levels are all looking good. The doctor wants us to continue to add juices instead of water along with salting Paul's foods in order to keep his sodium level up. Paul got his medicines around 8:30pm and was ready for bed around 9pm. Once he was tucked in I went to tell him goodnight and I asked him if he liked the room. He said "I like it". Tomorrow Dad will need to go to Tabby's to meet with the weekend nurse and show her how to get to our house. We will continue to organize the house and especially the laundry room that will serve as an exercise room for Paul. All seems to be going well so far. Please continue to pray ... we still have lots of emotional decisions to make.

Have a great weekend, Lynne & Carl