IT'S BEEN A WHILE

i guess it hasn't been that long. it just seems like it because i was doing a new post about everyday for a while. our lives are pretty much back to normal. it actually seems a little boring. we all miss my parents so much. emily and ryan both keep asking where grandma and grandpa chief are. darrel and i decided a few days ago that we are going to take the kids to disney world in a few weeks. i am so excited because i have never been to disney world. we have been to disney land a ton of times (i used to take ryan and em and fly there just for the day), so it will be fun to experience something new. i have been measuring ryan about every other day because i want him to be able to go on all the fun rides. you have to be 40 inches and he is 38 1/2. maybe if i get him some thick soled shoes and really spike his hair he will pass. em is going to go crazy because she is so into princesses and loves rides too. i am sure we will have a great time!

(i am not quite sure why all of this is underlined... hum)

my little guy is such a sweet heart! i just love him so much! the other day he came up to me and said, "mommy i just make your heart so happy." and it's true, he does. every night, for the past week or so, when we get done saying our prayers he asks me "mommy what's amen?" i just kept telling him that's is just the way we close our prayers. so, today i decided to look up the exact definition. after our prayers tonight he asked again and i told him the definition. then he said, "oh, is that spanish mommy?" ever since he started sunbeams, he has had such a hard time going. i usually have to go and sit with him during opening exercises, and he sits in the furthest away chair. yesterday i was expecting the same thing, but he really surprised me. he walked right in the room, and went and sat down right next to his teacher. he didn't even acknowledge me. it made me a little sad that he didn't care about me, but i am SO happy that he went to class so willingly. he is growing up.

WOW LOOK AT MY BELLY!

she will not smile when she doesn't want to, and it's especially true for pictures. i am not sure when this happened, but it must have been in the last week or so, but i can't get em's pony tails to sick up anymore. her hair is just getting too long, and it's too heavy. i guess it's good that's is growing, but i have to say i do miss the upright pony tails (this is not a good picture to use as an example. we had just come in from outside and she had been rolling all over the grass, so her hair is a mess). emily has decided that her favorite thing right now is one of her pajama tops. she has to sleep with it at night, and gets it out of the crib in the morning and takes it everywhere. it cracks me up! she loves to put her hands in sleeves. at least she doesn't take her shirt off at night any more. i did make her a "sleeve" the other day, but she prefers the shirt. it's the funniest thing. we took it with us to the store the other day, and she dropped it and someone said to me, :she dropped her blanket, or whatever it is." i was a little embarrassed, but not as much as i am when she won't keep her shirt on in the store. she is my little singer. she sings.. or at least it's singing to her. all day long. she also dances while she sings. it's the cutest thing. my favorite thing she does right now is she will ask "where go?" and put her wrists together, and her hands out like a v. i have been trying to get a picture of her doing it, but i swear, it's next to impossible! i just love my little emers so much!

o.k. so i have had some extra time on my hands, so i decided to make a new bag. i saw a juicy bag kind of like this a few weeks ago when we were out shopping. i liked the bright colors for a change. i am getting faster at making them. it would be much faster if i would remember to make a pattern as i go, so i don't have to re-figure it out all over again. i guess i saved myself about $200 making this, and i get to have my big "cup holders" and extra long strap to put around the stroller handle.

man, i can really be long winded sometimes.......

SO LONG, FAREWELL...

my mom and dad right before we left the hospital for good yesterday.

my dad on the airplane today.

john and naima made these huge signs and put them up on the garage and the fence. lisa also bought balloons and had them all over outside and in the house too.

and finally, home sweet home!

i flew home with my parents today to help with the luggage they accumulated (2 suitcases and 2 huge bags more than they came with). both of my parents were so happy to be back home. i am happy for them, but really sad for us down here in phx. this was the longest consistent period of time that we have been around my parents, probably since i moved down here 9 years ago. i know they weren't here under great circimstances, but it was so nice to be able to see them just about everyday. i am really going to miss having them around, and i know ryan and emily are too. my life is going to seem so boring! on my way home from the airport tonight, my car wanted to take the hospital exit. it felt really strange driving by and not stopping. it's crazy how something becomes almost second nature so fast. i hope that is the case with my dad. i hope that everything becomes second nature again. and, that he will find patience again, so that he doesn't drive everyone crazy => he still has a lot of work cut out for him, but i am very confident that in the end he will be back to normal (whatever that means).

i love you mom and dad!

i just had to post this because i thought it was so cute. she must have thought it was a necklace, because she loved wearing it. grandpa really loved it too ha ha!

EASTER SUNDAY

we went and picked my dad up first thing in the morning. my mom was feeling much better... thanks goodness. we came to my house and watched the kids going through their easter baskets. they both ate candy for breakfast. i figure it's ok once a year. we just hung out until church. my dad came to church with us. it was so neat to be able to show him off to everyone in my ward. they were all so impressed with how well he is doing. after church we came home and had the yummiest dinner i have had in a LONG time! we didn't have lobster, but we grilled shrimp, crab, and asparagus. my mouth is watering just thinking about how good it was. my mom also made her delicious potato salad. darrel took my parents back to the hospital last night. my dad had all of his therapists today for the last time. i can't believe he gets to leave tomorrow. if i really sit and think about how long he has been in there, it is hard to believe. thank goodness it has gone by fairly fast. i showed my dad all of the blogs that my family and i have done about him. he is so thankful to everyone for all of their prayers, love, support, and for taking the time to read about how he is doing. i know that he got better so quickly because of all the care and concern that everyone has shown. thanks again! we all appreciate it so much!

they both have their mouths stuffed full of candy.
we were running late, so i really didn't get any good pics of the kids. notice how ryan was trying to sneak the ds to church.
grandma and grandpa chief
i was telling em how cute she looked and she kept holding her dress up and twirling. we didn't need to tell her, she already knew. she loves pretty things. isn't she a cutie!

SATURDAY

so we had some big plans for today, to do something fun, but my mom was so sick. she thinks it might be food poisoning of the flu. she pretty much slept all day (she never does that). today was the first day in 2 weeks that she has been to my house. i think today she was finally able to really relax, having my dad here, and she caught up on some much needed sleep. she is actually staying here tonight because she still feels so yucky. we are going to go and get my dad in the morning again. darrel just dropped my dad off at the hospital, and apparently a dr came in and threw my dad's neck brace away. he officially doesn't have to wear it anymore. i gave my dad a haircut today, and he soaked in the tub for a long time. besides watching ryan and emily color easter eggs, that was the highlight of his day. doesn't he look so good?!!!!

ryan and em had so much fun coloring eggs. they both had black hands by the time they were done. they look like they are being so careful in this picture, but shortly after it was taken they both started mixing the colors together. we have a few gray eggs, but that is fine. we had a good time.

this picture was a few days ago in my dads room. em loves shoes! she got grandpa's shoes and wore them all around. i can't believe that she can actually walk in shoes that big. what a nut!

FRIDAY

my dad is doing so well. tomorrow and sunday he gets to leave the hospital from 9am to 9pm. we are so excited, but i bet my dad is the happiest! the only thing he knows that he wants to do for sure is to take a long bath. he has wanted a tub for weeks now, so i am going to let him soak for as long as he wants in my big jacuzzi tub. for easter dinner we decided to have crab and lobster. tomorrow we are stopping by costco to pick some up for dinner on sunday. darrel is in charge of cooking them, and does a great job. he boils them first and then puts them on the grill for a bit. yummy! at least my parents will kind of get to finish their holiday vacation (it might be a different holiday but that's ok) down here and not in the hospital.

WEDNESDAY

john and naima flew in last night, so that they could go and spend some time with my dad. little did they (or we) know my dad will more then likely be released next TUESDAY! we all are so excited. (my life is going to seem so boring) he is even better today than he was yesterday. tomorrow we all get to go with my dad, and his recreational therapist, to eat lunch. off hospital grounds even (if you can call across the street from the hospital off grounds). that will be fun. i think that tomorrow my mom will finally get to go to DSW. we were on our way there when we got the call about my dad. she loves going there when she comes down, but hasn't had a chance to yet. i hope she finds some great new shoes!

today john, naima, the kids, and i went to oregano's for lunch. they have really good pizza and garlic cheese bread, but we really go there for the desert. they call it "pazookie" and it is so yummy. it is a half baked chocolate chip cookie that they serve warm with vanilla ice cream on top. ryan started out sitting a few feet away from me while we were sharing it, but by the time it was almost gone he was right on my lap. he didn't want emily or me to eat any more of it. we were all laughing, it was so funny. he is really serious about his desert, and he had to make sure that he got the perfect bite every time. he takes after his mommy! we also made a last chance run today. naima got some cute things. it definately is not a store for a stroller (let alone a double stroller) so i had a hard time even looking at anything. it was a fun day.

this really doesn't have anything to do with this post, but i keep forgetting to write about this. lately while we are driving in the car ryan has to tell me EVERYTHING we pass. "look mommy a chase bank" "look mommy safeway" "look mommy blockbuster video" my favorite one was the other day he said "look mommy a sleep america" it's a matress store, but he was so excited i think just because it had the word america in it. he is learning his states, countries, and continents, and something specail about each place. he also can figure out directions now like north, south, east, and west. i bought him a world atlas and he just sits and reads and studies it all day. i never thought i would be helping my 3 year old with geography! truth be told, he has actually taught me a few things i didn't know (like where the ishtar gate and machu pechu are just to name a few). i don't know what i am going to do with that little boy, but he is going to be bored out of his mind in kindergarten. anyone have any suggestions.....

TUESDAY

we went to the hospital today, and i was so happy to see my dad. he is doing so well! it almost seems as if nothing had happened to him. all of the doctors are so impressed with how well he is doing. i bet he gets released sooner than later. he will still require a lot of rehab when he gets home, but that's o.k. considering what the alternatives could be. the other day i was going over grandma and grandpa's first nameswith ryan. i told him that grandma's first name is karen and that grandpa's first name is mark. he said, "no mommy! grandpa's first name is joe." i told him no it was mark and again he said it was joe. it then occurred to me that he must have overheard me telling everyone that my dad thought his name was joe. so, now grandpa's first name is sometimes mark and sometimes joe. kids are so funny! ya gotta love them! i know i sure do!

SUNDAY

i can't believe it's been a month already! my dad's accident was on the 16th of feb. wow! today after church we took my dad some pizza and went to the cafeteria to have dinner with him. it's good seeing him outside of his room. i guess that one of the dr.'s that had seen him initially had told my mom that he would never fully recover, or work again. well that same dr. came in to see my dad today, and he could not believe how well he was doing. the dr. told my mom that he was being too pessimistic that day. some of the people in the rehab have suffered from ATV accidents as well. the only thing is, is that they are paralysed. it just goes to show that no matter how bad things seem to be for you, there is always someone worse of. i am so glad that my dad is not paralysed, and he is getting closer and closer everyday to being my "dad" again. hurry up darn it!

SATURDAY

sorry i didn't update yesterday, i got the flu/cold again for the second time in one month. what's up with that (i even got a flu shot)?

today my mom, the kids, and i went to the "ghetto" mall i call it. emily saw this carousel and started going nuts because she wanted to go on it so bad. i made grandma go on it with them because they make me sick. they loved it!
my dad will not smile for the camera because he says he can't remember how to smile, or what his smile is supposed to look like. he got to walk across the street to a little strip mall today. he is getting so depressed, so i think that getting out of the hospital, and getting some fresh air must do him good.

he looks so normal without his neck brace on. they let him leave it off for a little bit here and there. he is just so darn skinny. we need to fatten him up. he does so well walking with the cane. you really can't even tell that he needs it. next week we get to go on a "family" outing of some kind. probably just to go and eat lunch or something. he says the hospital food is terrible. he can't figure out how they manage to make everything so dry, and taste exactly the same. i think tomorrow we are going to take him dinner. i wish that there was some way to cheer him up. i can imagine how depressed he must be! i think anyone would feel the same way going through all he's gone through.

THURSDAY

i am very tired tonight so this will be a quick update. when i got to the hospital my dad told me he wasn't having a great day today. he definitely wasn't as happy (or as funny) as he was the other day. the good news is that they said he might get to leave in 2 weeks or so because he has progressed so quickly with all of his therapy. he is also on an unrestricted diet (i took him some mini cadbury eggs today yum!). on saturday he gets to go on some kind of outing with my mom. oh yeah, they did let him go outside today. first time my dad has felt the warm (85 degrees today by the way) sun on his skin. so, i guess i wrote just about as much as i do when i am not tired, so i will end now.

WEDNESDAY

so, i guess my dad had a bad night last night. he ended up with almost all the nurses on the floor in his room to hold him down and fix the side of his "cage" that he ripped off, and to fix the call button he ripped out of the wall. he just has no control over his brain at night. he is so tired today. i am not going to go to the hospital so he (and my mom) can get some rest. my mom did tell me however that he was walking with a cane today and only one person helping him. that's good news. when i talked to him on the phone this afternoon, he didn't sound like himself. it is so crazy how this whole healing process is literally one step forward, and two steps back.

TUESDAY

(sorry mom i had to post this. it's a cute pic)

see how skinny my dad is. other than that (and the mustache gone) he looks like himself again.

yeah! it seems like my dad is back. except for a few crazy things he says and does, i really felt like it was my same old dad. i told him it was good to have him back, and he said "i still am a little goofy." he was goofy before so not much has changed :) when i got to the hospital my dad told me to take my mom somewhere fun. so, where do 2 girls go to have fun? target, of course! i think that is was good for my mom to get away for a while. i can tell she is pretty exhausted, but she would never admit it. when this whole thing happened, every night as we were driving home from the hospital, she would say "i feel like i need to call dad." well, while we were out she was able to call him on his cell. it made me feel happy to hear her talking to him on the phone. nights are really hard for my dad. for some reason he doesn't sleep (even after taking sleeping pills). because he is so drugged up, he is really out of it, and i guess kind of a crazy man. for this reason my mom feels like she needs to stay with him. she is staying there again tonight. at least she has a bed there, and they give her 3 meals a day. i know she needs a change if scenery, but i can't manage to get her to leave for more than a few hours.

monday

i didn't go to the hospital today, but my mom said that he had a good day. he finally gets to eat. not regular food however. it has to be covered in some kind of sauce or pureed. it's hard to believe that this is the first time he has eaten in 24 days! i am hoping that this will help him move in the direction he needs to be heading. he had his cast replaced with just a splint on the pinkie finger only. my mom said he didn't even try to take it off once. and, it's much lighter than the other thing he had (he kept complaining that is was so heavy he couldn't lift his hand). he still continues to take off his neck brace every few minutes. he is so tricky doing this. even if we are talking to him, we don't realize that he is undoing the strap or loosening it. they told us at the beginning of this whole nightmare that he would only have to wear it for 6 weeks, so i guess he only has 3 more to go. my mom is staying at the hospital again tonight. she hasn't left in about 5 days. luckily they bring her a food tray, or i have a feeling she wouldn't eat because she won't leave him alone for more than a few minutes. anyway, thanks to everyone for your nice e-mails. my dad (and mom) have really enjoyed reading them and hearing from you all.

SUNDAY, DAY 23

i can't believe it has been 23 days! the doctors say he still has probably 4 to 5 more weeks to go! he was such a stinker for my mom today. she might as well be getting paid a nurses salary for all that she is doing. she refuses to leave him, and is spending a third night with him. if she wasn't there to help him out, he would have no one. the nurses would just tie him down, zip his cage shut, and keep him sedated. it makes you wonder how people who don't have love ones ever recover. i bet it takes them twice as long. my dad is very lucky to have my mom! i have offered to stay with my dad so my mom can have a break, but she won't even let me do it. he was really drugged up today because he was having such a bad day. i asked him to smile, and this is what i got. my dad never smiles like that. i don't really know who that is. i want my dad back... NOW!

SATURDAY

today i flew to slc to attend my great aunt ellen's funeral, and to get some different clothes for my mom, get their mail, and my dad requested his ipod. it was a fast and furious day. i was literally there for maybe 6 hours. on my way home i stopped at the hospital to drop all the stuff off. well, my dad slept for the first time (in a long time) last night, and my mom claims that she slept, but i don't believe her. my dad wanted my mom to stay again tonight. she is a trooper. i don't know how she is handling this so well. i would have fallen apart a long time ago. i wish i could make things better and make it all go away... now! today at the funeral when people were asking me about my dad, it felt so weird to be saying the things i was saying, and having it be about my dad. you never ever think that something like this could happen to you. life sure can change in the blink of an eye! i have faith that my dad will return to normal (whatever that is), but in the mean time this sure is a horrible thing to go through.

FRIDAY

unfortunately today was not a very good day. he did not sleep again at all last night. my mom and i were so surprised because amien will make anyone sleep. well, come to find out they did not give him any. tonight my mom is staying at the hospital with him, and is going to make sure he gets the ambien. he has been working so hard with all of his therapy. i got to see him walk with some help today. he does a good job, but he can't quite center himself enough to do it without help. he can get around in a wheelchair by himself. he only hits things with the left side of the chair sometimes ;-) i took my laptop in today, and read everyone's e-mails. he was so happy to hear from everyone of you. it made his day. he couldn't believe how many people took the time to send an e-mail. i am sure it's going to help him recover sooner knowing how many people care about him. i know that my whole family is so appreciative of the love, support, and prayers we have been receiving. we know they are working without a doubt! thanks again to everyone.

E-MAIL

if anyone would like to e-mail my dad a message, you can send them to markinphx@gmail.com i will print them up and take them to him. he would love to hear from anyone and everyone. maybe hearing how much support he has will help him recover that much quicker. you can also feel free to leave comments on my blog if you would like.

GOOD DAY

today i busted my mom out of the hospital for a few hours. this is the first time she has left the hospital, during the day, in the last 2 1/2 weeks. darrel and i took her to lunch, and then my mom, the kids, and i went shopping to get my dad some new clothes so he doesn't have to wear the lovely hospital attire. when my mom left, my dad was out of control. he hadn't slept in over 2 days and was very agitated. they moved him to a private room that has video cameras in it so that they can keep an eye on him (to make sure he doesn't try to get out of bed on his own again). by the time we got back to the hospital "my dad" was back. it was so great to talk to him in such a normal way. i asked him if he knew he brain was functioning a little crazy. he said he didn't until he was in speech therapy and they were telling him to spell words backwards. he said he was confused. he knows he isn't totally himself. he loved emily getting up on the bed with him so he could really talk to her and play with her. ryan was really afraid of the cage on the bed, so we couldn't get him up there. this morning ryan told me he wanted to take a spiderman bandaide for grandpa chief. while we were in his room they put a new cast on his arm (probably about his 20th one because he continues to rip them off). i told ryan to put his bandaide on his cast, so he did. my dad did not even try one time to remove his cast. i have not seen him go more than 3-4 mins without trying to get it off. after ryan put the bandaide on him he said, "ok grandpa chief you are all better now." he is so hungry! he really wants sour cream and onion potato chips. he told us to go and buy a big bag on our way home tonight. he also kept telling ryan to go and get some out of the vending machine. i wish they would let him eat! i'm sure it would make him feel 100 % better. i am hoping tomorrow will be another good day, but my expectations are not high (considering his track record). they were going to give him some ambien tonight to make sure he gets some sleep. i am sure that will help him out too.

Wednesday

first of all my dad did not hurt his neck any more falling out of bed~ thank goodness! while we were there, they took him to physical therapy and he was able to walk the full length of the parallel bars (like the ones they have in gymnastics) back and forth about 6 or 7 times. we did not get to see him do this, but the therapist told us. that is so awesome. i think he will feel so much better if he can get up and walk on his own. they had to put this cage like attachment on his bed to keep him from trying to get out again. they also put this thing (it kind of looks like a boxing glove) on his right hand to keep him from taking off his neck brace. in this video he seems so much like himself that it's hard to imagine that he isn't like that all the time. unfortunately that isn't the case. i guess i wouldn't feel to much like myself either if i was in his situation.

sorry about the video clip not working. i have no idea why it's not downloading. i will try again later.

SO.....

this morning we got a call from the hospital. they told my mom that about 1 this morning my dad had taken his neck brace off and tried to get out of bed. he fell right on his forehead. they did a c spine x-ray to make sure he didn't injure his neck any worse. we do not have the results yet. he told us he hit his head hard, but the nurses said his blankets were under his head. if they were under his head they are basically just sheets, so they would not have provided much protection. they didn't do a cat scan, but we kind of wish they would. he hates my mom not being with him. tonight she is going to sleep on a cot in his room. he really does much better when she is with him. it's so crazy talking to him because some of the things he says are so normal you think nothing is wrong, but the next second he just says off the wall things. it's so frustrating because you just want it all to be normal. they are holding off on physical therapy today until they find out the results on the c spine. we hope everything is fine.

TUESDAY

i have not had a chance to see my dad today, and i don't know if i will. apparently they are moving him to rehab tonight sometime. he is still pretty out of it, and very ornery, and kind of mean. this is all i know at this time. i will do a new post when i know more.

MONDAY MORNING

this morning when my mom and i got to my dad's room they had already given him his sedation that my mom told them not to give him any more of. anyway, i told him to say hi so that i could post this so the kids could see him. for being on the meds, he was doing pretty well. the first name he says that you can't hear is ethan, then you can hear the rest. he also told us that he has a new language. he started saying a few nonsensical words and then he said my favorite new word is mucho grande. he just continues to make us laugh.

HELLO

this morning at 7am my home phone rang. i answered it and it was my dad. he was asking where his cell phone was. i told him mom had it and he said, "why does she have my phone too? at least she has other options." he also told me what his home phone number is and he asked if that same number could get a hold of mom too. i said it could if they were calling home. he then said he was going to hang up and call mom. i told him she was here and he was a little confused. he was also asking me what room he was in. i told him 24. then he asked if all hospitals "suck" this bad. you ask for something and they do nothing about it for over an hour. it is so good to hear his voice on the phone. he has a terrible headache (i can only imagine how bad it is) and they have been giving him tylenol, but i don't think it helps much. he keeps saying it's a caffeine headache and that what he needs is 500 mg of caffeine. hopefully his head will start feeling better soon.

LAUGH FACTORY

another good day for my dad. his brother and sister-in-law, chris and gay, flew in and surprised my dad. he was glad to see them. when we went tonight to get my mom, my dad was making us laugh so hard. just about everything out of his mouth was hilarious. it's totally my dad's sense of humor, just turned up about 100 notches or so. i said, "dad you are so funny," and he said, "see that button on the wall? that's the humor button. you push it and you get some." he has also been asking about the accident. he was telling us tonight that he remembers riding the 4 wheeler, and that he was driving around like a maniac, well a careful maniac. and thinking that nothing could happen because it has a thumb throttle, and the next thing he remembers was a loud pop. i told him he cracked the helmet and he said, "super glue will fix that." it's so good to hear him laugh and talk like himself. he also got to drink a coke today and he said it tasted like heaven. he has been so thirsty for so long, i bet it did taste good. he also had about 8 cups of water or so. the dr said it sounds like his lungs are clearing up finally. tomorrow they are moving him into rehab. that will be so good for him. oh, tonight he was talking and all of a sudden without even thinking about it he lifted his left forearm all the way up. that is the most he had moved it. we said something about it and he did it again and circled his arm around a few times. i can't believe the progress he has made in just the past few days. it won't be long now until this is all just a memory (i hope anyway). oh, one more funny thing he said was that he has been watching the history of the history channel and it's on 4 different stations. and one more thing.... i asked him what he did for a living today and he said he "works at the post office and that he sends out invitations to get pregnant." what a nut. i wonder if he is really trying to be funny or if that's what he really thinks. it' s hard to tell because he seems so serious when he says certain things.

SATURDAY

my mom got to the hospital really early this morning. they had just given him his sedation so he wasn't quite with it. they also took an x-ray of his lungs and found out that he still has a bad case of pneumonia. my mom worked with him all day long doing range of motion exercises and making him cough and breathe deep. she did not leave his room at all today. when we went to go pick her up tonight we went up to see my dad. he had just woken up from a little nap and the meds must have worn off because we were able to get a glimpse of "my dad." i was asking him what his name was and he told me it was "joe mormon." i asked what he did for a living and he said "i make babies." i said, "oh you make babies?" and he said, "yeah someone has to." i told him he worked at the post office and he kind of looked confused. he didn't remember what he did there, but when i asked where he liked to go on his lunch break, he answered "nps" without even a hesitation. i asked his name again and he flipped me off. it was so funny. we think he might have been joking with us about the whole joe thing. we all started to laugh and he even laughed out loud. it even sounded like him. we had the kids with us again, but today they were not afraid of him (i think because he looked so alert). ryan went up to him and grandpa held up his hand for a high 5. they kept giving each other high 5's and then grandpa started tickling ryan. he had such a big smile on his face just hearing ryan's laugh. then, i held emily up and she was saying "hi grandpa" and blowing him kisses. i looked at my dad and he had a smile on his face but his eyes were welling up. he was interacting with us so well. his head is still a little foggy, but it was so good to talk and joke around with him. you can just tell he wants so get better, and get out of there. he even remembered why he had the neck brace, and the cast on (earlier today he told my mom that his arm in the cast didn't belong to him). it does my mom, and us, good to see him coming around. my mom just wanted me to thank everyone so much for all the thoughts and prayers we have been getting from everyone. we all appreciate them so much, and know that they are working. thanks again!