Christmas magic!

What a difference two fun loving toddlers can make at Christmas. It is truly magical and the punkins are little miracles. They had the best Christmas thanks to all the love and presents they received from our families and from Santa. How special too to have Mim and Granddaddy with us to celebrate!

We went to Aunt LaLa and Uncle Charles' house for a lovely Christmas Eve. They showered them with all kind of fun gifts including two huge Tonka trucks for the sandbox, two electronic keyboards to explore their musical talents, matchbox cars, and other googies. Then, Santa made a visit to our house and left two trykes, legos, matcbox cars, puppets, books and other toys.

The next morning, we had the video camera rolling. The punkins ran into the room with all the gifts and ran right to the kitchen table to eat a hearty meal first. They really enjoyed opening all their gifts, which were nicely left in the beautiful wooden toy chests from their Nana Fiero and Grandma and Grandpa Fiero. The boxes were definitely a hit and still are. They are a perfect size for the boys to sit in them and play. One other notable popular gift is the teepee and tent set from Aunt Heidi and the Jakob crew. Tas' favorite book is his Elmo potty book. He points to it and says "Elmo".

Christmas is a magical time of the year!

Grove Park Inn

What a delightful holiday week it has been. Heath and I are currently at the Grove Park Inn for a 2 night retreat. I must admit though, the four days leading up to this and then actually leaving, were filled with enromous stress and worry for me. This is the first time we have left the boys since Chance's diagnosis. That first night in the hospital, a doctor with a diabetic son told me that Chance and I would be bound together until Chance could one day manage this himself. I now understand what he meant. It is good to know though, that we can get away while the boys are being well cared for and getting lots of love from Mim, Granddaddy, Aunt LaLa, Uncle Charles, and Amanda. Thank you all for making this possible!!

The first night, we had a decadent dinner at GPI's Horizon's restaurant. This was a world class dining experience! We brought a world class bottle of Freemark Abbey wine to enjoy as well. Ralph the server was outstanding. Yesterday, we had a leisurely day. Ate a big breakfast, overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains, strolled around in downtown Asheville in the abundance of art galleries, dined at the Biltmore historic Stable cafe and then did the candlelight Biltmore Christmas tour. For me, this fulfilled a long time item on the "want to do" list. Today, we'll eat more and hike if it is not too cold. It is quite cold here. My new down jacket has served me well - thanks Momma!

'Tis the Season for Ear and Sinus Infections

Bah humbug! This has not been a good week so far in terms of health for the Clayton household. Heath and I both have sinus infections and are on antibiotics. I also have a wicked ear infection, which has left me with very little hearing in my right ear and continuous pain. Today, I gave in and went back to the doc whom put me on prednisone - a strong oral steroid - to help clear it up. A bit of a downer to be this sick so close to Christmas, but I am optimistic that both Heath and I will feel better by Christmas Eve.

This is a big Christmas for us since it is the first Christmas where the boys will sort of get it. Santa will come and deliver trikes, blocks, logs, puppets and an assortment of other goodies. The boys will also get toy chests (a gift from their grandparents) so they each can begin their own sense of self AND cleaning up their own mess. This should be interesting.

On a very positive note, Carita and Marshall arrived last night. They are wonderful and we're soooo happy they are here as are our boys. Let's hope and pray that the rest of the Christmas season will be a healthy one for us and that I can hear by Thursday. Tas and Chance continue to say Ho, Ho, Ho every time they see a Santa or Christmas lights. This has me wondering what we will do after Christmas.

Oskar

Oskar is a two year boy who has type 1 diabetes. Oskar has a brother Gunner and delightful parents Andy and Fredrik. We spent time with Oskar and his family today. I met Fredrik at Dr. Lagarde's office. We really enjoyed getting to know them better. We tested Oskar and Chance's blood at the same time so they could see that there are other kids who have diabetes. Chance enjoyed checking out all the cool toys at Oskar's house. Tas enjoyed opening all their cabinets, spraying their household cleaners, and exploring all the nooks and crannies of their home. It is great to talk to other parents. We are not alone in this.

Tonight, Aunt LaLa and Uncle Cha came over to give us a break for a few hours so we could attend our neighbors holiday party.

A Christmas Carol

On Tuesday, Heath and I went to see A Christmas Carol at the Raleigh Memorial Auditorium - the Lincoln Center of Raleigh, NC. Ira David Wood does this production every year and does a fantastic job with it. It is very entertaining and they try to weave in current events so there was mention of Tiger and H1N1. It was a lovely evening out for me and Heath.

What really struck me about the show was that several of our friends children were in it. Last year, we didn't make it out due to illnesses with our kids so it had been 2 years since we went. The last time we went, our friend's kids played the roles of children in the show. This year some of them played more of an adult role - especially our friend Mark's son Matt. Kids grow up so fast it seems. One day they have food all over their faces and the next they're playing the role of an adult in a theatrical production. I guess the message is love your kids, cherish every moment with them and don't wish for time to go buy any faster than it already does.

Matt - if you're reading this - awesome job!

We're Not Alone

We are doing a play date and lunch with a couple who lives just down the road on Saturday. I am very excited about this becasue they have a son Oskar who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes right around the same time as Chance. I think this activity will really help Chance to see that he is not alone and we can compare experiences with his parents - Andy and Fredrik. I am really looking forward to meeting all of them. I met Fredrik at a diabetes education class last week.

Tonight, Heath and I are headed out for dinner and to see the Christmas Carol show in downtonw Raleigh. Can't wait!

Ho Ho Ho and a Bottle of Rum

Saturday, we hosted our annual Christmas party. It was a lovely event and a great time was had by all. We hired the Jim Ferris Jazz Duo, which was FANTASTIC!! Everyone at the party commented on how excellent they were. The boys slept peacefully in the nursery, which astounded most of our guests. I think this is a good practice that Heath advocated. Make plenty of noise in the house when the boys are sleeping so they are used to having noise and don't wake at every little sound.

Today, was the daycare holiday party. This party had music too. Nell, the music teacher came in and played a whole bunch of holiday songs including Dradle, Dradle, Dradle; Rudolf the Rednosed Reindeer; Jingle Bells and others. It was very fun to see the boys interact with the teacher. Chance clapped and said "Yeah" each time Nell sang a song. It was very sweet. The boys have changed so much over the past year. I couldn't help but think about how they were at last year's holiday party.

Tonight, when we got home, the boys ran over to our next door neighbors house, which was all decorated with lights. They were looking at the lights going "Ho Ho Ho". I am not sure if they get the whole Christmas thing, but they certainly love all the lights and Christmas trees. It is a magical time of the year.

My Little Laundry Helper

Tas has a new favorite pastime - doing laundry or "bubbles" as he calls it. He is quite good at doing the laundry. He'll make sure everything gets from the basket to the "bubbles" (washer). Then, when the laundry is done, he'll unload it all and pass it to me so I can put it in the dryer without having to bend over. All while doing this he chats to himself in a very important manner like he is taking this laundry very seriously.

While Tas is doing laundry, Chance is usually building something impressive with the legos.

Heath and I are preparing for our annual Christmas party tomorrow night. We should have about 50-100 people all decked out and ready to celebrate the holiday season. This is always a fun event.

Not much new on the diabetes front, except that I took a "Taking Charge of Diabetes" class, which was very informative. Like the titles states, it is time for Heath and I to take change of Chance's care, which includes making some decisions for ourselves on insulin levels. We've graduated and are moving on to the next level.

Chance's Best Day Ever

Chance was in range 100% of the time today. After 2 weeks of very erratic numbers - lots of highs and lows, something worked today and the stars aligned. Interestingly enough, Dr. Lagarde changed his blood sugar correction factor this evening because I faxed in the erratic numbers. I thought this deserved it's own post since this is so monumental.

A Merry Little Weekend

The Clayton's kicked officially kicked off the holiday season this past weekend. We visited Santa's workshop, which did not go over too well with Chance. Let's just say I thanked Santa and removed the boys from the Santa area. We did the Victorian Christmas at the Page Walker House - a wonderful holiday event. I highly recommend this as an annual family activity. Then, on Sunday, we did the New Hill Christmas train - the steam one. This is a REALLY cool Christmas activity to do with little boys. The boys hung over the side of the train and chanted train, train, choo, choo! There was a Santa on the train, whom was much more well received than the workshop one. Maybe the venue was more relaxing.

The real excitement came when we put up our tree yesterday. I am sure the boys were thinking, what is this tree doing in our house? This morning, I lit the lights for the first time. Tas sprang from his breakfast chair and chanted tree, tree! He was so excited. Chance would have gotten up, but I had strapped him into his high chair. I had them put a few decorations on to get their buy in to hanging things on the tree. Tonight, I decorated the rest of the tree so it will be interesting to see their reaction in the morning.

Christmas with little ones is really special. This year they are really experiencing this for the first time and are so engaged. This is how we should all live our lives.

'Tis the Season to be Grateful

I believe the Christmas season should be a time of selflessness, giving and being grateful for the things we have, most importantly friends and family. I think sometimes people lose sight of the things that are really important to them and get caught up in day to day activities and situations. Giving should be personal. We should give from the heart. We should be thankful for all the kind things that people do for us, the gifts we receive, and all the things that we have and don't have.

This has been a week of ups and downs for us. Wednesday night, I had an enjoyable night out with the twins Mom's. Yesterday, Chance crashed at daycare with a 44. This blew our minds, especially the teachers. One minute, he was smiling, the next he lie on the floor out of energy - literally. Luckily, we acted quickly. Today, Chance was 387 after his nap and needed an extra insulin shot. Tonight, I saw Jonathan Byrd, a favorite singer song writer while celebrating with a close friend that she was done with radiation treatment. Done with treatment, but not totally free of her breast cancer ordeal. I am thankful though that her treatment is going well and she is alive. I am thankful that I have two wonderful sons. I am thankful that I am their Mom.

You've Got a Friend in Me

What has truly amazed me about parenthood is the signigicant role that friends have played. I don't think I ever truly appreciated my friends as much as I have in the last two years. Friends are there for the long haul and have an amazing talent for doing a kind act that impacts your whole being.

Last night, our dear frineds Rob and Margaret brought us a wonderful dinner and an adorable Noah's Ark pillow they bought in Williamsburg. What a splendid meal it was - smoked pork from Williamsburg, homemade coleslaw, roasted sweet potatoes and butternut squash, AND for dessert - - -homemade, DELICIOUS rum raisin apple pie - WOW! Now that is a special treat. Our normal dinners most nights consist of searching through the refridgerator for leftovers and pulling something together quick.

We drank good wine and really enjoyed the evening with Rob and Margaret. It reminded us of old times - when we were without a care or worry in the world.

Our bliss came to an end at 10:30 when we did Chance's blood check and he was at 64. This is not dangerously low, but low enough that we gave him carbs and set the alarm for a 2 am check. At 1:30 am the Chance alarm went off. Heath went down and he was 69. He gave him 4 more oz. of milk, which would get him through the rest of the night.

I mention this scenario not to be a bummer, but as a lesson. Diabetes management is about proactively managing blood sugar levels and using insulin to control and regulate this as much as possible. Chance was high after his afternoon nap (defined as over 300), was high at dinner, and as a result, he didn't eat much, had a corerction and crashed a few hours later. I think we can do a better job at managing this going forward.

However, even low on sleep, Heath and I still woke up with a smile on our faces this morning due to the kindness of Rob and Margaret!

Liberace and the Mayor - the visual

From Thanksgiving. Photo credit to Caitlyn Greene. These are priceless as are the memories. You can see that Chance was really playing the piano. Tas was in it for the entertainment of it all. Each time they played a piece, they clapped for themselves. Too funny!

Go State!!!!

NC State finished off their season with a 28 to 27 victory over their longstanding rival Carolina - yippee! What is especially nice about this is that Heath and I were there on the 40 yard line with fantastic seats! We hosted the CIO of the Grove Park Inn and his son. Nice folks! We headed out to the game around 10:15 to tailgate. What we did not expect is for State to kick Carolina's butt! This made for a most enjoyable afternoon.

This weekend was a weekend of family and friends. We got to see Ladonna and Charles three days in a row including at the tailgate. Friday, we hosted all the O'Rourke boys plus families at our home for white bean chili and an outdoor fire. Today was a day to catch up and do lots of chores including planting irises that have been sitting in our yard for months waiting to be planted.

As for Chance's, he is doing just great. He had mostly numbers in range all weekend. I think we are all finally adjusting - especially me. I am reading a very interesting book called 'Sweet Kids'. The book is very interesting because it talks a lot about how diabetes used to be managed. I now understand why people are constantly asking me if I need to limit what Chance eats. This was the approach that docs used to take. Now, it is much more about letting diabetics eat healthy, eat the things they like, and then covering them with insulin. This way everyone is happy. Words of wisdom per the book:

"Parents' Job description: in feeding our children, we are responsible for just four things. Parents should:

1. Get the right foods on the table - put foods that are healthy and that we know our child will want to eat.

2. Make family meals frequent, peaceful and important - have regularly scheduled meals where everyone eats together and everyone can eat as much as they want. Children learn table manner by watching their parents. Mealtimes are not times to hash out harsh conflicts.

3. Eat what you want your children to eat - children learn eating habits by observation. If they see you eating broccoli, they're more likely to eat broccoli.

4. Set the rules, then stay in charge - mealtimes should be pleasant for everyone including the parent. Expectations should be set for how everyone behaves at the table. Kids will challenge the rules. Be firm and consistent."

As for Tas, he is a happy and chatty camper.

Liberace and the Mayor

If you take the time to think about all the good things in your life and the things you should be thankful for, you could probably come up with quite a long list. The issue is taking the time to think about it and then being thankful.

Thanksgiving is a mental health day among other things. I spent the day thinking about all the things I am thankful for. It was a nice list including our kids, Heath, our family, our friends, our home, our jobs, our healthcare providers, Gibson, love, peace, our health, our safety, to name a few. But I have to say the predominant thing I was most thankful for today was our kids. Children are little miracles. To watch them grow and develop their personalities is fascinating. Even with all the added complexity of Chance's diabetes, I am so thankful that Tas and Chance are our sons and that the universe has graced us with them.

We had a wonderful evening at Ladonna and Charles' house with all the family. The boys really brightened up the gathering with their laughter and playfulness. I am convinced that Chance is destined be an inventor or scientist. He loves to figure out how things work. Tas will do something where he can do the thing he loves most - interact with people. The boys played Charles' keyboard this evening and had a great time. Chance was meticulously pushing all the different buttons to make all these cool sounds. I think he could have muscial talent. Tas just laughed and pound on the keyboard. Liberace and the Mayor. Both were quite impressed with their newly found talent of making sounds with a large wooden box with keys.

Happy Thanksgiving to all and to all a good night!

Playdates Oh My!

What a terrific activity - playdates. We did 2 this weekend. Fun for the kids, great social interaction for the parents. The key is to do them with families that not only your kids like, but with who you like as well. We did a late afternoon Saturday playdate and then another on Sunday morning through lunch. Both were with families that we really enjoy spending time with. One of the perks of having kids is some of the nice parents we have met through SAS daycare. While the kids run around and play together, the parents can socialize. A win for everyone!

Chance is doing great. We spoke to his doctor this morning who thinks so. We are raising his lantus dose since his fasting numbers have gone up. That means his pancreas is not producing as much insulin. The doc said we just have to deal with this for another 6 months or so until Chance goes on a pump, which will make manging this much more precise. Our goal for now is to keep Chance from crashing. When he gets on the pump we'll focus more on the numbers.

The Palazzo!!!!!

For anyone heading to Vegas, I highly recommend staying at the Palazzo, the newest addition to the Las Vegas Sands (Venetian) property. WOW! I have marble stairs in my room leading to my living room and velvet L-shaped sofa. This would be considered an upscale apartment in NYC!

Having a productive and enjoyable business trip. I am attending and speaking at the G2E conference, which is the largest gaming conference with around 30,000 attendees from all over the globe. I met with lots of casino folks today even folks from Cape Town, South Africa - one of my favorite places. You have to see this conference to believe it. There is live music, show girls, the latest slots machines and table games, etc, etc. Also, did a press interview this morning and met with my co-panelists and moderator for my session tomorrow on tracking and rewarding non-gaming spend.

Although, I miss Heath and my punkins, this has been a nice break from all the activity at home. I will refer to a favorite quote and say that this trip has helped me reconnect with myself and two of the things I am passionate about - my work in the gaming industry and traveling.

"If moving through your life, you find yourself lost, go back to the last place where you knew who you were and what you were doing and start from there." Bernice Johnson Reagon

Sports and Vegas

I went to a parenting seminar this past week that talked about the importance of sports in our children's lives. How this teaches kids about consequences, failure, perseverance, and self worth at an early age. Not having played sports as a kid, I think I really missed something here. I will take this as a lesson for my own kids and encourage them at an early age to play sports. For me, I think I missed the opportunity to learn about being strong and not wanting to give up, even when the going gets tough. We had some ups and downs with Chance this weekend that have rattled me to the core including a 38 glucose reading yesterday afternoon.

I left for a business conference in Vegas today. Upon departure, Heath told me to focus on 4 things while away. 1 and 2: Get over worrying and feeling guilty about everything (in other words recover from being raised Catholic), 3. Be civil to him and the boys (like not swearing when the boys push my buttons), and 4. Toughen up about parenting and all the diabetes duties - this is closely related to 1 and 2.

I am taking this advice to heart and am thankful that I have a husband caring enough to give me this advice. I know it will be a progression, but if I am going to survive parenting and Chance's diabetes, then I do believe these are words to live by.

We took the boys to their first State game. Will post pics soon. They loved it! We tailgated with Aunt Lala and Uncle Cha! How fun!! After the game, my Dad and Rosemarie spent the night with us. What a treat!

Lastly, our close friends whom will remain nameless informed us that they are expecting. I do believe this is the best news I have heard all year. They are fantastic people and we are so excited to share the parenting experience with them as well as be a part of their child's life like they have been a part of our boys lives. We love them dearly and are so happy about this news!

The chatterbox and the honeymooner

Since Tas had his ear tube surgery, his vocabulary has really exploded. In the last day, he has said Heath, Cha (for Uncle Cha), Lala, book, Trader Joes and several other words. He is also linking multiple words together. He'll walk up to us and say Hi Mama or Hi Dada. Very cute! He also likes to stand on my chair behind me and play with my hair. Reminds me of when I used to do this to my parents and grandparents. He was also asking for Nana this morning, which is what they call my Mom.

Chance is in a "robust" honeymoon. The doc says this could last a month or up to two years. Either way, Chance won't go on a pump until the honeymoon is over. The honeymoon is the phase where the pancreas starts producing insulin again. His glucose numbers are lower but he is still requiring insulin especially to cover his carb intake. We'll have to take this one day at a time and really watch his glucose readings.

Tonight, had a girls night out while Heath a guys night at our place.

Staycation!

Love it. Take a few vacation days, stay home, even have a house guest. No packing, driving, flying, etc. Staycation is not a bad way to go. Heath went to the Oklahoma State vs. Nebraska football game for a few days. My Mom came to visit. What fun we had!

We went to Pullen Park, did the JDRF walk, went to dinner and a movie, had a day of rest at home and concluded the staycation with a spa day at the Umstead. Fun and relaxation!

JDRF walk is a success!!

Great time had by all while raising $2,180 for an diabetes research! Tas and Chance had A LOT of fun with our dear friends William and Elias. Thank you to all who donated, my Mom for flying in and Kymberly and the boys for walking to support team Clayton!

It's a rollercoaster ride

Went to Pullen Park today with the boys and my Mom. It is such a delightful place and really brings me back to my own childhood. Then, we to Mellow Mushroom for pizza. We had a great day, but Chance's numbers were in the low 100s which is lower than I would prefer. Good for an adult, but not so great for a 21 month old. The bedtime check was 83 and he was fussy. So is this a fussy toddler or was he crashing? How is one to know so I gave him milk. In the middle of all this, our heat broke so I had to have a technician come out. I don't know how Tas slept through all the noise and happenings in the house. It is truly amazing since the heating unit is literally outside the nursery.

The net, net is a 1-2 am check with a possible need to give Chance a snack at this time. Tomorrow is the JDRF walk. Maybe someone can push me in the stroller. Just call me sleepless in NC.

3 Stitches

Here is our latest saga in the Clayton household. Heath got three stiches in his lip yesterday after a head to mouth collision during a football game yesterday. Poor thing! Note this is flag football - aka no contact.

Suzanne (me) was invited to be on a panel at the Global Gaming Expo conference in Las Vegas week after next. to talk about measuing and rewarding non-gaming spend. I accepted and will be out there for a few days.

The boys had their H1N1 shots this morning, which potentially resulted in a 450 blood sugar reading at 10:30 am for Chance. I'll have to see how he is at lunch. Poor thing, there was not really anything we could do for him since he had just had insulin at 8 am.

Suzanne's Mom is coming today for 4 days - yeah! Grandma Carol will join team Clayton in the JDRF walk this weekend.

10 things motherhood has taught me

By Denise Jonas, mother of the Jonas Brothers. Leslie, a dear friend, sent this to me today since one of the Jonas brothers has type 1 diabetes. http://www.imom.com/10things.php

If you're a mom, this is worth a read. It brought tears to my eyes. Though lately, I must admit that I am frequently touched by things and can get weepy. For example, at NC State football games. When the State players run onto the field, I usually have a few tears because I know one day Tas and Chance will be that age and this wonderful time of toddlerhood will be behind us.

Chief Numbers Officer

I ordered new business cards today. They say Chief Numbers Officer. It is amazing how diabetes is all about the numbers. It is an on-going, full time position for me. Just when you think you have things in a stable pattern, it all changes.

We have a colleague who is a diabetic at work. He is on an insulin pump. He told me that he checks his blood sugar every two hours. He is trying to fine tune his insulin numbers so that he changes the insulin dose every few hours for optimum results. He was also incredibly nice enough to show me his pump and the site where it is attached to him - his abdomen. In listening to Russ, I thought about Chance and thought he would too try to fine tune and control his diabetes when he is old enough.

For now though, it is the Chief Numbers Office and her loving husband and father of the punkins that are responsible for the fine tuning. It actually does get easier as time goes on when you are more aware of the trends of the blood readings and what they mean. I will say though that the "honeymoon" caught me off guard. Chance's numbers have been trending up, which we assumed was a sign of the decrease in Chance's own insulin production.

On a side note, Tas is doing spectacularly today and has recovered nicely from his surgery.

Ear surgery for Tas and a Honeymoon for Chance

Today at 8:30 am, Tas had surgery to put in ear tubes and end the ear infection saga. All went well with the surgery. Like everyone told me, as soon as I got settled in the waiting room, they would come out and tell me it was over. They warned me in pre-op that Tas would wake up from surgery and be inconsolable. This is due to him being disoriented from the anesthesia not being in pain. I told them "not my Tas", he is cool as a cucumber. They were right. After sleeping in post-op like a little angel, he woke up and screamed and thrashed around for 15 mins. The rest of the day he did great and even took a 3.5 hour nap this afternoon.

Chance's blood sugar on the other hand, has been trending down. You really have to stay on top of the numbers and watch for trends. For the last few days, he has woke up below 100. Today, he was at 50, which is very low and potentially dangerous. In talking to the nurses, this happens in the honeymoon phase. Basically, the beta cells in his pancreas have decided to produce inulin.

I am a little disappointed because we were at a point where we thought that we had really mastered keeping his numbers in a good range. One realization that I now have is that keeping tight control over Chance's insulin and carbs will be the secret to solid diabetes control.

Trick or Treat - "car!"

What a delightful day it was. The Clayton's started Halloween with an outing to the Young People's symphony with friends. We went to see Phantom of the Orchestra at Meymendi Hall (the amazing new theater in downtown Raleigh). All the musicians were dressed up as zombies and came onto and off of the the stage one by one. The boys really enjoyed this and were not scared. They were dressed up as lumber jacks. Thanks to Jacqueline and Randy for organizing and arriving early to get us great seats. After the symphony, we went to Mellow Mushroom for pizza and then home for naps.

In the evening, we took the boys around our street trick or treating. We pulled the punkins around in their wagons and had them walk up to each house. They LOVED it. A few of the neighbors got the boys hot wheels cars instead of candy - really neat idea. The boys went nuts over the cars. "Car!"

The funny thing about all this is that my Mom got the boys trick or treat bags that they used to collect their goodies. Every day and night now, they pick up their trick or treat bags and say "bye bye" and wave like they're going out for another round. Too cute and very funny!

Ear Tubes and Shopping Carts

So we're onto our family next issue - ear tube surgery for Tas on Monday. Tas has been battling ear infections for the past few months, so probably a good thing to take action and be done with it. One of the joys of having twins is that there is always something. As for Chance - he is doing great and has had numbers pretty much in range for a couple of weeks now.

This brings me to my next topic - shopping carts. I don't blame you if you don't see the connection. My former favorite grocery store was Wholefoods. I used to love just wandering around the store on a Saturday selecting my organic produce, free range meats and other items.

As a mother of twins, I am a little bothered by the lack of child friendliness at Wholefoods. They may as well have a sign at the door that says, if you have multiple small children go across the street to Walmart or Harris Teeter. This is in great contrast to their competitor Trader Joes, which is one of the most child friendly stores on the planet. If I even mention going to Trader Joes with the boys they get excited.

My assessment of frequently visited grocery stores for child friendliness:
1. Wholefoods (thumbs down) does not have twins shopping carts - this is a cart where 2 small children can sit comfortably. They have ONE makeshift cart where the kids would need to be about 3 or 4 years old but that it it! If a mother of 2 small children wants to shop there, they need to bring a stroller.
2. Trader Joes (two thumbs up) has the double red car stroller where the kids don't even realize they are doing something for Mom and not themselves. They love driving the car all around Trader Joes while the store employees ask them if they want balloons and stickers while eating yummy samples of healthy food. What kid wouldn't like this?
3. Harris Tetter (two thumbs up) doesn't have all the free stickers and balloons, but they do have several cool car carts and keep them in their own covered cart return so they don't get wet in the rain. You can pretty much always get a car cart, which is a HUGE plus.
4. Super Target (thimbs down) - this is my biggest disappointment. You would think a store with as much children's merchandise in at as Target would have better double carts. They have these terrible carts where the kids sit low in the back, barely harnessed in and they face each other. What mother would want her two small children to face each other in a cart and not be able to see anything. This is just asking for antics and other fighting. If I didn't like shopping there so much, I would remove it from my favorites list.

I bet mother's of singletons don't have a second thought about this.

Good week, long week

Did lots of fun activities this week - NC State Fair with the boys, Heath and Aunt LaLa, theater with good friends, date with Heath, and tonight at a Apex HS reunion football game.How's that for a social life?

Long week due to ear infections for both Tas and Chance - ugh! Lots of middle of the night wake ups. Tas is on his second antibiotic now for this - poor thing.

On the numbers front, Chance is doing terrific this week! We are very please with how well he is doing.

How sweet life is...

We had the best day today! We went to the Durham Life and Science Museum. What a fantastic place for kids and adults to explore. It was a nice cool fall day. We went with Maddie, Stephanie and John. This is Tas and Chance's school mate and her parents, whom are all super nice. We saw wolves and black bears at the museum. Tas and Chance slept until 5:30 this afternoon, they were so worn out. We were totally off routine today with lots of exercise, so Chance's numbers were on the low end of his target range. Not necessarily a bad thing, but something to watch.

Right now, Heath is bathing the boys so I am hearing lots of laughter from the bathroom. I am cooking Pork Medallions in a Pepper Cream Sauce. A recipe of DeDe's - one of our closest friends. I am enjoying a nice glass of red wine from the Arrowood Winery - one of our favorite vineyards in Napa Valley. How sweet life is....

It's All About the Numbers

Chance's numbers are fantastic this week! His 7 day average today was 193 - a significant improvement from where we have been. We couldn't be happier about this!

Heath gave a photography presentation tonight. Weather is chilly here - not a good night for the State Fair.

The Mentor

I met with my diabetes mentor today, Cindy, who has a 4 year old with diabetes and another mom, Carly, with a 3 year old. This really helps to meet with and talk to other mom's who are facing the diabetes challenge. They complimented me on how well we were doing with all this after only a month. This made me feel like we are doing the right things.

Chance's numbers have been fantastic over the last two days - yeah! The mom's told me today that we are supposed to have a team t-shirt for the walk. That this is a big deal. I sent a note out to some creative friends that we have for ideas. As a maximizer, my goal is to come up with something cool and impactful!

We Survived Our First Month of Diabetes!

It has been a month since Chance first went to the hospital. I can't tell you how many people ask me - how did you know something was wrong? The answer is that he was peeing and drinking excessively. From what I have been told by other parents of kids out of diapers - it was sudden bed wetting and excessive thirst that led to a diagnosis of type 1 diabetes.

Chance is definitely one of the younger ones - diagnosed at 20 months. Although this seems extremely unfair, there are some advantages to this. Chance will never know life without diabetes. We can establish good habits for him that he will hopefully respect and carry with him throughout his lifetime.

We are slowly gaining stride and arriving at our new normal. This involves 4 - 5 insulin shots a day, 5 -6 blood checks, carb counting and always having our diabetic and emergency supplies with us. This is basically a small black case and a few sippy cups of apple juice in case of a "low".

From an emotional perspective, Heath and I have felt the spectrum of emotions over the last month. For me it was: confirmation of what I suspected, strength, worry, compassion, love, grieving, sadness, frustration, acceptance, and gratitude for all the help and support we have had. Heath felt many of these same emotions, but in a different order. It took me a week to cry, but when I did, I think I cried all day. Heath on the other hand cried the first night. It is funny how different people come to terms in different ways.

This past weekend, Heath and I lived a fairly normal life. One similar to our life before Chance's diagnosis:

Friday night, Aunt Ladonna and Uncle Charles came over and watched the boys so we could go see A MidSummer Night's Dream at a local outdoor theater. We met our friend Pat and her new beau for a picnic before the the play - how wonderful! Meanwhile, at home, our boys got to spend time with their beloved Aunt LaLa and Uncle Cha!

Saturday, we did an AM playdate with their classmate Maddie and her Mom Stephanie. Then, we went to the NCSU football game, while our sitter Joanne wanted the boys. Sunday, we took the boys to Pullen Park for an outing, which was lots of fun.

It was definitely some much needed time away from home and with each other while still surrounding the punkins with lots of love. Our biggest feat of the weekend, though, was sleeping through the night. Since it appears that we currently have Chance's Lantus (long acting insulin) dose correct, the nurse said we could take a break from the 3 am check. We decided to take advantage of this. Every time we need to change the dose or have changed the dose, we'll need to do a 3 am check. The fasting checks (10 pm, 3 am and 8 am) give the doc the most information when setting the Lantus dose.

Back to work today for us and daycare for Chance and Tas. We are thankful for the support and acceptance that the folks at daycare have shown us. I am meeting my mentor on Wednesday who has a 4 year-old with diabetes and another Mom who has a 3 year old. The support is fantastic! I am excited to see them and want to talk about moving forward and learning best practices for our family living with this. Yes - I said our family living with this. Type 1 diabetes is a family disease. It effects everyone in the family not just the person who has it.

Nov 7th is the JDRF walk. So far we have raised $1925. I am excited for the research that this will help fund. I am also excited that my Mom is coming down for this.

3 weeks in

We are three weeks into Chance's diabetes diagnosis. It has been a rollercoaster ride with blood sugar lows of 45 and highs of 494, but we are accepting our new reality and finding sources of strength through family, friends, daycare teachers, colleagues and doctors. I am truly touched by how much folks have reached out! Chance is a champ about all this and so is Tas for loving him and being supportive of our new routine. I am very proud of our sons and Heath for being strong during this time and moving forward with our new normal.

More later including some photos.