Out of ICU!

Matthew has now been in a regular room for 2 days and nights and Sarah has been able to stay with him in the room. "It was nice having Sarah in the room," Matt told a visitor yesterday, though Sarah may not have thought so when at 3:00 a.m. he called out to her to tell her not to give the hospital their checking account number because insurance would take care of it! That's Matthew, always thinking about finances. And he rattled off his checking account member number with no hesitation when they met with the JAG officers yesterday. He also had his first real PT session yesterday; first he had to sit upright in a chair for an hour. He was very anxious to get going and kept asking me when the therapists were coming. They had him stand up and bear weight on his left leg, which he did for about 10 minutes. I know having Theydon visit yesterday was incentive for him to push extra hard. Matt also had his first meal last night. The food is pretty indiscernable - the word Matt gave me when he heard me asking Steve how to describe food you don't recognize! So today we brought in food for Matthew and his appetite was back to normal. After he got a little tired, I helped feed him and he said, "Mom, you open your mouth just like you do when you feed Theydon." Another funny thing he said when discussing his surgery with the doctor was, "It's crazy that you can take something out of your brain - good job." And this morning he asked the doctor if they put anything back in his head - sorry, Matt, no memory chips were added! So he definitely has his sense of humor and has been very alert today and talking with visitors and on the phone, though sometimes it's hard to hear what he's saying because his voice is still very quiet and a little hoarse. And he asked for the computer today so he could work on his fantasy football picks! He's only been complaining of a headache but once the staples come out on Tuesday that should help. They also took him off the IV today.
So Matthew continues to progress, but has a long road ahead of him. Though he has feeling on the left side now, he still cannot move his left arm or leg. He will be moved to a rehab center on Monday afternoon or Tuesday where he will begin intensive 3-4 hour sessions of PT everyday which he is ready for. "It's better than laying around," was his response. The surgeon will have another CAT scan done before he leaves the hospital to make sure there is no significant swelling.
We continue to be blessed by the outpouring of love from the church and squadron; Theydon is being cared for (though we have him at night now) and meals are arriving daily. And today the group commander and squadron commander visited - that got both of Matt's eyes wide open!
Steve is going home tomorrow but I will stay until Friday or Saturday, so Lindsay and I will be here together for a few days since she is coming on Wednesday. Every day brings new miracles and answer to prayer. My prayer last night was that I would get to see Matt smile before I left and that's exactly what happened today when the doctor asked him to smile. It's not quite complete on the left but it was enough that for the first time since his surgery, he really looked like the Matt we all know and love. Thank you so much.
"Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand." Philippians 4:6-7