...Well the good news continues on the mobility front - three weeks ago this Thursday (22/Nov/2007) Charles slithered to my feet, put both hands half way up my shins and pulled his knees up. Then with an almighty teetering, balancing, wavering, effort of mind and body he stood up!  Raising his eys to meet mine a huge beeming smile was on his face and he danced a little wobbly jig of excitement - more of a shiver from head to foot than a jig, but who's judging?

From there he quickly moved on to 'cruising' - apparently this is right term, but I still find it uncomfortable saying "Charles is at the cruising stage".  He climbs up some convenient vertical grippy place (someone's leg, chair, cat, wall, play-pen etc...) to a stand, then, watching his feet to start with, he moves along a bit then looks for target objects... 

This week he is getting the hang of turning round to lower himself gently to the floor (having learned that head-first gets progressively less satisfactory the higher you are to start with).  He now lowers himself from the bed cruises for a while then sits and makes a bee-line for some object he is not allowed...

We both have colds (man Flu) this week - hence me doing this now at home.

He seems to be coping very well while I am struggling - aching joints, sore throat, streaming nose, head ache, cough and can't concentrate.  (I can hear my work colleagues saying "No change there then")

Unlike me he is energised by it and won't sleep nor lie still for a second he just wants constant cuddles (could be a bit like me after all).

Cathy is fighting through it as best she can - denying she is at all ill and complaining even more loudly than usual that the house is a mess and she can't cope any more...  could be serious!  Even MY Study has come in for criticism - wierd.

Emily is running on Birthday + Christmas excitement so she hardly has a cold at all.

So I fear we may be heading for a truly brilliant Christmas - colds gone, house tidy, Charles with us and doing Miraculously well.

...well one from three will be great.

PS. I don't know how you explain Charles journey and recording it here in my postings has been a great relief for me these past 10 months.  In an effort to get to grips with things I have just done an Alpha course and I can highly recommend it.