Emme's Outfit Naming Competition

We are holding a competition to name this outfit of Emme's. I had to run to the store and Emme wanted to come. However she said she had to get ready first, and this is what she came up with. Take a minute and view previous outfits here, here, here, here, and here to prime yourself for this competition.

Holy Bat Batman

So the other day while eating lunch in my office, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. I looked up and saw a bat flying toward my head. After I gained composure and stopped fumbling over my words, I grabbed a garbage can and after a couple of tries, I finally caught it. So in short it was not a boring lunch break.

The New Normal

What We Thought We Knew about Diabetes
People with diabetes had problems with sugar and couldn't eat treats or desserts.

Julia Roberts played a character with diabetes in Steel Magnolias.

Old people with diabetes had problems with the blood circulation in their feet. (I'm a podiatrist's daughter!)

What We've Learned
Type 1 diabetes is most often diagnosed in kids and young adults. Only 5-10% of people with diabetes have Type 1.

For some reason (most likely exposure to a virus), Grace's immune system attacked the cells in her pancreas which produce insulin. Without insulin, her body can't process carbohydrates and turn them into energy. Because her body no longer produces insulin, Grace must rely on insulin injections to survive. She also must monitor her blood sugar levels several times a day with a simple blood test.

Type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented, cured, or reversed with diet or exercise. Even if she ate nothing but raw, organic fruits and vegetables and did triathalons, she would still be dependent on insulin for the rest of her life, or until a cure is found.

Grace's current insulin routine is two injections a day, one at breakfast and one at dinner. She has to eat 60-70 grams of carbs at each meal and 15-20 at each snack. It's also important for her to eat her meals and snacks at the same time every day. With careful planning, she is able to eat pretty much anything she wants, including cake, ice cream, fruit snacks, and candy. Sugar is not the enemy. As far as managing her diabetes goes, carbs are carbs, whether they come from a candy bar or a piece of fruit.

What We Want Our Friends and Family to Know
Grace is still Grace. She's a beautiful, smart, funny, kind girl. She wants to do everything she used to do--play with the same friends, enjoy the same activities, etc. And for the most part she can. The key is PLANNING.

With our current insulin treatment, routine and consistency are very important. As long as we know ahead of time what she will be eating, we can plan accordingly and she should be fine. For example, we had FHE with some other families last week. I knew ahead of time what would be served for dinner, I prepared the dessert, we adjusted her dinnertime dose of insulin, and she was able to go, eat what everybody else ate, and enjoy herself. If she were to be at somebody's house, however, and was given an unplanned snack, even if it were something healthy like an apple, it could cause her blood sugar to rise too high. Please don't give Grace anything to eat unless we know first.

As Grace gets older and more comfortable with her diagnosis, she will be able to check her own glucose levels, give herself injections, track her carb intake, and be aware of signs of high or low blood sugar. Until then, she needs our help. If you are interested in learning how to do these things, please let us know.

We are very happy with our doctors and current treatment plan. We are not interested in pursuing alternative remedies or natural "cures."

What We've Lost
The ability to be flexible or spontaneous

Some of the innocent ignorance we had before living with a life-long disease

What We've Gained
Greater appreciation for many loved ones who deal with much more challenging health related problems. Your grace and courage have been our examples.

Profound gratitude for the help we received, especially the first week after Grace's diagnosis. Thank you for the fridge and freezer full of meals, babysitting, cards, gifts, and phone calls. You've taught us how to serve and love better.

Grace Update

Yesterday Grace was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Apparently, the problems began some time ago. Knowing what we now know, serious outward symptoms began a few weeks ago, but became impossible to ignore or dismiss this past weekend. We got in to see a doctor on Sunday and a few tests confirmed what we had begun to suspect.

We checked into the hospital immediately to begin treatment. Her blood sugar levels were so high that the doctors told us she was maybe a few days away from being in the ICU. We've now learned that her blood sugar level should be between 80-150. Her first reading after being admitted was 885. Since arriving Grace has learned to deal with IV's, insulin shots, and blood sugar finger pricks. She is very afraid of needles so this has been quite traumatic for her and us. She will learn to get used to it, but it all feels very overwhelming right now.

She was taken off the IV this morning and is happy to be more mobile. Today we will be meeting with a few different specialists to learn how to manage this disease. Hopefully, we will be home by tomorrow. Basically, Grace will have to carefully monitor her blood sugar and insulin levels and take daily insulin shots every day for the rest of her life. Overwhelmed is really the word of the day around here. We're dealing with things the best we can and we're confident that eventually we will find a new normal and let her concentrate on having fun and being a kid.

We want to thank everyone for their love and support. Thank you to those who watched Emmeline and Max so Jon and I could be together at the hospital. Thank you to those who called to give support and encourage Grace. Thank you, Thank you, thank you! As overwhelmed as we are by what is happening, we are equally overwhelmed by your love, concern, and generosity. We'll try to post updates as we move forward.

Love,
Mary, Jon, and Grace

P.S. If I was supposed to be anywhere, give rides, provide school snacks, or basically do anything responsible over the next little while, please forgive me if I drop the ball.

Going Undercover

Just in case Jon ever has to join the Witness Protection Program, now we know what he'll look like with one of those awful, fake mustaches. Sadly, this is an awful REAL mustache. When Jon went away to Dixie his freshman year, he thought it would be funny to grow a mustache to surprise his mom when he came home for a visit. Funny? Yes. Tragic? Definitely. Prime opportunity to mock 15 years later? Absolutely! Love you Juan! I mean, Jon.

Please Don't Read Unless You Occasionally Have the Sense of Humor of a 7th Grade Boy

Let's set the scene. A few weeks ago, my sister-in-law Jen wrote this gem of a blog entry. She was sick and her husband Sean stayed home to help her with things:

Jen: Sean, I'm so glad you stayed home from work. Seriously, I would have been an absolute wreck. Well, more than I already unbelievably was. Sorry about that...

Sean: No, way. I am glad too. I wanted to be here for your wreck-dom.

Jen: my what??

Sean: NO! your-- wreck! like w-r-e-c-k...

after 20 years of laughing, hunched over...

Jen: No.. no thanks. I think i'm ok in that department...

So. . . to completely appreciate the following story, you need a little more background info. When I was in college I took some classes in philosophy and literary criticism. One work in particular talked about how language is violent because it imposes names on things without permission. Lame, I know. Anyway, Jon and I have a running joke about it. And now. . .

A few nights ago at dinner, we happened to be eating peas.
Grace asked, "Why are these called peas?"
Jon took the opportunity to mock, and said "Yes, Grace. Excellent question. How do we know they wanted to be called peas? Maybe they wanted to be called something else. . . "
And I cleared everything up by saying, "Because of their inherent pea-ness."

After which there was much red-faced laughing and explaining to do.

Diaper FAIL!!!