Paul's Update - 06/10/08

Dear Friends:

Well … we’ve been busy over the last few weeks. Monday (June 2) I decided to work since we were preparing for our trip to Williamsburg. Dad & Paul spent some time listening to Classical Music during most of the afternoons all week. Dad doesn’t think Dora appreciates the Classical music since she turns the sound down each time he leaves the room!! Paul really seems to enjoy it though. He also spends some time reading while he listens to the radio.

Thursday Paul had therapy. We had a terrible storm during the afternoon. It was bible study night. We finally decided on a new study that we will start on June 13th.

Friday morning (June 6th) Dad finished getting ready to leave for Williamsburg. He was signed up for the Brain Injury Services “Caregivers Conference”. He and Paul left around noon to head down. The trip took about 3 hours. Paul did great. They got checked in and went to dinner. Ronda, Bill & I went to Vikki’s graduation. Since it was near a hundred degrees outside … we did a bunch of sweating!! Vikki is now a graduate of the Class of 2008!! Yahoo! After the ceremony (and the slow trip out of the parking lot), Ronda, Bill & I headed out to Williamsburg to be there while Carl attended the conference. Paul was going to hang out with us while Dad went to the conference.

Saturday morning came really early (we didn’t get in until after midnight). Bill, Ronda, Paul & I went to breakfast about 8am. Paul ate a big plate of pancakes. I insist on him using his fork ... he would much rather use his fingers. He did real well with the fork and ate ALL of his pancakes! After breakfast we went to the room for a little bit and met with Carl during his break. Once Dad went back to the conference we decided to try to go for a little walk. It really was too hot to go very far so we came back and sat in the lobby for a bit to do some “people watching’. Ronda and I went back out for a little walk and found a WaWa store. We got some Slurpees to take back to the hotel. Soon it was lunch time and (again) Ronda & I walked to the Deli to get some sandwiches. We thought it would be CHEAPER ... HA … NOT!!! The sandwiches were pretty good though. We ate in the lobby of the hotel and continued the people watching until after the bridal party we were observing left for the wedding. They were pretty interesting. We spent the afternoon resting in our rooms. Once the conference was over Carl came back to our room. Paul and I had gotten naps and were ready for dinner. We all went out to the Mystery Dinner Theater. It was pretty fun and Bill won the prize for the Smartest Sleuth!! All day Paul had done very well for Bill & me. He is getting better at getting up from a chair by himself so we don’t have to lift him up. It really makes it easier for someone else besides Dad to handle him!! We used the walker all day as a safety precaution.

Sunday we got up early and went to breakfast in the hotel. Paul had pancakes again and really enjoyed them. After breakfast we went to the Merchant Square and did some shopping. It was just as hot as it was on Saturday. The guys ended up sitting in the shade and waiting for Ronda & me to shop. We went to a wonderful BBQ place in Williamsburg called Pierce’s BBQ before we headed home. I rode back home with Carl & Paul (remember ... I went down with Ronda & Bill!). We got home around 4pm. It was pretty nice to be home.

Monday was my day off. Dad, Dora & I worked with Paul to do his exercises on the floor in the living room. He has gotten out of the exercise routine and has gained weight ... good reasons to resume daily exercise. Throughout the week Dad worked with Paul to exercise and do chores around the house. Wednesday Paul helped Dad do the dishes and load the laundry in the washer. Dad said that when he went to load the washer he had to bend down to get the clothes out of the basket and stand back up. Then he would bundle the clothes to fit through the door of the machine. He did a good job. He seems to enjoy doing some small errands!

Wednesday was Chris’s birthday; he is now one year old. Thursday was Max’s birthday, he is two! Paul went to therapy on Thursday. He had physical & occupational therapy but found out that it was the last day for the authorized physical therapy. Paul will have to go back to the Physiatrist (therapy specialist) and be evaluated for authorization to get more therapy. He now has an appointment on July 3 for that. We all went to dinner on Friday night at the Olive Garden. Saturday we had a family birthday party for Chris. Max wasn’t able to come so we celebrated with him on Sunday. Paul enjoyed watching the kids unwrap their birthday presents and then play in the living room. Chris is now able to stand up by himself without holding onto the furniture! He will be walking soon! Sunday was Father’s day. Max brought a card that he and Mommy made. He also had a card for Pap-Paw!! Carolyn & the kids visited for a bit after church. Alysa had picked out a very nice shirt for Pap-Paw. The afternoon and evening were quiet so we napped & watched TV.

This week has been pretty quiet. Dad continues to play the radio each day. He and Paul read a lot during the day. Paul has some Popular Mechanics magazines that he seems to enjoy. Tuesday was our wedding anniversary (34 years!!). Carolyn & Billy came over with the kids and stayed with Paul while we went out to dinner. It was nice to be able to go out … just the two of us!! Thursday Paul had Occupational therapy. He is doing more bending to get things and he is doing small exercises like separating coins & putting pins in a bulleting board. The therapist times him and she said he is shaving off the time that it takes to complete tasks. His balance when he bends has gotten better and he can even bend down without holding onto anything!! Thursday is bible study night. We began working in our new book.

Many folks have asked how Paul is doing and noticed that I have not written for some time. As you can see much of our time is pretty routine. That is not to say we don’t continue to have improvement … just not much on a day to day basis. We appreciate your continued interest and concern for our family and Paul. I’ve said before that we have gotten where we are because of your prayers and that is still VERY true. God continues to hold us in His hands!

Have a great day, Lynne & Carl

Paul's Update - 06/01/08

Dear Friends:

I know it’s been a long time since I wrote last. We are all doing fine. Things are pretty routine from day to day. Paul continues to do well.

May 9-18th Our visits with Max have been a little disrupted this month but we’ve had him on alternative days. Mother’s day Max spent time with his Mommy. We had him on Saturday instead of Sunday. Tabby is real good about making sure Max spends time with his daddy! Our kids came to visit after church. Bobby & Jen came over for a couple hours and Carolyn was here with the kids. I always enjoy when my kids are all together.

Thursday of that week Paul had therapy. Max went on a vacation with his Mommy over the weekend (the 16th – 18th) We were able to have him on Friday before he left. We always enjoy having him no matter what day it is! I was gone for that weekend with some of the ladies at our church. Dad and Paul went to dinner with Bill on Friday, El Agave on Saturday and breakfast on Sunday. Ronda was out of town. She took Lou and went to visit her family in Indiana.

May 19-26th Tuesday the 20th Paul went to the dentist. This is a regular annual visit. He has ONE small cavity. This is a nice improvement over the last time he was at the dentist. Last year at this time we were looking at LOTS of dental work. Thursday Paul had therapy. The Physical therapist told Dad she thinks Paul has trouble controlling the muscles in his buttocks and lower back since he seems to have so much trouble lifting his legs while on his stomach. She encouraged Dad to do more exercise to strengthen those areas.

Dad and Paul were on their own over the holiday weekend. Carolyn & I took Alysa & Chris to the beach to visit with Nana Richard at Myrtle Beach. We also got a chance to go and see Sarah’s new baby boy in Columbia SC. Aunt Ann Z was there with Sarah to help with the new baby. This was the first trip to the beach for Alysa and she LOVED it. Fortunately the kids didn’t get any sunburn! The water was wonderful and the weather was beautiful all weekend. Monday (the holiday) Dad & Paul didn’t have a nurse. Dora doesn’t get paid for holidays (which I find ridiculous) so she had the day off. Since Max was still gone on Sunday he was able to come over and spend Monday morning with Pap-Paw & Daddy. Later in the day Dad & Paul watched Police Academy 5. Paul really enjoyed it and got a lot of the jokes in the movie. Dad said he smiled a lot during the movie. Since we don’t get much reaction most of the time, we love seeing him smile when he sees something funny.

May 27-June 1st Thursday Dad had a busy day. Paul had therapy as usual but also had a doctor appointment with his General Practitioner. She hadn’t seen him for three months and wanted to follow up on his progress. She did a lot of blood tests and checked his weight and vital signs. All is good except that he has gained about ten pounds. Looks like the diet needs to be a bit stricter! She also wants to start him on a higher dose of the Adderall which is the medicine that typically is given to children that have ADHD. The hope is that this medicine will encourage better thinking skills. She also wants him to listen to music more. Dad has started putting on Classical Music for him to listen to. Studies show that music reaches different areas of the brain that nothing else reaches. Any stimulus is good!

Friday night (the 30th) we went out with Bill & Ronda, Mike, Tracy and Jennifer. We ate at Logan’s. Paul had fish but he said he didn’t enjoy it. Dad said it was a little dry! The weekend was busy. We went to movie night at church on Saturday night. We had Max on Saturday since Mommy had plans for Sunday afternoon. Max had fun at the church. There were lots of other children there. Once the movie started ... he layed down on the floor to watch…and fell asleep!! He is talking more and is a joy to have around. He will be two years old in a couple of weeks ... can you believe it?? Sunday was a quiet day at home. Paul wanted to walk around a lot. This evening he decided he wanted to go for a walk. He walked out the front door with Dad beside him and proceeded to walk all the way down the street, turn onto Leland St and head almost to the end of that road before he got tired. Dad called me to come and pick them up in the car. He walked about a half mile. He seemed to know where he wanted to go and didn’t want to stop walking but Dad said he was getting VERY tired and wouldn’t make it back home!

Although many things are routine these days, it is always amazing when Paul does something new. We get small things and rejoice in them. Smiling, following given commands, walking without losing his balance, all things that we were told he would never do. We are constantly reminded how blessed we are!

Have a great day, Lynne & Carl