Summer :: Two

Towards the end of Friday's outing to Woodneck beach, TJ's pump started emitting a sound not unlike the alarm that the national weather service puts out. Buried in his cargo shorts, under a towel, it was subtle, but persistent. We have had very few issues with the relatively new Animas, and the code "Call Service/Delivery Stopped" was a new one for us.

We were already considering our departure from the beach when the pump began alarming, so truly, this was not a day-ruining alarm. We made light of the situation, joked with our friends about the broken pump, and packed it in. Not that big of a deal. The situation was (eventually) remedied, with only one call to Joslin and two calls to Animas. In the scheme of "things that could go wrong with diabetes" this was a very small event.

But, still. At the beach, packing up early, in a slight panic, and with a kid I could tell was on the verge of a meltdown, I stood there smiling, putting on my happy mommy face. Why? Why do I always say "he's doing great" or "diabetes isn't that big of a deal" when in reality I want to scream "diabetes sucks, and I wish my kid didn't have it."

Obviously, diabetes isn't the end of the world. As I have said often, TJ is a very well adjusted, happy, athletic, amazing kid. Every now and then, though, I would like for him to not be the kid that leaves first. Not be the one sounding an alarm - literal or figurative. Not be the one counting carbs at the ice cream truck.

This spring has been diabetes-heavy. We have gone through spells where diabetes has truly been in the background, but these past few weeks have not been among them. Diabetes has been out front and center at baseball, requiring in-the-dugout site-changes and sometimes keeping him on the bench. It has been a presence at school with persistent highs. It has made itself heard at friend's houses, where sites have come out. And now, as summer is starting, it has insisted on interfering at the beach.

I'm sure the pendulum will swing again, and we will have a stretch of weeks where diabetes is tucked in the background, barely noticeable, and my smile and "oh, diabetes isn't that big of a deal" comment may be truthful. But not today.

Summer

Spring was chalk full of soccer, lacrosse, concerts, and school events, but summer is being ushered in, for sure, by baseball. Many, many nights watching a fantastic group of little guys play their hearts out. And every time this boy takes the mound and throws stikes, I can't help but think that he is showing diabetes who's boss.

Contrast

Beautiful morning on the boat; salt air, sun, family :: no lunch...blood sugar is too high, and we didn't bring a site change

Baseball game; a nail-biting tie featuring TJ as the saving pitcher :: a shot and the second site change of the morning...in the dugout right before the game

Celebrating the tie with flav-or-ice :: watching friends have flav-or-ice...it has too much sugar

Jumping on the trampoline with friends :: low...coming in for juice

Playing Wii with friends :: low...stopping for juice

Falling asleep after a long, fun day :: low...downstairs again for more juice

Sunday morning; slow wake-up :: wet bed and high...too much juice the night before

Donuts at a friends house :: watch friends eat them...they are frosted, covered in sugar

Soccer game :: on the sideline at the start...chugging gatorade to bring up a low

One weekend :: Diabetes with him every minute

Opening Day

Vacationing

How quickly we settle into vacation. One day in, with Tom headed to Stellwagen in search of tuna, we settled into our slow paced routine of beach, reading, puzzles, and solitaire. I love how much my children were looking forward to Marshfield. The activities - the games, the beach trip - even the exact puzzles - have become a "tradition."

Rope Swinging

There does not seem to be anything that is more quintessentially summer than a rope swing. Pure summer love.

Both Gwen and TJ were so much more brave then I imagined they would be when we arrived at the swinging spot - letting the rope take them far out over the pond over and over.

Just by chance, TJ's cozmo insulin pump is right up front and center in the photos I took of him swinging. On the one hand, I love these photos - pictorial evidence that diabetes never holds him back. On the other hand, they are a reminder - diabetes with him, no matter the day.

30 Days

Many years, the coming on of August causes me to panic. In so many ways I have yet to settle into a summer routine, yet all of a sudden the end is in sight. This summer - one filled with unpredictable weather, a busy work schedule, and a two-week stay away from home - I find myself entering August with a sinking feeling that summer will end and I will not have lived it.

But, in reality, summer is only peaking - there are many days left to be enjoyed. In order to live them just a little more deliberately, and to share them with my children, I challenged each of us to keep a journal for each day in August. The children were each treated to new spiral notebooks and markers to help encourage them and each dutifully filled the first page with color, prose, and drawings detailing our first day of actual away-at-a-beach-house vacation. I promised them I would blog each day this month.

Although the first half of summer has passed by in a (non-documented) flash, the images on my camera tell tales of long, fun-filled days. Rope swings, boat rides, beach excursions. Fun, any way you remember it.