More on yesterday. ..

Yesterday was huge! Michael laughed (at his own jokes..), asked the questions, "How long have I been here?", and, "How old am I?". Like Jordan and Loren said, he's showing emotions other than frustration and anger. For example, I began to cry a little when Michael woke up and started talking so clearly, he put his hand on my knee and said in a concerned (and confused) voice, "You're upset..?". I explained to him that I'm not upset, I'm happy because he's getting better- to which he replied, "This just doesn't make any sense..".
We proceeded to have a conversation about how he got there, when, why, etc.. He would ask the same questions again a few minutes later. Like Jordan said, his short term memory will come back over time. BUT, it was a coherent conversation. :)

Michael decided to go for a walk up and down the hallways. When the doctor saw him up and walking around his jaw dropped. Michael looked at him, stuck his hand out and said, "Hey man what's your name? I'm Mike." The doctor introduced himself and just stared.. Michael said, "What..?" Doc said, "You look great! You weren't doing this well a few days ago and I'm so pleased!" Michael smacked him on the back, laughed and said, "You're just messin with me man."
At some point on our stroll he asked, "Where's Dad?". First time he's said Dad :))

We got back to the room, Michael laid down and I was sitting at his bedside. We were just talking, he was trying to make sense of everything. I told him my name, he looked at me like I was an idiot and said, "Ugh, I know that." Then he held his arms out for a big hug and I dove in. He could tell I got super excited, kinda laughed at me and gave me a "there there" kiss on the head. .. so sweet. As Jordan and Loren mentioned, vocabulary is still a struggle and it's often a guessing game on my end. But sometimes, whether the words are right or not, he gets his point across clearly (adding to Jordan's comment on his healthy interest in the opposite sex).

Like I said, yesterday was huge! It's hard to remember all that happened. We were all pretty overwhelmed. I felt like a took a few shots of espresso by the time Michael got back in bed! So pumped!
I'm no expert, but from what I've read about Michael's condition, the bulk of recovery takes place during the first few weeks, and can last for several months. Seems like he's right on schedule.

Maisie