ahh.... the best of times, the worst of times....

I flat out said... I'm not posting again till I have something not-depressing, not-tear jerking, not-disheartening, not completely overwhelming to talk about. You might have noticed... it's been several days.

And though days are sometimes tough and nights have turned me us into sleep deprived zombies (who too often turn on each other in an effort to... please... just...let... ME... get... the... sleep... tonight....) we've also spent the in-between times... the in-okay-range- times making contacts across the U.S. with some incredible folks and some amazing families who are helping to normalize these "difficult times" and making me feel far less isolated and alone. We've also been showered with cards and dinosaurs (Thanks Aunt Vicky and Uncle Bob) special visits, the coolest T-Rex washcloth (Thanks Aunt Christy.... it's currently the ONLY way of getting Saul into the tub) an hour of respite care (Thank you Willians... this truly was priceless), and lots and lots of texts, messages, emails and phone calls. I never. ever. ever. take any of these gifts for granted. The comments, the kind words, the prayers... friends from back home who I've not seen in years who've reached out... I sometimes become so overwhelmed and entangled in love that I close my eyes and attempt to take it all in- try to remember- savor- relish the outpouring of kindness and generosity.

Saul's BG's have been anything but stable since the seizure episode and reducing his insulin intake. Because we've got him running high and are attempting to find patterns in the data it's made for some interesting "hulk-out" moments... the most recent occuring yesterday at the Palomar Panera in Lex. My apologies to all other patrons- while we were quaranteened in the corner by the door- away from everyone else- I could understand your frustration with the random objects sporadically thrown, the occasional roars and growls, and that one outburst of laughter (sometimes laughter is the best medicine).

Luckily we were able to attend our first American Diabetes Association "Family Day"which was held at the Life Adventure Center in Versailles. The kids had a great time running around and making nature crafts and I enjoyed meeting people and being in the company of other T1 Moms and Dads. I cracked up as I went through line getting food and was given the carb count on the cookies.... It was wonderful getting to see Jennifer (our Medtronic nurse) and meet a young lady from Win-city with T1 who works at our local indoor pool. I had so many "moments" yesterday... from over hearing one mother (of a child who appeared to be 6-7) talk to a vendor about insulin pumps "It's just.... I'm the only person who watches him and how will I teach someone else to do it? I mean... my mother occasionally watches him but when she hasn't done it for awhile... well... she often forgets and I have to teach her all over again... I'm just worried about the pump.... it's so much to learn and then teach someone else." I lowered my head and quietly nodded in agreement... I know exactly what she's talking about. The little 6 year old boy (who happened to be the next youngest after Saul) got too hot and went too low while participating in the "Nature Craft" at the garden... watching him down juice boxes and granola bars while his mother held him in her arms gently running her fingers through his hair gave me chills. There was a Dad who came over to "talk pumps" while I was bolusing Saul... I chuckle now as I look back on our discussion and liken it to two people talking cars "well the Ford actually..." "yeah but a Chevy can...."

Saul of course was a huge hit at Family Day- I mean... it's hard not to fall in love with a little dude running around in overalls pump dangling out of his back pocket. They took lots of pictures of him- and even videoed "us" with our "diabetes story." I'll be sure to link you all to any ADA pics and videos... lol... I sent Mom a text saying something like "Saul is making his debut appearnce."

So many families thought Harper was our T1 child... when I'd say... "No he is" and point to Saul they ALL on cue would tilt their head and let out a huge sigh... then say "I'm so sorry.... I can't imagine what you're going through."

I'd like to think that the outpouring of prayers is what allowed us all to have the best night of sleep we've had in days.... so great that both Jeff and I slept through a number of alarms set to check BG's. Luckily MySentry had him running in the high 200s all night (a far cry from the 300 and 400 hundreds as of late).

I've got lots more to tell you... talk about some upcoming fundraisers for Saul's DAD (diabetic alert dog)... tell you some hilarious Harper stories... but right now I've gotta get off here and figure out what to do about the fact that
1. I lost Saul's lancing device yesterday at the garden.
2. I gave away Saul's other lancing device (you know... his back up).
I'm currently counting out exactly how many lancets we have with the free-bee and guesstimate how long thats gonna last us today.

I'll leave you with a link to Jeff's photos. Check them out if you haven't seen them on FB already... theres some good ones!

Saul making friends and making folks smile