Update 3

We are just back in Norwich for a night. Grandparents are with Joe in Cambridge tonight.

Ben visited again yesterday, and was amazed by the Space Bath (it goes up and down, see photos). A lot of count downs and blast offs followed. Also they scooted round the site's cyclepaths like, well, cyclepaths. Joe got tired quite quickly, but Ben made sure he could keep up.

Now Joe is off the drip, he is weeing a bit less at night, so we're having better sleeps. And I mean we, not just Joe.

Sue is exhausted. Sammy is relaxing a bit: he has been with us in Cambridge for a couple of days and it's working out well. It's so nice to have the two boys squabbling in the bath again! We're going to try to stay together all the time, so we are relying on a few close relatives and friends to sleep over with Joe while we come back together to Norwich to catch up (thanks Uncle Dave, Grandma & Grandad, Pampa, Pete).

Tom's home-cooked meals are keeping us well. He is excelling himself: rice-pudding pork, chicken stew, moroccan lamb and tomorrow he's bringing pasta with whore's sauce (yes, whore's). Sarah's soup was delicious, and we're having Mike's curry for dinner tonight. Thank you everyone!

Joe had a slow day today. He played pool this morning. Then went to school (yes, school). But he then had blood tests, which he has every day. His canular in the back of his hand isn't letting any blood out now. They've put another in his arm, but it won't work either. We had a harrowing time getting blood samples today and yesterday: a failed attempt and a not-very-successful one both days. He goes under general anaesthetic on Friday for his next bone marrow sample, and a lumbar puncture (apparently it's nowhere near as bad for children as it is for adults), and so they may put in one or two bigger gauge canulars while he's under. I hope they do. Joe is totally freaked out by the needles, even though he can barely feel them with anaesthetic cream.

Anyway. He had a session with the music therapist as well, and he loved it. She was very impressed by his careful and expressive playing and, I have to say, so was I. No bashing everything for him. When we left he was feeling sorry for himself and watching The Empire Strikes Back, but showing signs of perking up.

He loved the get well soon cards from his class and says thank you to everyone.

We have received the medium term plans from Joe's school, so we will pass them on to the teachers tomorrow. Many thanks for the photos. They will go on the wall and he can tell everyone all about the people in his class (though he has told them a lot already!).

I am attaching a couple of photos from hospital. We haven't felt like taking many, and these may not be 100% decent, but they're close! As you can see, Joe really is OK at the moment.