the first day in over a year i haven’t given myself a shot

As you may know, i recently celebrated my first anniversary of joining the diabetes club.  with my rookie year in the books, it seemed like a good time to reward myself and get a very cool new diabetes technology gadget!  i am now a proud insulin pumper.  That means that instead of giving 4 shots of insulin a day, the pump will constantly pump small amounts throughout the day and allow me to increase the rate whenever i eat some carbs.  Annie helped me get it set up a couple of days ago (my md was too busy, so i went straight to the real expert) and today i started using it exclusively. 

In addition to constantly injecting insulin into my body, it also has another awesome feature: Real Time glucose readings.  The glucose readings work by inserting a small tube just under the skin which measures glucose every 5 minutes.  Considering i usually only get 5-6 glucose readings per day with traditional finger sticks (which are still required to calibrate the continuous sensor), this gives me tons more information for better keeping track of what my body is doing.  In case you are wondering what all of this stuff would like attached to my belly, here you go:

Addy or Essie?

 

   

These are some pictures i found from when Addy was about 8 months old, can you tell which ones are Adeline and which are Esther?

Treasuring Christ this Easter

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith" Hebrews 12:2
We have been "playing" with the Resurrection Eggs this year. But found this blog/post interesting ... up for making a tomb out of play-dough sounds like fun to me! Also her blog title reminds me of a book we just got at the ... Llama llama mad at Mama!

Esther is 8 months old

 

 

 

 

So my baby girl is 8 months old. She rolls over like a champ, she crawls up on all 4 (still uses the drag method about 40% of the time), sits up from lying down (had to take out the bassinet part of the pack and play due to the falling out hazzard), babbles, is happy and healthy. One of her favorite teachers Ms. Teresa had to say good bye for now. She will be missed. We also lost today Ms. Sam as Ms. Gwen came back from being out for several weeks. Esther mastered eating in those few weeks and started napping on a schedule. She has a lot of tricks to show Ms. Gwen. Esther is going through some transitional times. Ms. Sam told me today that she throws up her arms when someone comes to the class room as if to wave hi. Now just to wiggle the fingers/hand. If her smile doesn't light up the room her eyes will. She loves reading with her big sister. She loves anything with her big sister. She is eating everything in sight. (avacodo, yogurt, tofu, sweet potatoes, pears, bananas, peas, cereal). I'm making her fruits and veggies. It worked with Addy for avoiding a picky eater, hopefully it will work with Esther.

Update in photos!

My family in pictures the past 3 months:

We went to Charleston the end of January for Christmas with the Shunks and to see my grand parents. We stopped downtown Charleston for this photo and a few others. The significance is that this is the bench Bryan proposed marriage to me on 8.5 yrs ago. Awe...what a few years can bring. Blessings on top of blessings from God. We have health, happiness, joy, and so much more (2 sweet little girls)!!!


Rossie and Essie lovin' it up!


Christmas with the Shunks!



Essie's first food approximately a month ago


Adeline loves reading to Essie; This day it was Green Eggs and Ham. Her favorite currently. She reads it with such animation!


Playing around one morning before work/school! Cuties


My folks visited last weekend!


Girls in glasses; super cool heading into Dudley Farm


Essie being a cutie after her nap while walking around Dudley Farm


Adeline "singing" along; more like watching intently this wonderful woman play her Mountain Dulcimer and sing.


Adeline after dancing and singing at Dudley Farm's Paint Out this past weekend. We went with Meme and Papa!


My cutie Esther

Fungus among us! toothie and poopie on the potty!!!

We need some healing of some finger wounds. I hate to think it, but it may be fungus. GRRR....GREAT! Every time Bryan prays for God to be among us all I hear is fungus. Now I think we have fungus everywhere. (I can almost feel it). If only it were as good as having the Spirit of God with us instead of pesky little ... well fungus. I wish the Spirit of God descended on us like a fungus. Do you know all the cleaning of every surface, toy, and clothing that I am soaking/washing/wiping/scrubbing with bleach? It might be a good thing for me to work as hard at listening to the Spirit of God as I have been a riding the house of the fungus. Also, it is pretty hard to shake free from the mighty grip of God when He has a mind for something. Praying that God keeps me griped and I can wipe away the fungus (and my baby's finger/webspace is healed)!

Esther has her second tooth in sight and hoping it brings a restful night.

Drum roll please..... yes and oh yes .... we are well headed on our way. Adeline, the most wonderful Adeline has put her mind to potty training. My folks visited this weekend. I thought lets head to the park it is so beautiful. We did and I packed up a little potty to take with us because I was trying to let Adeline air out her diaper rash (more than for the goal of potty training). She was so excited to go potty in the back of the 4Runner she did it twice; once as we arrived and again when we left the park. Then when we got home and as I placed the potty down just inside the door she plopped down and left a beautiful surprise of poopie. Awe yes, one less messy diaper. Then amazingly she did that very deed two more times in a matter of hours and we really haven't had much of an issue yet. She wore her princess panties to school 2 days and came home in the same clothes she went in. An accident did happen and the shriek it caused Adeline made my heart hurt. I am so glad we haven't been pressuring her to use the potty and that she basically took to it on her own. (wish all parents could have it this easy, we know it is nothing we have done) Her candy/potty treat intake has gone up exponentially and for that I am grateful. I won't have a daughter graduating from High School in diapers :)
We have been talking about accidents happen and that it is okay. Well, she very sweetly had compassion on Bryan when he spilled some coffee that it is okay Daddy, accidents happen. Though I am sure we aren't tossing the diapers away just yet. But it feels good to be headed in that direction. And yes, accidents happen. (I rear ended another vehicle last week ... a huge orange work truck none the less at a very slow speed - so all are okay. I just feel like a looser. I am claiming this my first run in with the law. The worst part is I was trying to fish out my pager from my purse...and even then I had paged myself to find it! The cops were nice and so were the folks I hit).

Esther is 7 months with a toothie

Horray... hip hip horray. A toothie broke through for my little girl Essie and boy is she checking it out. From the picture you hopefully can see she is rubbing her lower lip over it. You see her playing with her tongue over it too. So cute. She is eating avocado, bananas, sweet potatoes, peas, rice cereal, oatmeal cereal, and yogurt. She likes it all, but peas are her least favorite. She is no longer pulling herself in little circles around where you set her down. This past weekend she is going everywhere, and especially fast if there is a forbidden something (i.e. princess crown; dog toy, etc). She is babbling a good bit and my favorite is "abbaa". She is so proud when you repeat it back to her. Though today she was saying more ba, and even a maaaa. Off and running. They both take after me.... talk talk talk :)

Adeline is a blast. She is so much fun. Praying for friends to get well. Praying for Uncles Johns boo boo and wanting to get him a band-aide b/c in her world it would make him all better (from primary liver cancer that has mets to the lungs).
We are praying desperately for him and the family. Such shocking and just plain awful news. God is good and already you can see Him at work in their strength to endure these first few weeks of pure unbelievability. Uncle John as bryan recalls always has had a great attitude and makes even a 1/4 full glass seem full!
Adeline is officially 2.5 yrs old and not potty trained. So maybe it is around the corner. She wants to do it... just to do it now.
My folks are coming this weekend and all are excited.
This is Addy at the mall.