Saturday, January 28, 2012

0-9 in a blink of an eye

In the blink of an eye you have grown into an amazing young girl that I am so proud of.  You have blossomed into such a sweet, caring, creative, independent beautiful girl. I have such hopes and dreams for you, all being that you continue to stay on this path that you have created.  I feel like you are leading the way and I am here learning from you. You make me prouder everyday!

*Stay true to yourself*
*Be what you want to be, not what others think you should be*
*Shine*
*Never forget to let loose, be silly, jump in puddles & dance dance dance*
*Keep your amazing attitude*
*Continue to love and only see what's inside and not their exterior* 
*Never hold back, always communicate how you feel*

(Such a strong and meaningful quote from The Help that I couldn't pass up posting it)
You is Kind
You is Smart
You is Important...


Happy Birthday Evelyn!













Thursday, January 26, 2012

The Rock 2012

This is the 4th year we have painted the rock in front of Evelyn's school. Although Evelyn was disappointed it's not the usual rock we paint, she was happy with the outcome.  Can't believe in two days you will be 9!



Monday, January 16, 2012

JDRF at the Checkers

JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) sponsors an event with the Charlotte Checkers to help get families involved and learn more about what they can do to help.  This was our second year attending. The girls had a great time playing while the grown ups walked around and talked to other families.  In this video they are dancing with the Checkmates.  Evelyn is in the pink sweatshirt, Addy in her Team Bubba and Bunny's Brigade shirt and their friend Madison in the polka-dot sweater.



The girls had such a great time and a lot of that was due to this sweet girl, Madison. She was just diagnosed in November at the age of 7.  She is the daughter of a friend of mine and Evelyn was in Daisies with her. Evelyn also has been in class with Madison's brother for 3 years. It is so awful that she and Addy have to go through life with this condition, but I'm so glad they have each other.

Showing off their pumps

At lunch before the game



Making their posters


Type 1 kids and their siblings and the Checkmates

Bubba and the checkmates

Madison and Evelyn with The Checkmates

I think this was my favorite part of the day. We walked up to a crowded area where there was a race car and a bunch of drivers and onlookers. The girls jumped the line and went around to the car. As I was telling them to come back and wait their turn, a driver said, "No, they are good, do you want to get in?" Next thing I know they are picking up Madison and putting her in. Little did I know that the driver is a young guy named Ryan Reed, a Type 1 himself.  So young, so sweet and doing great things for JDRF. Each of the girls took turns in the car and Ryan spent time with each of them. But the time he spent with Madison and how he talked with her was so refreshing.  I'm sure he won't remember, but I know I won't forget and I'm sure my girls or Madison won't either.  Looks like we may become race fans after all!

http://ryanreedracing.com/
Looking at Ryan Reeds car


Addy and Ryan Reed

Evelyn's turn





Her game face (the red dot lets everyone know she has type 1)
A bribe of popcorn so she doesn't continually beg for this>


Chicken Dance!

Chuck the Puck



Excuse me while I rant

Having a child diagnosed with type 1 diabetes is heartbreaking and frustrating. Truthfully, I was ignorant to the disease.  I didn't realize there are two kinds of diabetes. When Addy got sick and doctors confirmed she had Type 1 Juvenile Diabetes, I became a overprotective mother that found herself getting angry at people who didn't understand the disease.  People would say things like:

 "she will grow out of it"
"all she does is have to take a pill right?" 
"I'm sorry you are going through this, but its really not that bad, its not like it is life threatening"
The best one was when a friend of Evelyn's asked her mother why Addy had to wear a pump. Her mother in return told her that "she ate too much bad food and that she can stop wearing the pump when she starts eating healthier". 

..............................(Let me pause while I calm down and wipe the tears)...................................... 

But really, how would I expect people to understand what Type 1 Diabetes was if I didn't know it existed until it was in our face smiling back up at us? Ok, maybe not smiling. More like crying, laying on the floor, barely speaking, pointing to her stomach in pain, going from the water in the refrigerator straight to the bathroom and not making it, all while staring through us with a a glossy-eyed blank face.

Type 1 is a disease in which your immune system attacks the cells that make insulin, a hormone needed to control blood sugar levels.  As a result, your body cannot make insulin.  Without insulin, too much sugar stays in your blood. There's no magic pill that can change it or a special diet that can reverse it. It is their new life.

The truth, is I get angry they even call it diabetes. It has such a stigma. A preconceived idea that just change her diet and it can be reversed.  Well, it can't.  This isn't Type 2 Diabetes.  There is NO cure. The ONLY thing is insulin.  It is her life saving med.  Even a dose of insulin cant give us controlled blood sugar.  There are too many other factors: how many carbs she ate, how active she is, how much water she drank, if she is fighting a cold or virus, if she is stressed (yes, believe it) if she is going through hormonal changes, stomach bugs...and the list goes on.

I wish they would change the name of the disease, maybe Pancreas Impairment or Pancreatic Disease. Or better yet, this: (I LOVE IT!!!!)

 CRAP stands for "Catastrophic Ruthless Attack on the Pancreas"


It's rumored that someone started a Google bombing campaign to replace Google's normal results for the word CRAP with the ADA page for Type 1 diabetes. This was done as a protest against the ongoing problem that the media has in distinguishing betweenType 1 and Type 2 diabetes. 

To quote a top ADA official (name withheld) "If this disease renaming continues we'll be forced to change current medical texts so they now refer to the two primary types of diabetes as CRAP and Type 2. And what happens if someone then decides to rename Type 2 to Number 2? Imagine the confusion."They fail to recognize that many people, including many media people, are already confused so much that they don't even realize there are two main forms of diabetes that are radically different to one another. Perhaps this renaming will clear things up - a bit.


Yes, I like that very much.





Monday, January 9, 2012

Sky Lanterns New Years Eve

New Years Eve was nice and low key. We went out to dinner with friends then came back to our house and sat around the fire outside.  I bought these cool floating lanterns to set off for the New Year. The kids had a great time setting them off and making their wishes for the new year.  This will definitely be a new tradition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4a_PCCJ0vk


Saturday, January 7, 2012

Christmas

Christmas in pictures

On the stairs waiting to come down

Trying to peak



Letter from Santa


Special gift from Santa



Evelyn's reaction to earrings. Not ready for pierced ears yet I guess.



Found one more


Just one of Addy's many faces

E-Pain & A-Pain on the T-Pain & Guitar T-shirt