Our beautiful Sophie is now 3 and she is a true blessing. She has lobar HPE and Diabetes Insipidus and now that we have learnt how to manage her fluid and sodium levels it doesn't seem such a drama (except when she gets sick and doesn't want to drink!!!!) Last year was a really frustrating year for us as Sophie began walking early in 2006 but, after getting a few viruses regressed completely. She also started having spasms and initially we thought they were a reaction to dehydration, but they continued for quite a while. Though we knew she was susceptible to seizures, these did not have the appearance of a seizure. She would just suddenly spasm - for a mere second - no absence, no loss of faculty. In December we had further tests and found that she was having seizure activity, however prior to getting the results the seizures totally stopped and she got up and started walking. We don't know why they started or stopped, we only know that right now our beautiful girl is walking for hours on end around our house, through the school, at shopping centres, at church and everywhere else she can get to. She is so happy. She has this incredible freedom and she loves catching up to her older brothers and sister. In a couple of weeks she will begin at her special education development unit two days a week and I think this will really challenge and help her. We praise God for this incredible gift that he has given us in Sophie. She completes our family and she has taught us so much (both medically and personally). To any of you who have just been given this diagnosis, my heart goes out to you because initially it all sounds like doom and gloom, but once you fall in love with these kids you find that the sound of their laughter and their cheeky grins are worth more than gold and that they all have an incredible capacity to love fully.