I'm waiting for the call from Susanne to tell me how awful it was.

Charlie is getting blood drawn as we speak. It's been a while since he's had to do this and I think he's forgotten how painful it could be.

Susanne reminded him yesterday that she was taking him for blood work.

"Is that the one with the needle in my arm?" he asked.

"Yes," she answered.

"That's not so bad," he said bravely.

I was pretty shocked by his response. Typically he would cover his arm with his hand, throw himself down on the floor and stage a minor tantrum while spinning in a fetal breakdance position.

He's come a long way since December of 2006.

Charlie has been feeling stomach pains off and on for the past couple of weeks and we're nervously wondering if it could be Celiac disease. As a Type 1 diabetic, Charlie is at a higher risk for Celiac and the fact that Susanne has it, puts him at an even higher risk level.

Still haven't gotten the call.

Have you heard about the stem cell study just published in JAMA. The study found that 20 of 23 patients treated with their own stem cells reduced or ended the need for insulin as the cells in the pancreas began to produce the hormone. It's an encouraging study, but this line hit me hard and gave my heart a swift tug.

The stem cell procedure "was done within six weeks of initial diagnosis and is believed to work best in early cases before the disease has had time to inflict damage on the body."