Finally something different

I couldn't even think of a witty or funny title to this post because it has been WAY too long since I have even posted a single word. I was getting insanely sick of seeing that post when I logged in. Its about time I said something. For those of you who were wondering, The Walk To Cure Diabetes (Rock the Walk) back in August went fantastic! Team Avery raised a little over $2,700.00 and we had a great day. We had 60 team members walking around in our bright red shirts. It was fun that we were kinda hard to miss ;) Our family and friends really stepped up and made it a day to remember. There have been some problems with some of my thank you cards so if you got one, great! If not.. I'm sorry and I'm trying to find out who didn't receive one yet. To everyone that donated or helped in anyway, THANK YOU!! From my family to yours.. It means more than you will ever know. We are already getting ready for next years walk. "Safari To A Cure!" My brain is about to explode with all the fun ideas I have. I'm on the Walk Committee again as a Family team chair and I'm so excited! My friend Shannon and I have a few things in the works for the local Diabetes Community and we couldn't be more thrilled to get going on some of them.

On a different note.. My family is doing great! Kendal is working and going to school full time still, Avery is in his last year of preschool and going to start Kindergarten this year. I cant believe how fast time goes when you have kids. He is in swimming and starts soccer this week. Anything that keeps him active is fine by him. He still seems to shock and amaze me with how well he is doing with his diabetes. He doesn't let it bother him one single bit. Sometimes I go to bed crying after a bad "D" day but not him. He just keeps on going! Landon turns 2 this month and is getting so big! He is talking a lot and he follows his brother around like a little shadow. He looks at Avery like he hung the moon... Its very sweet. They fight like there's no tomorrow too! You never know with the two of them :) I have been staying busy with the boys, doing mommy stuff, Ill be coaching Avery's soccer team, and of course all the stuff I love to do for the JDRF. I feel like I live in my car some weeks.

There is too much to post as far as whats been going on from June until now! To keep it short.. Our summer weekends were spent in Bear Lake Idaho, Avery's 4Th B day was a blast, 4Th of July was great, Kendal had a fun 31st in Bear Lake, Halloween is always the best, Thanksgiving was small but nice, Christmas was insane but wonderful, and New Years was spent once again in Bear Lake and we had almost the whole family there.

Of course in between all that was a lot of special little things, and A LOT of Diabetes related things!! I hate that he was diagnosed but I feel so blessed with the lessons that we have learned from it and the AMAZING people that have come into my life because of it. You all know who you are XOXO. I would like to say I will do better at posting but you all know that's probably a load of crap! Ill try ;)

Calling all Rock Stars!!!

Its that time! We are participating in our very 1st "Walk To Cure Diabetes" event and we are very excited about it! This year the walk theme is "RoCk ThE WaLk" and we intend to be rocking out with the best of them! I'm sure all of you know now that anything that has to do with curing diabetes is very close to my heart. My 4 year old son Avery was diagnosed a little over a year ago and since then our lives have been very different. Every day brings something new, and every day I learn something new about this disease, about myself and about my brave little boy Avery.

Avery's little fingers have to be poked at least 10 to 12 times a day to keep his blood sugar in check. 

Avery is on a insulin pump that gives him insulin whenever he eats and throughout the day to keep his blood sugar as normal as possible. I give him his insulin for meals and monitor what hes getting throughout the day with a remote that works with his pump. It has been so much nicer having his pump rather than having to give him 4 to 6 shots a day. He still gets a shot with his pump but now its only a site change every two days. This is what it looks like.  

This adds up to around 340 finger pokes and 15 site changes a month. And that's not including when he gets sick. When Avery is sick, finger pokes have to be almost doubled and he goes back to regular shots with a syringe until we are comfortable again with all of his dosages. Being sick is hard for any kid, but being sick with Type 1 diabetes has its own mess of complications and most of the time involves a hospital stay. 

When we get Avery's medical supplies every month its still seems to amaze me what it takes to keep him healthy and alive for just1 month... 

 

Like I have said on here many times before, Avery makes me so proud of him on a daily basis with how well he takes all of this. Its hard when something like this happens to a teenager or an adult, and its even that much harder when you found out at 2 years old. He is so brave and Id like to think that so far he doesn't let it bother him. I do get questions though every once in a while. "Mom? Why don't the boys at preschool have pumps?" "Why do I have diabetes?" "Will Landon get it too?" These questions have answers but as a mother they are so hard to give. I don't want to give him any reason to feel bad about this, so I word my answers very carefully, he listens and then usually goes on playing. I don't look forward to the day when things really start to hit him that he has to do things differently then most people do. 

The worst fear you have as a mom is that something bad will happen to your child. And then if that something bad does happen, your next worst fear is that they will suffer because of it and in some cases be made fun of and feel different then other kids their age. I hope Avery will take the attitude that he has had this past year with his diagnoses and carry it with him the rest of his life. I want him to be an example to other children and to help them as much as he can. I know there will be bad days when he absolutely hates having this disease. All I can say about that is, I hope the good days out weigh the bad! 

Our lives and especially Avery's have forever changed with him getting diabetes. In our attempt to encourage and support our son, while educating those we know, we have formed Team Avery in hopes of doing 2 things. 1) Raise money to support the research required to find a cure, and 2) To provide Avery with support and love and to let him know that he is not alone in his fight against diabetes. 

The walk will be a wonderful place where Avery wont feel alone with this disease and we hope it will teach him that he can accomplish anything he wants with hard work and determination! As a 4 year old there is only so much Avery can do himself when it comes to fighting this disease. The walk is something he can do, and with your help we can make his very first walk his BEST one! 

Please help us reach our goal!! 

Here is how you can help.. 

Make a contribution in support of Team Avery!(any amount is welcome!) Get online and head to http://www.walk.jdrf.org 

or just click on the link on the side of my blog page. Make sure you type in Avery's name or Team Avery and just follow it from there. We would also love for anyone that wants to, to not only donate but to join Team Avery as well! Just follow those same steps and join us to walk with Team Avery on August 21st at 9:00 a.m at Wheeler Farm! Our team goal is $2,000.00 and at LEAST 30 walkers so please join us and help make it a memorable day for Avery and all the other children affected by Type 1 Diabetes. 

I will be posting more and more information as the weeks go on. This is where most people will be getting all of the information about Avery so please don't get sick of reading and please help us with the wonderful cause! My friend Shelley put this darling flier together for me.. This also has a lot of the information on it. 

 

4 Years Ago Today..

4 Years and about 8 Months ago It went from THIS...

 

To THAT...

                                                                  To HIM... 

My Perfect litte 8lb 0oz 22in Long baby boy! Some days its a hard being a mommy but I wouldn't change Any of it for Anything! Avery is such a wonderful blessing to us and he teaches us  how to be better and stronger people with all the stuff he deals with everyday. We love him SO much! 

Happy 4th Birthday Avery Boy!! 

(Party Pics coming soon..)

Our first year.

Today is a bitter sweet day for me. Bitter because we still wake up every morning and Avery still has diabetes. Sweet because its has been 365 days since we found out about his diagnoses and I never thought we would make it through the first year. I was told many times within the first couple of weeks that the first year is the hardest, but once you get through the first year it becomes just a part of your daily life and you hardly notice it anymore. On one hand that's true but on the other it couldn't be farther from the truth. Is it easier now? Oh yes! Do I hardy notice it? Oh no! Like Ive said before Diabetes does not define us but it sure runs our lives most days! I notice it. Avery notices is it. Every day. Before May 19th 2009 Diabetes was something I knew a little about but thought nothing of. Most of the time you don't think about things like that until they punch you in the face and we got punched in the face pretty hard. I know a lot of you don't know how we found out Avery was diabetic so Ill share it for you again.

I had been noticing for a while that Avery was drinking like crazy! At first I thought nothing of it. I actually thought it was nice for a while that my kid drank so much water when other kids hated it. We were potty training him at the time and I couldn't believe how much he was peeing. I thought he was just excited about using the potty so he just wanted to go all the time. One of the biggest things that happened that made me think something was wrong was how mad he would get when he couldn't drink. We were at wal-mart (the Monday before he got diagnosed) and he was telling me that he was thirsty. I kind of got upset with him because he had just downed almost a whole bottle of water in the car so I was thinking there was no way he was still thirsty! I told him no and he flipped out. He then took it upon himself to go get a bottle of water out of those cooler things that they keep at the end of the isle. He opened it, took a drink and started to get upset again. It was frozen. You would have thought the word was ending with how he was acting. I gave him another bottle of water and he gulped the whole thing down in a matter of seconds. At that point I think I already knew what the answer was and remember being glad that I already called to make an appointment for the next day.

We went in and they took Avery's blood and had him pee in a cup. The doctor came it within just a few minutes and told me that Avery had Type 1 diabetes. My head was spinning and it took me a second to say anything. Even though I thought that was what she was going to tell me, it didn't make actually hearing it any easier. We talked for a minute and then she told me to go home, pack a bag and head to Primary Children's Hospital. Long story short we spent 4 days learning how to take care of Avery with this disease. I compare bringing home a diabetic with bringing home your first new born baby. Its scary. Its new. And you are ALWAYS checking on them and you don't want them out of your sight for too long. The first week home was insane but we made it. The coming months were also a bit crazy but we took it one day at a time and we made it. I still just take it one day at a time. Its all I can do to keep my myself from going crazy thinking about all the "what ifs".

I look back now and it breaks my heart thinking about what his little body was going through and we didn't even know it.                            

                  Was he always this skinny??

                        Why was he acting out so much??

                      He just wasnt himself..

He was so amazing at the hospital. The nurses couldn't believe how well he was taking everything. I was grateful for that. I still am.

                                  
This was us at the hospital. Little trooper...

The day we got home from the hospital he was back to his same hyper self! Its amazing what a little insulin will do for the body huh?? His cousins came over and they played and played! Just what he needed..

I grow more and more proud of Avery every day. He is my hero and I'm so lucky to be is mommy. This has been a tough year but we take it day by day and we get through it. He makes me a stronger person, and going through all of this has made me be a better mother and wife. I hope we will continue to teach Avery all that he needs to do to take care of himself. I hope he will be as proud of his dad I one day, as we are of him!

We have a lot coming up in the next few months that I'm very excited about! Our very first Walk To Cure Diabetes will take place on August 21st and Ill post some more information about that too and what you can do to be a part of it! I hate that Avery has this but I'm thankful for the lessons that this year has taught me and for the friends that we have both made because of it. Thank you to everyone who has taken those steps with us day by day! We are going to celebrate Avery today and the little hero that he is!!!

Almost 1 year..

I cant believe its almost been a year since Avery's diagnoses. Our diagnoses. Its been a crazy year! Ill post more about it soon but I just wanted to say how much this whole experience has taught me. Not just about Diabetes but about everything in my life. It has made me appreciate the little things even more and I look at Avery not just as my handsome little man but as my handsome little hero. Hes so brave and he teaches me something new every day. I love him so much and I thank my Heavenly Father every night that I am his mommy!

Are we prepared?

So last week I was sitting here all by my lonesome watching TV. I was flipping through station after station and then I stopped on the movie "Signs" You know that movie right? Mel Gibson, M. Night Shamalon ( or whatever) aliens? Anyway, So I'm watching this scary movie all alone and it gets to the part when they are hiding out in the cellar because those freaky things have made their way inside. Their hiding out and making sure there is no other way into the cellar. Then yummy Mel Gibson remembers that there is a coal shaft in the cellar so they try and find it so they can cover it up. The camera focuses on the coal shaft and the little boy is standing right in front of it. Oh crap you know something is going to happen! Just then a scary ass alien arm grabs the little boy! Don't worry!! Mel saved the day and got him ;)


If you remember in the movie the little boy has asthma. So that attack by the alien got him really worked up. The next scene is the little boy laying in Mels lap and trying his hardest to breath. Mel looks over at his brother in a sad panic and says " We don't have his medicine" My heart sank and for a minute there it felt like I couldn't swallow. I was scared. Not scared of the aliens anymore but scared of that one little sentence "We don't have his medicine" Since Avery has been diagnosed I feel like as a family we have done everything humanly possible to make sure that my little man is safe and taken care of with his medical needs. I pack WAY more then I need to for outings, we know exactly what supplies we have and when we are about to run out, Everything is accounted for and lists are made so nothing is forgotten. But are we really PREPARED??


OK, OK.. Don't get me wrong, I'm not yelling: "Hey D parents make sure you have your kids diabetic supplies accounted for in a safe place because you never know when some scary ass aliens are going to come knocking at your door!" But I am saying.. Do you have a 72 hour kit prepared in case of emergency? Any kind of emergency? Earthquake, flood, fire, etc. And in the kit do you have the necessary things? Water, canned food, blanket, first aid kit, etc? What about diabetic supplies? Stuff for their highs and lows, Syringes, Lancets, extra strips, batteries if you use a pump, pump supplies, and of course INSULIN??!! That's kind of a tough one because unopened insulin needs to be kept in the fridge so I don't know how that works if you wanted to keep some in a 72 kit and then swap it out every time you knew it was out of date. The point is that I never want to be put in a situation. ANY SITUATION where the words " We don't have his medicine" come out of my mouth.


I'm sure you guys have thought about this before and I'm sure there are some of you who have this all taken care of. As for me? I don't. But at the end of this weekend? I will. It will make me feel so much better that if the unexpected does happen I can just grab his backpack and know without a doubt that everything he needs to survive is in there.


If there are some of you who have this all taken care of I would love to hear about it! Let me know what you have in your kit. This has actually got me thinking about a few other things I have had on my mind to do for a while.. But ill save those ramblings for another day! Ill try not to let it go so long before my next post :)

2 GINORMOUS blogs in one!!

So whos version do you like the best? Shannons? Shamaes?? Well sit back and enjoy my version! Just for the record Id be happy if we all tied for 1st ;)

For those of you who take a look at my blog that arent on my D-mom list, A friend of mine whos daughter also has Type 1 was driving from Idaho Falls to come see a new Endo. He happens to be Averys Dr. too so it was just another thing to bring us a little closer. When I was talking to Shamae on the phone on Thursday night I told her I was so excited that trying to fall asleep that night was going to be like trying to fall asleep on Christmas Eve.. And it was! I really was THAT excited about meeting the both of them. The drive over to meet them was pretty exciting too. I havent had 2 pound butterflies in my stomach for quite a while ;) When I walked in and saw both of their faces my eyes started to fill up with tears. I hugged them both and we all just started chatting away!

And just like both them wrote on their blogs.. It was great! It was not a conversation you have when meeting with people for the first time. Oh no! It was just like talking with close friends that Ive had for years!! The kids got along great and that made it so nice because we were able to talk and get to know each other even more. Those cute kids.. Shannons litte man will just melt your heart like no other and all of the girls were just so sweet. It was so great for Avery to see other kids his age with pumps and other kids getting their finger checked before they ate too. I could see it on Averys face.. He lit up when he saw the other kids doing it too and Im hoping that in his sweet little mind he was thinking "Hmm Ok.. Other kids DO do this. Mommy was right. Its ok"

When we were taking pictures outside I was so happy I could really just puke. I was glad that I could act totally like myself and that they could too. Thats when you know you have found good friends. I hate this stupid disease more then anything.. But Im also so thankful that it has lead me to wonderful people! Its hard to make new friends when you are a stay at home mommy with 2 kids. But im proud to say that I have made some wonderful friends through blogging and facebook. Diabetes introduced us but its not the only thing that will keep every one of you in my life! Thank you for all your help and support and I hope to meet all of you one day and I know when that day comes it will be just as wonderful as my day with Shamae and Shannon! Ok maybe a close 2nd ;) 

 

Loved EVERY minute of it.. Thanks girls!

And now on to my other post..
My baby is 1!! I cant even believe it! The time has just flown by and I hate to see some of it go. Dont get me wrong I love watching my boys grow up but they just do it so fast. Slow down and let me enjoy the baby time a little bit more!

We had a birthday party on Saturday and despite me screwing up on a few cute things I had planned I think it turned out great. It was just a small little get together with my side of the family and our 2 best friends.  (We are getting together with the Cooper side next week I think) Now what is the funnest thing about a 1 year olds B day party?? Getting to watch him dive into the cake right? It took Landon a while to get the hang of it but he finally got it down and had a pretty fun time gettin' dirty!

I will always have a little bit of guilt when it comes to Landon and these past 9 months :( He has been put on the back burner I feel from time to time while we have been getting used to everything with Avery and our new lifestyle. That little guys is SO loved though and I hope he knows it! Its hard to believe that a whole year has gone by. Only a year and I cant remember our lives without him.. I hope you had a great birthday little man!

*WARNING* *WARNING* Some of these pictures might make you want to throw up in your mouth a little bit :) Enjoy!

 

I LOVE YOU BUDDY!!