Paul's Update - 06/27/07

Dear Friends:

Tuesday started with Physical Therapy at Prince William Hospital. Cathy had him do the peddle bike and work on the parallel bars. He didn't really want to work at the parallel bars but she was able to get him to step up on the trampoline. She had him do some walking with the walker. Cathy said this was the last approved session for the insurance to pay for. She recommended that we work with the OT and Speech at Fair Oaks until fall and then possibly come back. After they got home from therapy Dad made Paul a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch. He always loved grilled cheese ... he would even cook that for himself ... he was the BEST grilled cheese sandwich maker ever!! The afternoon was spent watching TV. It was hot outside (in the 90's) so he didn't go outside. At dinner time I fixed spaghetti & garlic toast. He loves the garlic toast. Ronda called after dinner and said she was making dessert ... YUM. She and Bill came over about 8pm and we had coffee and a Cherry-Almond Crunch ... which is like Cherry Cobbler. It was delicious. Paul started off slowly eating but once he started he ate it all up! Paul was up until 11pm.
Wednesday Paul had Occupational Therapy at Fair Oaks Hospital. Amy (the therapist) is still evaluating Paul's capabilities. She had him roll himself up to a table and took out a book. She was going to show him a page with a symbol on the top and he had to match the symbol on the page. He was going to be timed for a minute. He knew exactly what to do and got quite a few of them right. After they were done she went back to the pages he missed so he could get a better look. She wants not only speed but accuracy. He looked at the ones he missed and was able to get some of those right. He had trouble with the letter Z. It was inside of a box and he had trouble identifying it to match. After they were done they went to an exercise table and had him stand up. There were two milk crates on the table. One had small items in it. She worked with some balls that were about the size of a softball. He was suppose to stand at the table and move the balls from one crate to the other. He didn't want anything to do with it. She told him he could sit and do it if he wanted to. Finally she put several of them on the table in front of him but he wouldn't do it. Dad told Paul he really needed to do it and handed him one of the balls. He took it and put it in the crate and then did a bunch more. In a minute he moved fifteen of them with his left hand. Then she worked on the right hand and he only got eight of them. When she went to take them out of the crate she had him count them. He does really good up to ten but then you have to prompt him for the other numbers. He can do it if you prompt him. Amy was pleased that Paul understood what she asked him to do ... he needs to work on being "able" to do what she asks! After that she was able to get him to stand up at the table and he was able to move the balls into the crate while standing. She wanted to see if he could manage his balance while doing a task. He did pretty good. Dad and Amy were nearby in case he lost his balance but they really didn't have to do much. She now has a "baseline" for her work. She noticed that he was closing one eye when he was working. She used an ink pen to have him follow it. Then she held up two pens and asked him to look from one pen to the other without moving his head. She thinks he may be having some double vision. Paul has an eye doctor appointment in July and she will write a letter addressing her concerns to the eye doctor. Once the session was over she said she will be off for two weeks so another therapist will be working with him during her absence. Amy also sent home some "homework" for Paul to do. Max came over and visited after dinner for a little while. He is starting to take more steps. He still prefers crawling....he gets there faster!! He stayed until about 8pm. Pap-Paw was on the floor playing with Max & Paul was watching. Paul was smiling so Dad asked "do you like watching Max play?" and he said "yes" but when Dad asked "do you want to get on the floor and play?" Paul said "no". That's OK ... he's allowed to enjoy just watching!! Thursday Dad is planning to take Paul to the Freedom Center and try out the exercise equipment. We don't have anything for him to wear in the pool yet but as soon as we do Dad would like to start taking him to the gym several times a week.

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 06/25/07

Dear Friends:

Sunday Dad got up early to get Paul showered and ready for breakfast. Gradis was late (7:30am) and Dad needs to have Paul ready by about then in order to get himself ready to leave at 8am. We met Ronda, Bill & Lou at Yorkshire Restaurant for breakfast. We have a little time in between breakfast and Sunday school so we headed back to the house for a little while. Our routine has been for me to leave at 9:30 to pick up Joanne at the nursing home and Dad, Gradis & Paul walk to church. Prior to our worship starting our pastor does a "greeting time" for our congregation. Paul enjoys this time and lots of folks get a chance to say hi to him. After church we headed home. Dad & I took a ride to Subway and bought sandwiches for lunch. Paul said he wasn't hungry when we were taking orders but when we got home with his Ham & Cheese sub he ate it pretty quick!! Sunday is pretty quiet and free of much therapy. Bobby & Jen came by to visit for a bit. They are all excited about doing their wedding plans. Dad spent some time talking to Bobby outside on the swing and I had a chance to visit with Jen. When it came time for them to leave they started saying things like "you look like your ready to go" ... Paul was listening and when Bobby headed over to Paul and said "well buddy" Paul immediately held out his hand to shake Bobby's hand! He was listening & following the conversation and knew they were ready to leave. Ronda & I went out to a baby shower for Missy (Lou's Mom). When I got back we fixed dinner and had a quiet evening.

Monday Dad, Dora & Paul headed out about 8:30am to head towards Fair Oaks Hospital for occupational Therapy. His new therapist (Amy) got him to work on putting blocks & pins in a box. She wants to get him to start doing more "daily living" skills at home. Things like combing his hair, brushing his teeth, shaving, dressing himself. She was able to get him to do some of the exercises she had planned today but some of the things he just wouldn't do. This is pretty typical but she plans to try to come up with a strategy for achieving goals for him. I stayed home to be here when Carolyn brought Alysa and her friend Sevira. Carolyn went with Billy to the doctor. When they got back I was able to spend some time with Chris (their new baby). He is so sweet and so little!! Carolyn is feeling good and Alysa loves holding her little brother. Dad had Paul try to spread peanut butter on ome bread for his lunch. This is one of the activities that the therapist wants him to try to do on his own! Paul was quiet most of the afternoon. He sat in his custom wheelchair for a while. This helps him with his posture since it is made for his size and shape. When he was ready to get up to go to the bathroom Dad allowed him to get up by himself. He has a little trouble with balance and still tries to lean too far back as he stands but he was able to get up mostly by himself. The wheelchair is at a good height for him to be able to stand without much help. At dinner time he was able to tell me what he wanted (when given choices and after much encouragement). Paul stayed up late ... 11pm. When I went in to say goodnight I asked him if he wanted to listen to his CD that was in the boom box on his nightstand. He didn't answer me but I put on some of HIS music. I don't know if it can help ... but it couldn't hurt!

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 06/23/07

Dear Friends:

Friday was a great day. Dad took Paul for a walk around the block in his big wheelchair. They went to the park up the road from us. Paul didn't recognize it but Dad said he didn't recognize it either since they have all new equipment up there. They went all around the block. Several places that Paul should recognize he didn't. He seemed to recognize Tabby's parents old house but that was the only thing he recognized. After they got home Dad got Paul onto the floor in the living room. Dad got a pair of knee pads for Paul to wear. He was able to crawl across the floor to the couch. Dad had to tell him which arm and leg to move. He put his head and arms on the couch but couldn't get onto it. Dad had to help him get off the floor to the couch. He did so well!! This is another FIRST! He hasn't been able OR willing to crawl before when Dad tried to get him on his knees. Later in the day Dad took a ride to the Freedom Center. This is a fitness center that is at the George Mason College Annex here in Manassas. They have a pool there and Dad wanted to see if they had a program for the handicapped. He was impressed with the equipment that they have there. They have a lift that will put Paul into the pool and they also have a pool that you can roll a wheelchair down into. They have a specialist that can work with Paul but she wasn't there so Dad hasn't found out how much that would cost or when she would be available. Paul was pretty exhausted from his activities earlier in the day. He had a quiet evening. I went to the last night of Vacation Bible School. When it was bedtime Dad tried to give Paul his anti-depressant medicine. This is a new medicine for Paul. The first night Dad gave it to him was Wednesday night with his other medicines. He was so tired by bedtime that Dad couldn't get him to walk. The second night (Thursday) Dad waited until Paul was IN the bed before giving it to him. Friday night when Dad went to give it to him ... he shut his lips TIGHT ... he refused to take it! We suspect that he doesn't like the way it makes him feel ... so he doesn't want to take it. No amount of coaxing would get him to take it!! Who says he doesn't know what he is doing??? Saturday morning Ronda and I headed out as usual. Paul was up drinking his coffee in the living room when I left. Dad said after breakfast he attempted to get Paul on the floor again. He put his knee pads on and crawled to the recliner. He got his top half on the chair but couldn't get onto the chair. Dad laid him back onto the floor on his stomach. Dad asked him if he could get onto his elbows and he said "yes". He rolled over onto his right side and used his left hand to push himself up into a sitting position. Dad told him to crawl to the couch but he needed to turn around since he was facing the wrong way. He scooted around to face the right direction. Then he got back onto his hands and knees and crawled to the couch. Once he was at the couch he reached up with his arms and got his top half onto the couch. He shifted his legs to crawl to the middle section of the couch. He rolled the top half of his body onto the couch and was on his back then scooted himself onto the couch and into a sitting position. It was a LOT of work for him but he DID IT!! He was pretty exhausted after that!! WOW!! It is so nice that he WANTS to do these things. This afternoon Tabby brought Max over and we took him to El Agave for lunch with Bill & Ronda. I haven't been there for several weeks and we really enjoyed it. Tonight was the community picnic and movie night at the church. We were able to have our movie outside in the church yard ... always a fun activity. We got home about 10:30pm and Paul went right to bed. He had a pretty busy day!!

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 06/21/07

Dear Friends:

Paul had a busy day ... starting out with our visit to Dr. Greysolvsky (Dr. G) at Fair Oaks Hospital. She is a Physiologist (Therapy Specialist). We headed out at 8:30am for our 9:30am check in time. The traffic was surprisingly light ... probably because school is now out for the summer. The doctor greeted Paul and he shook her hand. The doctor attempted to have a "conversation" with Paul. She asked him his name ... he said "ou" ... but once Dad prompted him with "Pa" he said "Paul". She asked his last name ... he said "ou" again but when prompted by Dad again with "Joh" he said "Johnson". She asked him how old he is and prompted him with "Twenty" and he said "twenty-one". Well ... he's twenty-six ... but at least he tried. She feels he has progressed quite a bit since coming home (as do we) and feels that he could benefit from more Occupational and Speech therapies. She said she doesn't like to give up on a brain injury until after more than three years from the accident. This is only a year and a half and he still is progressing. Hopefully the insurance will pick up the cost since she "prescribed" the new therapies. He will start with OT right away but there is a waiting list for Speech ... that's OK since we still have Brooke coming. Our visit was very encouraging! This afternoon Dad was walking Paul with his walker. He kept losing his balance and Dad decided Paul need to realize when he gets out of balance he is going to fall down. Dad decided to allow Paul to fall down. He caught him so he didn't fall on his own ... but he did fall all the way to the ground. One of the times he was out in the yard. He was a bit surprised but unhurt! Once back inside Dad got out a pair of knee pads got Paul down on the floor and onto his hands and knees to crawl to the couch. Dad had to tell him which hand to move and which knee to move but he was able to do it. It is a FIRST. Anytime Dad has attempted to get Paul on his knees in the past he wasn't willing to cooperate AT ALL. He had some assistance to get from the floor onto the couch. Although he didn't crawl far ... it WORE HIM OUT! Dad said Paul was in a better mood today and was more talkative. Paul spent the evening watching TV. He was watching American Chopper which is a show about building custom motorcycles (choppers). Usually he says he doesn't like the show but tonight he told Dad he enjoyed it. Tonight was the second night on his anti-depressants. Dad waited for Paul to be IN BED before he gave him his medicine ... it makes him VERY sleepy. We are hopeful that we are seeing positive effects from his new medicines. He certainly seems to be improving all the time!

Have a great weekend, Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 06/20/07

Dear Friends:

Tuesday I was not feeling well and stayed home from work. Dad, Paul & Dora headed out at about 9:15am for Physical Therapy. Paul seemed to feel pretty good. He was talking a little more ... normal stuff ... "hi" ... "hi" ... "how are you?" ... "good", "you ready to work?" ... "yes". Cathy seems to get a lot out of Paul these days. I think he likes her. She had him work at the parallel bars again. At first she had the bars too low and he had trouble with them. Once she raised them he was able to step up and down on the box. He was also able to step onto and off of the trampoline while keeping his balance. He didn't want to do the balance beam but Cathy wasn't too worried about that. Once he had finished with the parallel bars she had him step onto a new machine where he has to balance himself on a pivotal platform. She had to hold him and keep him from losing his balance but considering it was the first time he'd used this machine he did pretty good. After Paul got home he had lunch and watched TV for a bit. He decided after a bathroom trip that he wanted to go out to the laundry room and do some exercises on the weight machine. Dad said he did the leg lifts and arm weights and then worked out with the hand weights. He had a pretty good workout. We had Popeye's chicken for dinner but Paul decided he wanted the Catfish. He really enjoyed it. I had vacation bible school after dinner. Max came by and visited with Dad & Pap-Paw for about an hour and a half. Tabby called Paul on the phone and talked to him for quite a while. He really does like talking on the phone. Wednesday was mostly quiet for Paul. It was raining when we got up. After breakfast he wanted to go out to the weight room to do some exercises again. It is nice that he WANTS to go out there! Dad talked to the neurologist this morning to see if he could come and get a copy of the MRI results from a few weeks ago. Thursday Paul will go to see a new doctor that will analyze him for future therapies. This doctor is experienced in determining what kinds of therapy a patient would benefit from. Hopefully Paul will cooperate well enough for him to evaluate where he really is in his recovery. While Dad was at the doctor he checked on getting an anti-depressant for Paul since we are seeing so much lack of interest in doing things that we KNOW he can do ... or at least he USE to do! The doctor prescribed Trazadone which is a drug that Paul has actually taken before. We thought it was a sleep agent but evidently it is actually an antidepressant. Paul stayed up until about 10pm after taking this new drug and was so tired he had trouble walking to bed. Hopefully he will adapt to this new medicine quickly and we pray that it will help him feel more like cooperating.

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 06/18/07

Dear Friends:

Sunday morning started as usual with us preparing for breakfast at Yorkshire Restaurant. Paul usually has scrambled eggs but when I asked him what he wanted for breakfast I said "do you want scrambled or fried?" and he said "fried". So when we arrived at the restaurant ... that is what he got! It was Father's Day but Max didn't come to breakfast or go to church with us ... he was spending time with Mommy and Grandma & Grandpa Smith. After breakfast we came home for a little while since we have about 45 minutes in between breakfast and time for me to pick up Joanne at the nursing home for Sunday school. We headed off to church about 9:30 ... I went to the nursing home, Dad & Gradis took Paul in the wheelchair and walked to the church. After church we went home and prepared to have Bill, Ronda and Lew come for a BBQ. They actually ended up bringing Mike & Tracie with them. Paul seemed very tired after church and napped in Dad's recliner for about 1/2 hour. It was pretty hot ... in the 90's but we were able to sit outside for a little bit. Paul was sitting in a dining room chair that we have in the living room which is where he chose to sit after he went to the bathroom. He frequently changes where he wants to sit and for some reason he wanted to sit in this chair. I asked him if he wanted to go out and sit on the deck. He nodded "yes". Dad was already outside and I asked him if he could stand by himself. He shook his head "no" so I asked him if he would stand up if Ronda and I helped him. He nodded "yes" so Ronda and I helped him get up and use the walker to go outside. He really doesn't need any assistance once he is on his feet. We followed behind him until he got outside. Dad had him sit in the shade and he stayed outside until time for us to eat. Our evening was pretty quiet once the Davis' left. Paul stayed up until about 10:30 when he was falling asleep in the living room chair. Monday was a mostly quiet day for Paul. He wasn't very talkative. Dad & I went out early to get my glasses fixed. Somehow they came partially out of the frames so I took them to the place I bought them and got them fixed. Afterwards we went to Home Depot. Dad wanted to get some bamboo blinds for our Gazebo/Swing in the front yard. Dad cut down a tree in the front yard on Saturday and now we don't have any shade on the swing so his answer is bamboo blinds. They actually work great! We also bought a larger umbrella for the patio set on the deck since the sun is pretty hot on the deck most of the afternoon. Once we got home Dad started working on the blinds and I made Paul his lunch. Dora doesn't make Paul's food unless we specifically ask her to and that is usually because we won't be here at lunchtime. Dad & I had to take a trip to the airport to pick up Ruby at 2:30pm. We were gone for about an hour and a half. Paul stayed with Dora. Ruby was with us for dinner and Paul came to the table to eat with us. It was very nice. Vacation Bible School is going on at our church this week and I volunteered to help in the nursery with Ronda so I was gone for about two hours after dinner. When I got home Paul was watching Star Trek with Dad. Monday they seem to have a marathon of shows all evening. Dad & Paul like watching Star Trek. Ann, Ken & Ryan arrived from the airport (they took a separate flight) to pick up Ruby around 9:30pm. Paul stayed up until about 10:15 ... he was pretty tired. Tuesday will be a Physical Therapy day. I asked Paul before he went to bed tonight if he remembers his therapist's name. He shook his head "no" but when I prompted him with "Ca", he said "Cathy"!! I also asked him if he remembers the Speech Therapist's name ... again he shook his head "no" but I said "Br" and he said "Brooke"! It will be nice when he remembers without prompting ... he's so close!

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 06/16/07

Dear Friends:

Friday was a pretty good day. Dad is still suffering from his cold but he went out for a bit to do some errands. Paul watched TV most of the day. We went out for dinner in the evening with Bill & Ronda. Our 33rd wedding anniversary is this weekend and we went out with them to celebrate. We were out pretty late ... and got home around 10pm. Paul wanted to sit up for a while but he started falling asleep in the chair about 10:30. It is pretty funny when he falls asleep and then suddenly awakens. He gets a silly smile on his face as if to say "Doh ... I dozed off!" I asked him if he was ready for bed and he slowly nodded "yes". Saturday I was awakened by Gradis praising Paul. "Good ... you can do it" then she called for Dad who was outside. I went to Paul's bedroom and found him brushing his own hair. She said that her pastor had encouraged her to start asking Paul to do things that we don't usually ask him to do. He has been praying for Paul for the last couple of months in Ghana. He is a strong man of God and does many healing services. His prayer is certainly appreciated by us. Anyway ... after he had brushed his hair I took the walker into his room and put it in front of him. It took some encouragement to get him to put his hands on the walker and try to stand up but he finally did it. He then bent over his waist and proceeded to stand up ... without any help! Then he walked all the way down the hallway with Gradis and me right behind him. I went out with Ronda shortly after that but when I came home Paul and I worked on exercising his arms for a little while. He was sitting in the living room chair and I asked him to reach out and touch my hand. He did that so I moved it a little farther from him and asked him to try a little more. After we did that for a few times I asked him to reach up and touch my hand that was above his head. He did that but it was a bit harder for him. His arms are a little stiff but he tried pretty hard to be able to do it. I got out his little two pound weights and had him do some arm curls with them. We also did a little exercise with the little peddle cycle that we have for him. I had seen a book last week entitled "Couch Potato Exercises" and I thought ... why can't Paul do exercises while he is sitting in the living room. I had to head out to the church after lunch so our women's group could start to prepare a meal for the men (a father's day tradition). Dad and Paul came to the church at 6pm for dinner. Paul seemed to enjoy the meatloaf, potatoes & green beans but dessert is always appreciated. It is always good when he can fellowship with others ... especially the men at our church! Once we got home we were able to sit outside on the swing for about an hour. It was a delightful evening and we enjoyed being outside. Sunday is Father's day but it looks like Paul will not be seeing Max. Tabby has plans with her family. We were able to spend such good time with him last weekend ... I guess it is their turn.

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 06/13/07

Dear Friends:

Wednesday Paul had a dentist appointment at 11:30am. The dentist removed his stitches. He did real good. The nurse started to take them out but Paul would turn his head away from her. Once the dentist came in he cooperated very nicely for him. I think he really likes this dentist. After he got the stitches out the dentist was evaluating what he wants to do next. Paul still has a root canal that needs to be done, four more fillings and a crown. Dad brought Paul home and then went to get some of my prescriptions at the pharmacy. On the way home he got McDonald's for Paul's lunch. Dad is suffering from a cold so he napped most of the afternoon. I had choir after dinner. Once I got home Dad & Paul watched TV most of the evening until bedtime at about 10:30pm.

Thursday Dad got Paul up and headed out to the living room. He proceeded to the back door and wanted to go out on the deck. Dad said "Paul, you can't go outside ... it's raining". Paul stood there for a second or so and tried again to go outside. Dad told him again that he couldn't go outside ... so Paul turned around and went back towards the living room. He didn't want to sit in the living room though ... he kept on going to his bedroom. He wanted to go back to bed!! It was a good day to go back to bed! Paul had therapy at 10:30am. Cathy had him work at the parallel bars. He walked while holding the bars and he did well. She felt he was still leaning too far forward and depends on his arms a little too much still but she felt he walked good. She put a box in front of him (between the parallel bars) and he held the bars to step up on the box. She had him step up onto it and then off of it. He had to bend his knee to step down (going backwards) and he was able to do that. Cathy was impressed! She had a small trampoline that she put on the floor between the parallel bars. She wanted him to jump up and down on it but he wouldn't do that. He was able to balance himself on it though. She told him which foot to step up with then she would tell him which foot to step down with. She felt he is getting better with balance. She then put a balance beam between the parallel bars and had him step up with one foot. He immediately pulled his other foot up and put it in front of the first foot. She had him walk heel-toe, heel-toe all the way to the end of the balance beam. She had him step down (straddling the beam) and walk backwards to the beginning of the beam. Once he got back to the beginning of the beam she had him step up on it again and walk the length of it a second time. He did this a total of four times. Once he was back at the beginning of the parallel bars the fourth time she handed him a ball that he had to hold in one hand while holding onto the parallel bar with the other hand. He had to hand the ball across his chest to her and then away from his body and behind a bit. Then he switched hands and did the same thing with the other hand. When he was done with the workout Cathy was going to have him back up away from the parallel bars and sit in the wheelchair. Paul decided he didn't want to back up ... he turned a quarter of the way around while holding onto the bar with one hand then turned the rest of the way to be facing the wheelchair so he could walk away from the parallel bars!! Once they got home Dad spent most of the day in bed. His cold seems worse and he is taking medicines to fight it. Thursday night is bible study night. Ronda brought dinner. Paul sat in the living room and ate all of his Taco Soup!! During our study we talked a bit about how Satan causes bad things to happen which cause us to doubt that God is in control. Paul seemed to be upset by the talk about his accident being one of those kinds of things that Satan uses to make us doubt God. He was starring at Dad from across the room and Dad thought he needed to go to the bathroom. When he got up and headed down the hall ... he went right past the bathroom and went to his bedroom. He watched movies in bed for a couple of hours before bed. Dad & I tried to talk to him and reassure him that God loves him and we will work hard to do everything we need to do to help him get better! He seemed a bit better after our talk. Imagine what he must feel ... I'm sure he would love to tell us! Maybe he will some day!

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 06/12/07

Dear Friends:

Dad, Aunt Ann & I got up early this morning. Ann was planning to head out to Cathy's house to pick up my mother and Sarah so they could head back to South Carolina. We were able to sit out on the deck for a while before Dora arrived and have our coffee. Paul was still in bed until after Dora came. Ann left about 7:30 and so our day began. Paul came out to the living room once he was dressed so he could have his breakfast. I leave for work about 8:30am so I was able to visit with him a little. Tuesday is physical therapy day. Dad, Dora & Paul headed to the hospital at 10:30. Paul worked hard for Cathy. He was able to work on the board that has the nuts & bolts. He removed the nut from a plate that was just above waist height, then one that was a little higher and finally one that was over his head. He really does well with this exercise. He knows exactly how to unscrew the nuts and he even used his right hand (which is still weaker than the left) to do the one that was over his head!! Cathy held his arm a little but he did all the work. He was even able to catch one of the nuts when it began to fall. He also worked on a regular exercise cycle. Dad & Cathy helped him up to it but then he was able to maneuver his leg across the bike to sit. He held onto the handle bars and peddled. Dad and Cathy had to steady him a bit so he wouldn't fall to either side. After therapy Dad, Dora & Paul went down the hall to where Carolyn's room was. They were able to visit with her and see Chris. He had just gotten back from the nursery. It was time for him to eat but Dad got to hold him first!! When they got home Dad asked Paul if he needed to go to the bathroom but he said "no". He headed down the hallway toward the bathroom but then went to his bedroom instead. Dad asked him if he wanted to lay down for a bit. He said "yes" so Dad got him in the bed and he rested there for a while. Dad wasn't feeling good today either. He seems to be coming down with a cold so he took a nap too. Brooke (Speech Therapist) came at 4pm. Paul still isn't talking much and she had a difficult time working with him. She only stayed for 1/2 hour. Ronda & Bill came for dinner this evening. We grilled steaks. The deck was wet from a storm that had blown through about 6:30pm but we were still able to be out there for a bit. We ate our dinner at the dining room table and Paul sat with us. It was nice. Once we finished eating Paul wanted to drink his coffee sitting at the table. He sat there for about 40 minutes. It was pretty late by the time Bill & Ronda left and Paul was almost ready to go to bed. Dad took him to the bathroom as he always does just before bed. When they got into the bathroom Paul positioned his walker to the side of him. Usually he grabs the bar on the wall that Dad installed to steady himself. When Dad said "grab the bar" he shook his head "no". He was standing without holding onto anything. Dad has to help him with his pants and Paul stood straight while Dad helped him. He seems to really want to do some things without aids!! He has been taking the new medicines for almost a week and Dad seems to think Paul appears to be more steady in his walking and standing. Maybe there are positive effects from this new medicine already!! The physical therapist told Dad that it will probably be about a month for us to really know if there is a difference in Paul from the medicines but it would be nice to think they are helping already!!

Have a great day, Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 06/11/07

Dear Friends:

Wow ... what a weekend. Paul got up early on Sunday so we could go to breakfast. We had Max during breakfast. He had some scrambled eggs while we ate. After breakfast we went home for a little while before it was time for me to go and pick up the ladies at the nursing home for church. Dad, Paul, Gradis & Max walked to church. Carolyn and Alysa stayed home. Carolyn has been pretty tired and achy in the mornings. Paul carried Max in his lap all the way home after church while Dad pushed him in the wheelchair. He really holds onto him good. When we got home from church we started preparing for the family to arrive for a BBQ. My mother & sister Ann arrived around 3pm from South Carolina. Cathy (my other sister who lives in Woodbridge) came over around 4:30pm. Alicia & Damian arrived with a cake for Max's birthday about 3pm. Everyone else ... Bill, Ronda, Lou & Vicky, Mike & Nadia, Carolyn, Billy & Alysa, Bobby & Jen and Tabby arrived soon after. We ate hot dogs, burgers and Bratwurst that Dad cooked on the grill while we visited. It was a pretty enough day to sit outside so some of us did. Max was in a great mood and he made a wonderful mess with his own cake!! He didn't really care much about opening presents but he was enjoying the new toys! We had a wonderful day and Paul was ready for bed about 10:30.

Monday morning Ann & I were up early to head towards the hospital. Paul sat out on the deck for a little while in the morning with Dad. It was an overcast but nice day to be outside. Carolyn was scheduled to be induced at 6am but they actually didn't go until 7:15am. At 9:30 the doctor came in and gave her the medicines to start labor. Ann & I got to be in the labor room with Carolyn & Billy. Bobby also came to the hospital and sat with us. She had labor for about 7 hours before Christopher William Hartman finally made his appearance. What a miracle to see a new life come into the world! He is 7 pounds 3 ounces and is 19 inches long. He has blond hair and although he had his eyes open we couldn't really tell what color the eyes are. He had a nice healthy cry. Paul & Dad were at home on phone duty waiting for the call. Dad had gone out for a bit to go to his doctor appointment and stopped by the hospital but only stayed for a short while so he wasn't there when Chris was born. Paul now has a new nephew and we have a beautiful new grandson! Mommy & Daddy were pretty tired this evening. Sister, Alysa came to the hospital to see her new baby brother. She was very proud! Carolyn will stay in the hospital for probably the next two days. She may get to go home either Wednesday or Thursday. Jen came to visit Carolyn and was able to hold Chris before she graciously took me home. Paul got to see the pictures on my computer once I was home. He seemed to enjoy them. The evening was very quiet. Dad & Paul watched Star Trek most of the evening. Aunt Ann Z went to Lizzie's graduation along with Sarah, Nana and Lizzie's family. The last few days have been so busy ... dinner out on Friday night, we met Jen's family, went to Alysa's dance recital and had a BBQ on Saturday, we had Max's birthday and a graduation celebration for Lizzie at our house along with another BBQ, and we had a new baby on Monday!! Does it get better than that?? We are certainly well blessed!!

Have a great day, Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 06/09/07

Dear Friends:

The last few days have been busy. Thursday started out with Paul having breakfast in the living room on the couch. He had an appointment for Therapy at 9:30. Cathy worked him pretty good. She had him balance on the exercise ball for a bit. He walked from the therapy room out through the waiting room, out to the hallway and all the way to the hospital lobby. Once they got out there Cathy bought Paul a smoothie from the coffee bar. He enjoyed that! Once he was back in the therapy room he had used up all of him appointment time so they got him back in the wheelchair to go home. The afternoon was pretty quiet. Bill & Ronda came over in the evening for bible study. It turned out that nobody else was able to come so we just had coffee and visited for a while. Paul ended up staying up until after 11pm. Friday Paul had an appointment with his general practitioner. She wants to start him on two new drugs. One stimulates brain growth and the other helps with the brain synapses (the connection between the brain cells). The human brain contains about 10 billion nerve cells, or neurons. Transmission of an electrical signal from one neuron to the next is effected by neurotransmitters, chemicals which are released from the first neuron and which bind to receptors in the second. This link is called a synapse. On average, each neuron is connected to other neurons through about 10,000 synapses." One of the side affects is a possibility of seizures but she is starting him on a very low dose. She believes his risk is very low since he is on anti-seizure medicines and it has been close to a year since his last seizure. He seems to be doing well with it. It seems to make him a little more active even though he won't talk to us much. After the doctor appointment Dad & Paul went to pick up Max at the daycare and he spent the day with them. He is so close to walking ... it won't be long. He is taking about 3-4 steps on his own before he sits back down on the floor. He is busy all the time and is mostly a very happy child. Once Tabby picked him up Dad, Paul & I went out for dinner at the Chinese Restaurant. Bill & Ronda had things to do at home and couldn't come with us. We had a nice dinner but got home a bit late. Paul wanted to sit up for a while and went to bed about 10:45pm. Carolyn went to the doctor during the afternoon. Her doctor said that if she doesn't have the baby over the weekend he will induce labor on Monday morning. So ... we will have a new grandson by Monday! Saturday morning Ronda and I went out around 8am. Paul was sitting in his bed when I left watching a movie and drinking his coffee. He didn't want to talk to us today. It was challenging to get him to say anything. He seemed to have plenty of "pep" when he walked but when Dad asked "is this one of your no talking days?" he nodded "yes". After I took Ronda home I headed out to the grocery store to get some things for a BBQ. Jen's family was coming over so we could meet. Now that we are all going to be family it is important to know each other!! They were suppose to come around 2:30pm. Alysa (our granddaughter) had a dance recital at 1pm so I went to see her dance. Her class did a dance to the music of "I love Lucy" and they were in red & white Polka dot dresses. They were so cute. Once I got home Bobby & Jen were already there. Bobby takes care of preparing the steaks ... he has a "special sauce" which makes him the master of preparation!! Jen's family arrived about 3pm and we visited for about four hours. We really enjoyed them and we are excited about planning a wedding!! Paul didn't want to go outside so we ate in the living room. As the evening came he decided to go out on the deck with the other guys. He was determined to sit on the lounge chair. It was difficult getting him on and off of it but he enjoyed sitting on it! Bill, Ronda & Lew came over after everyone left and we had coffee. We missed out on Mexican food with them this afternoon so it was nice to have them over. Paul was pretty tired by 10:30pm and headed off to bed.

Have a great day, Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 06/06/07

Dear Friends:

Tuesday morning started pretty much as usual. Paul seemed quiet. Dad went to the doctor for a follow-up on his white blood cell count. This is the general practitioner who referred him to a hematologist a few months ago. His white count is still up a little but his blood pressure has gone back to normal. She said he was fine but suggested he get out of the house and do more exercise on his own ... besides the work he does with Paul. This is as much for just "getting away" as it is for his physical health! Paul watched TV most of the day. His jaw was a little swollen from the dental visit on Monday. Dad gave him Tylenol several times throughout the day. His only real exercise was walking to the bathroom which he does really well. We ordered Chinese food for dinner. Paul was able to eat Lemon Chicken and a Vegetable Egg roll without any trouble. Max was over and we enjoyed his visit. He really enjoys investigating things. We also have to be careful to make sure the front screen door is closed good since he has figured out how to push it open! Dad & I sat outside on the swing for a while after dinner. Paul was watching TV in the living room. When Dad came in to check on Paul he noticed that Paul had adjusted himself to lay down on the couch. He got his feet up and adjusted himself to fit comfortably. He usually doesn't do that so it was pretty neat that he did that without any encouragement or help! Paul stayed up really late ... until 11:30pm. When I said goodnight to him I asked him what he was thinking. He shook his head "no" but I pushed and asked him to say something to me. Finally after many attempts to encourage him, he said "Jesus". I asked him if he was praying and he nodded "yes". I bet he does a lot of that! Wednesday was another quiet day. Paul was able to sit out on the deck for about an hour. He still seems to be recovering from the dental visit. He's had a lot of work done lately ... seven extractions in two weeks! Dad said one of the times he went to the bathroom he pushed the walker all the way into the bathroom up to the bathtub. Dad told him that he needed to turn the walker sideways to be able to adjust and sit on the toilet. He shook his head "no" and reached with his right hand while freestanding and tried to push the lever that collapses the right arm of the walker. He struggled with it for a bit and then changed to his left hand and tried again. Dad finally helped by pushing the lever and Paul gladly collapsed the right arm. He was very pleased with himself!! Talk about "problem solving" ... something he isn't suppose to be able to do!! It is pretty amazing that he puts so much thought into something he feels is important! When I got home from work I greeted Paul and asked him how he was. He shook his head "no" so I asked "do you need something?". He said "yes" so I asked him to tell me what he needed. After much prompting he said "lemonade". I had not given him a choice ... he came up with that all by himself! Later when he was working on some speech exercises he was doing the words to "Do Re Me". He repeated "do" then "re" then "me" but when he got to "fa" he said "fa, so". When he got to "la" he said "la, ti". Funny ... it is in there ... sometimes he remembers it without help! When we worked on identifying people he couldn't remember my name or Dora's name but when he got to Dad he said "Dad" without help. Dad is the only name he does that with ... what a nice blessing for Dad. Bill & Ronda came over for coffee after dinner but Paul was pretty tired by 9pm and went to bed early.

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl

P.S. Still no baby!! Mommy goes to the doctor on Thursday!

Paul's Update - 06/04/07

Dear Friends:

Sunday morning started out with breakfast at Yorkshire Restaurant. Carolyn & Alysa joined us making nine of us. We had to use two tables since the only table they had for that many people was not accessible to Paul. After breakfast Dad headed out to pick up Max for church. I went to pick up Joanne from the nursing home (I pick her up every Sunday). After I dropped her off at the church Dad took the car and went back to the house to pick up Paul & Gradis. Our Sunday School class meets in the Sanctuary which makes it accessible for Paul and one other member of our class who is also in a wheelchair. After church we came home and had lunch and spent a quiet Sunday afternoon at home. It was a rainy day. Max took a good nap after lunch (it was a good day for naps!!!). Dinner was leftovers so we didn't have to cook. Dad took Max home after dinner around 6pm. Paul continues to be mostly quiet and somewhat uncooperative. Gradis can usually get him to play a little "catch" with a ball or a small toy. He responds to her well ... she doesn't give up either!! Bobby called in the afternoon to say that he and Jen have a tentative wedding date for April 5, 2008. There are still lots of plans to be made and the date could change ... but they are working on it!! Lots will depend on the church & reception locations and availability. Monday started EARLY ... we had the carpets cleaned at 7am. Paul was awake but stayed in the bed while the workers were here. It only took an hour to do the carpet and Paul stayed in his room watching videos. Dad called the neurologist to see about getting some antidepressants for Paul. Since he has been so moody lately we decided it couldn't hurt. The doctor is naturally concerned about triggering seizures but is willing to give him a mild antidepressant that Dad will pick up on Tuesday at the pharmacy. Paul had a dental appointment at 10:30am. The dentist pulled four teeth today. This is the last of the extractions. He also did some prep work on a tooth that he wants to try to save by capping. Normally a periodontist would do this work but our dentist is trying hard to save us a little money and only charged the amount of an extraction to do this work that would usually cost about $1,200. What a blessing this dentist has been!! The dentist got to experience what Paul does when he feels pain. While he was struggling to get one of the teeth out Paul suddenly turned his head away from the dentist. The dentist asked Paul "does that hurt?" and Paul shook his head "yes". The dentist gave him a little more Novocain and he did real good after that. Once Paul got home he still had gauze in his mouth for about 45 minutes. He did good with it ... and it DIDN'T disappear this time!! LOL After about an hour Dad was able to give him some Tylenol to help with the discomfort. He was pretty quiet all day and napped a bit. Dinner was soup but he later was able to eat a hotdog (no bun) and some applesauce. He tired out by about 9pm and headed off to bed by 9:30pm. We don't have a new baby yet ... but there are some contractions going on ... it will probably be soon!

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 06/02/07

Dear Friends:

Before I was even out of bed on Friday we received a call from Carolyn. She was having labor pains and was planning to go to the hospital to be checked out. I was up and out the door to pick her up by about 8:15. Once Alysa was on the school bus we headed to the hospital. Billy was already there and the nurse put us in an exam room, hooked her up to some monitors and said it looked like she was not having "true" labor. They watched her for about an hour and decided to send her home until the labor gets more productive. Carolyn was a little disappointed since she is ready for Chris to be born but he just isn't ready I guess!! Once I got home Paul was up and watching TV. He had already done breakfast. He seemed to feel ok but was quiet ... just as he has been for the last couple of weeks. We have been trying to encourage him to speak to us more and use words to answer us when we ask him things. Sometimes he will do that ... sometimes he won't. It has been very hot this week so Paul hasn't been out on the deck much. Shortly after I got home we got a phone call from Bobby. He was prepared to propose to Jen that evening but he needed to go out and find a nice ring for her. I offered to go with him and we found a very nice ring at a very nice price!! He and I were able to go and get lunch at Burger King and go to his apartment to eat. This is the first time since he moved in that I've been able to go over and visit. Jen was at work. She was suppose to bring dinner home with her and he wanted to surprise her ... so he didn't want to change her plan and possibly tip her off. He surprised her alright!! She was very happy ... and she said YES!! Oh boy ... new babies, marriages ... does it get better?? Friday night Carl, Paul and I went out to dinner with Bill & Ronda. We haven't been to the Chinese Restaurant lately so we went there. Paul had Lemon Chicken. He seemed to enjoy it. We have a waitress that almost always waits on us. She knows what we are going to order to drink, and any appetizers. We were out until pretty late but Paul was ready for bed by 10:30. Saturday morning Gradis showed up at 7am as usual. Once Paul is cleaned & dressed she likes to get started cleaning up. She vacuums, does dishes and mops floors. I love it!! It really helps me since I don't get much chance to do that during the week. Ronda and I went out for a bit. Once we got back I went back out to get a haircut. Dad headed to the grocery store so we could get some foods to do a BBQ later in the day. This was a nice change of pace for all of us. We usually do the Mexican restaurant on Saturday but it was nice to have Bill & Ronda come over and cook hamburgers & hotdogs on the grill. Paul sat outside on the deck with us for a while. It was almost 90 degrees out there but he sat for about 45 minutes before going back inside. We decided to eat indoors. Paul had already decided he was going to stay inside anyway! I had asked Paul what he wanted on his hamburger and he didn't want to answer me. I pushed him and made him SAY "yes" or "no" to each condiment. When I got to the lettuce he made a frowny face and said emphatically "no"! He seemed to want everything else ... I guess lettuce is not a favorite for him!! Ronda and I had a baby shower to go to in the afternoon and when we got back Bill, Carl and Gradis were making homemade ice cream. Bill's ice cream maker is a "hand crank" and they were taking turns cranking. I don't think Gradis had ever seen an ice cream maker!! She was having fun! Once it was done Paul had some ice cream with us. He didn't want any toppings on his ice cream ... just plain vanilla is GOOD!! We watched some History Channel on TV while we ate our ice cream. Alysa was spending the day and the night with us. Carolyn & Billy had a wedding to go to. Again, I say ... weddings, babies ... how great is that?? Paul went to bed just shortly after Alysa did. Paul was tired ... Alysa was NOT!! LOL. Sunday morning will be breakfast at Yorkshire Restaurant. Alysa will be with us and hopefully Max will too!

Have a great day! Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 05/31/07

Dear Friends:

Today was pretty quiet. Paul seemed to be feeling the effects of his dental surgery yesterday. Dad gave him Tylenol several times throughout the day and Carolyn suggested we do some Orajel for the pain which helped a bit. He was also a bit moody. He didn't want to cooperate with Dad. He may also be still fighting a little of the intestinal virus that is going around. He had a little accident this afternoon and Dad needed to give him a shower in the middle of the day. The dentist called this afternoon to see how Paul was doing. He was concerned that Paul may not be ready for more extractions by next Tuesday but he has really done very well and might be OK. He still have four teeth that need to come out but they are not any rush if he isn't feeling good. This dentist is very good and seems genuinely interested in Paul. Tonight Paul came to the dinner table but then after he finished eating he didn't want to go back to the living room. He sat at the dining room table for about 45 minutes after we were done eating. Bobby called this evening and Paul was able to talk on the phone. He hasn't gotten much opportunity to talk on the phone since he came to our house. Bobby said he actually did pretty good and only said "our" a couple times on things he didn't know how to answer. Tonight before bed Dad took Paul to the bathroom. Once he was in the bathroom Paul reached for the grab bar that Dad installed in there. It is right across from the toilet. He grabbed with his right arm but once he was ready to sit he changed hands to his stronger arm and tried to sit on his own. It is amazing when he thinks through a problem and can do something for himself. Paul was ready for bed about 10pm. He was falling asleep in the living room chair. Friday should be another quiet day ... no appointments. We are planning to go out for dinner ... Paul should like that!!

Have a great day! TGIF Lynne & Carl