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