Hey what??

Good evening all!
I spent from about 3:30-8 with my dad and it is amazing how much he has progressed since I last saw him on Tuesday evening!
In terms of his agitation, it seems to come and go. He becomes fixated on touching his head and we have to keep telling him that he cannot touch it because it has to heal. When my mom and I were leaving, they were actually fitting him for a helmet that will (hopefully) prevent him from scratching and picking at his head, which could cause an infection and delay the healing process. So it seems that he has traded in his bike helmet for a protective healing helmet ;)
His breathing "goal" for the day was to breathe on his own for 12 hours straight. The nurses all told us his breathing was great and when we left at 8:00, he had been breathing on his own since 10AM so I am sure he met his goal.
The nurse also put a cover over the hole in his throat to enable him to talk. At first, his voice was very raspy and weak and his words were very scattered. Yet, as he got used to being able to talk, he correctly said my mom's name and my name when we asked him what our names were and even asked "where's Brian?" (Brian is in NYC for a music competition this weekend.) It was very exciting for us to hear him talk and correctly say our names. The highlite of the night was when his roommate was yelling either "Aide Aide! (calling for his nurse)" or "Hey Hey!" Either way, my dad thought he was saying "hey hey!" and out of the blue, my dad responded "hey what??" He definitely surprised us when he said that. My mom and I laughed for about a half an hour because it was so funny/encouraging. He also said random words throughout the time we were there, including "hospital" and "prices" when we were watching a news segment about the high gas prices. Finally, he kissed both my mom and I on the cheek when we asked him to and he even gave me a high five. What a guy! Definitely a great sign!
I am so proud of the progress he has made since the accident. He is so tough and I look forward to each day because I know he will make even more progress...
L