Jim is talking!

He is talking! He is talking! He is talking!
Jim was talking to me on Saturday (a week ago now), but didn't get a speaking valve put onto his trach till late Sunday night, mostly because of laziness issues of the nurses over the weekend.
Anyway, the kids and I were there when he got it, and he started talking immediately! His speech is very slurred due to the brain injuries, and it is very hard to understand him. But he does get a few words through.
He wanted me to stay with him that night so I took the kids home to my mom's, and then went back to Jim. He asked about the car, and if we were praying for him, and about his family, and about the kids. I told him it was late January, and he said, "taxes". Which, anyone who knows Jim at all, is a very appropriate thing for Jim to say at this time of year. And before I took the kids home, we said a prayers together, and Jim wanted to say it. We couldn't understand the majority of it, but we could understand him saying "thank you...thank you..." over and over.
He still comes and goes mentally. By that I mean there are times when he is more aware than others. And there are pain issues that are completely clouding his mind, not to mention all the pain meds he is on.
Around 5:00 in the morning, though, he looked at me and said, "You can leave...kids." So he wanted me to go home and be with the kids. :)
But he listens to me talk to the nurses, and tries to understand. He noticed the long scars on his legs, and was worried about them. He heard us talking about the wound on the back of his head, and he pointed to his head, wanting to know about it.
He'll respond to the nurses, etc. Well, mostly. Sometimes if he doesn't like them he'll close his eyes and turn his head away to block them out. That's with the therapists, mostly, though. Because they are harbingers of pain. And it's hard for anybody to like someone when all they do is cause pain to you...even if it's for your own good. But the therapists know this, it's part of their job to make the patients hate them, because, no pain no gain, right? And it's gonna be a lot of pain for my sweet Jim unfortunately.
So he still needs your prayers. He still has months and months and months, and many more months of this to go. Even though he's doing so well.
I really appreciate all your comments. It's lovely to know how much you all care, and it really means so much to me.
This is such a miracle, and it's happening before our very eyes. I'm so so grateful to Heavenly Father for everything, and for all the blessings and the prayers on Jim's behalf.
Now to say this...I've been getting a lot of questions about the accident and the other person involved...and though I really do want to talk about it...I really could say a whole lot...and trust me, I could go on for quite awhile about it...I won't. I have been professionally advised that although I can say all I want to about Jim's condition, I should at this time remain silent about the other matters. So, that's why I'm remaining silent about other matters. :)