Paul's Update - 12/31/07

Dear Friends:

I’m sorry it has taken me so long to catch up on my updates. Christmas week was busy. Christmas Eve we all went to church. Paul enjoyed having the opportunity to participate in the candle lit part of the service. He seems to understand very well the importance of holding the candle just right and not dropping it or holding it too close to anything that would catch fire! After service we came home and finished up the preparations for Santa to come! Paul helped address some of the packages to our family that he was giving presents to. He seemed to enjoy the preparations. Christmas morning we slept in a bit. The nurse was off for the day and Paul had a chance to sleep until about 8am. Once we were up I started getting things started for our annual Christmas breakfast. It is the only day I actually cook breakfast and all the kids come for it (even if they would rather stay in bed ... LOL). We got breakfast about 10:30am and after we’d eaten the presents were opened. It was quite a busy scene! Alysa, Max & Chris enjoyed opening their presents ... Chris needed a little help!! The rest of the day was spent with Carolyn, Alysa, Chris & Max. Bobby & Jen spent the balance of the day with her family and Billy slept since he’d worked the night before and had to work that night at 6pm. Max stayed until about 8pm that night. He was so excited with all his toys that he wouldn’t nap and was exhausted by the time Mommy came to get him.

Wednesday and Thursday Paul had Physical Therapy. The occupational therapist is off for the holidays. She had him walk and try to improve his time. He uses his cane when he is doing this and was able to shave off about another minute of time walking down the hall and about ½ minute coming back. It took 4 ½ minutes to go down the hall and just under 5 minutes coming back. Thursday he didn’t do as well, it took him 5 minutes and 12 seconds going down ... she didn’t time him coming back. They took some time out on the bench and they worked on squats and standing up and sitting down. He doesn’t like doing this but she keeps trying and he eventually does it. She works with him doing some free standing while she pushes on him to see if he can resist her without losing his balance. Dad says he does this exercise pretty well.

Friday was a quiet day at home. I was at home with the stomach flu. Paul, Dad & Gradis spent the day watching TV. Saturday was much the same. We didn’t go out for Mexican Food (ugh ... it didn’t appeal to my stomach!). Sunday we went out to church. Breakfast got cancelled because Lew was sick with the stomach flu!! After church we spent the afternoon watching football and relaxing. The Redskins game was at 4pm and that proved to be a very good watch!! Monday was another quiet day. Gradis was off for the New Year’s holiday. Carl got the car fixed with the help of the neighbor’s son. That evening we had a wonderful breakthrough!! Dad decided to see if Paul could take a couple of steps from the couch to his chair. He took the cane away and told Paul to try to take a couple of steps. To Dad’s surprise, Paul walked the entire length of the couch and then over to his chair. Once he was there he had to turn around to sit down and he did that without any help!! Wahoo!!! Another miracle! Just think it was only a year ago (on New Year’s Eve 2006) that Paul stood up by himself ... now he is walking by himself!! Every time Dad gets him up to go to the bathroom Paul walks without the cane. It is not great walking ... but it IS walking!! I am sending a link to a short video for you to watch if you would like to! What a great way to round out the year 2007! It is amazing how much we’ve been blessed over the last year!

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas Holiday ... and I wish you a very Happy & Blessed New Year!

Have a great day, Lynne & Carl