Paul's Update - 04/05/07

Dear Friends:

Wednesday was a pretty quiet day. It was rainy and cold in the morning so Uncle Jimmy didn't come to work on the deck. Dad went out for a bit to see if he could find a glider swing for the new deck but he was not successful. Paul stayed with Dora. Rainy days are usually not good for Paul. He seems to have headaches and doesn't feel very good. They worked a little on speech and Dad has been giving Paul choices with his eating utensils. The therapist wants to see if Paul understands which utensils are appropriate for use when eating. That evening Dad asked Paul if he wanted to go to the bathroom or go to bed and he said "both"!! Thursday Dad had a doctor appointment. Dora stayed with Paul while Dad was gone. Uncle Jimmy came and helped finish the deck. Dad wanted to get Paul outside to help but it was too cold for Paul to be outside. The speech therapist came in the afternoon. She has noticed that Paul is having some improvement. She prompted him to say things and he did really well. She did the days of the week, numbers, shapes and she had Paul say his, Dad's & Dora's names. He now completes words with a prompt of just the beginning sound. This is an improvement since the speech therapist started coming. He is also able to tell us what he wants with a choice of two things. If you ask "do you want water or Kool-Aid?" he will say which one he wants. The therapist was only here for a half an hour and will come twice a week for a while. She is tracking his progress and as long as he keeps progressing that will continue. If he stops progressing she will discontinue his sessions until he is ready again. Dad said he believes that Paul is also doing better with his walking and balance. He has been using the walker for almost two weeks. Dad also believes that he is losing a little weight!! Friday they will try to work out in the exercise room. Bobby & Jen came by this evening. Paul enjoyed seeing them. Bobby said "hi" and Paul said "hi" back. Bobby said "how are you?" and Paul said "good". Then Bobby said "where's Mom?". I had gone to the church service tonight ... but Paul didn't really know that. Paul said "she's outside"!!! I guess he knew if I wasn't in the room I must be outside!!! By the time I got home tonight Paul was already in bed. I went in to say goodnight. He was pretty tired but I said "I'll see you tomorrow" and he said "OK"! Friday Paul goes to the neurologist to have his blood drawn. All has been going well and we don't expect the doctor to change any of his medicines or our routine. Dad plans to see if the neurologist will write a prescription for Paul to do outpatient therapy at the hospital since he is doing so well. Now that we are in a new year, Paul is eligible for more therapy hours through Medicaid. Friday is the anniversary of Paul's return home from Mount Vernon. He has been home for a year now. It is hard to believe that 17 months have gone by!

Happy Easter - Christ is Alive! Lynne & Carl