The Cost of a Chronic Illness

The second topic for #DBlogWeek is about the cost of a chronic illness.

When Michael was diagnosed, we were on insurance through my job.  It was okay-- and it was all we knew, so we couldn't compare it to anything else.  We got all of our supplies through a retail pharmacy at first.  This was the breakdown (found in this post):

"For a 90 Day supply of the insulin and other necessary supplies Michael uses, this is the breakdown:

Glucagon:  (3 kits)    $45.00
Pen needles: (6 boxes)     $135.00
Lantus (slow-acting insulin)    $135.00
Humalog (fast-acting insulin)   $135.00
Ketone strips (for urinalysis) (300)  $51.84
Lancets (to check blood sugar)   $64.78
Testing strips for blood-sugar meter (918 strips) $135.00  (thanks to an awesome social worker who worked hand in hand with our insurance company to make sure we could get the strips at that cost.  Usually, they are $50 for 50 strips). 

The insulin, the lancets, the testing strips are all required at that monetary level each and every month."

Later on, Michael got a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) and an insulin pump (we chose the Omnipod).  The CGM cost breakdown was this: "This piece of equipment (called a Continuous Glucose Monitor, aka CGM), along with it's necessary accessories (transmitter, receiver, inserters), cost us $542.00 to start-up, and it costs us $114.00 each month for the supplies. "

Once Michael got the insulin pump, some of our supplies changed.  More can be found in this post, but here's the basic breakdown:

"Humalog vials (we now use Humalog vials instead of Humalog & Lantus pen cartridges.  Michael no longer received multiple daily injections {MDI}, but rather receives Humalog all day long via his insulin pump.  We buy vials of Humalog and inject it into his pump every 3 days via syringe).  The cost of a 90 day supply of vials (3 vials) is $135.00

Glucagon (emergency kit-- 3 kits)   $45.00  (I don't buy this every 90 days, but these expire after a year, so I will be restocking some of the kits I bought last fall)

Ketone strips (for urinalysis-- 100 strips)  $17.00  (Again, I don't really have to buy these each time.  I can get up to 300 strips every 90 days, but can usually get by with just getting 100 strips). 

Lancets (to check blood sugar)  $64.78

Testing strips for blood sugar meter (918 strips)  $135.00  

When I order everything shown above, I pay about $396.78 to the pharmacy every 90 days.  Items that are not on this list include Lantus (slow-acting insulin) and pen needles.  Since he receives Humalog all day via his insulin pump, the need for Lantus is gone.  Also, since we are not giving him injections, we no longer have to fill the supply of pen needles.  I have a few spare boxes of needles in my cabinet, as well as some spare Humalog & Lantus pen cartridges for emergency purposes in case his insulin pump ever fails.  This is a recommended practice by the staff at Children's Hospital-- always be prepared for the worst. "

Once we started using the CGM and the Pod, we had to buy supplies through the mail for those items.  After we had used my insurance through work for over a year, we made the decision to switch to Aaron's insurance in January 2016.  

Switching to Aaron's insurance required that all diabetes supplies be purchased through the mail.  We saved a whole lot of money by doing this!  Michael's insulin (Novolog now instead of Humalog, and back-up Lantus pens in case of pump failure) are automatically shipped overnight at no additional cost.  They arrive in a cooler with ice packs and bubble wrap.  We pay $50 for a 90-day supply for each insulin.  This has risen from last year, but it's still a savings over what we were paying.  

We order lancets and testing strips through the mail as well.  These cost us about $50 for a 90-day supply.  I no longer get over 900 strips for Michael, but rather about 400-600.  With the CGM, we find it's okay to have a bit fewer test strips around.  

Our CGM sensors and our pods come through a Durable Medical Equipment supplier.  These items have greatly increased in cost from last year.  It costs us about $742.00 every 90 days for sensors and pods.

This year, our insurance no longer covers ketone strips, so I have to buy those myself in the store.  It's between $12-$20 for a tube of 50 strips.  

The mail rep on the phone one time told me that Glucagon is cheaper if we get it at a retail pharmacy rather than through the mail.  Our pharmacy of choice is no longer a covered pharmacy, but our grocery store pharmacy is, so I order glucagon from there.  They do not fill 90-day supplies, only 30 day supplies. For 3 glucagon kits at the grocery store pharmacy, it's $20.00-- so still a savings from the past. 

Diabetes is hugely expensive, and that's with pretty darn good insurance coverage.  But Type One Diabetes doesn't just cost money-- it costs peace of mind, and lifestyle habits, and dreams.  

The cost of a chronic illness is simply that-- chronic.  The cost is as chronic as the illness.  Michael is too young to understand that Type One can be a burden.  I ache for the day when he realizes this.  I understand that one day he will assume the role of Master of his diabetes and I will play a behind the scenes roll and try not to be a helicopter mom when he's grown.  But if I could take that burden away from him, I would!  I would do it in a heartbeat.  A heartbeat.  The cost of a chronic illness is that it took my little boy away from me-- it robbed me of the dreams I had for him.  It stole our spontaneous life!  It barged in and took up residence in our home and it will never leave-- even when Michael grows up and manages himself, my home will still stay stocked with whatever diabetes supplies I can purchase OTC and keep at the ready for my son.  The cost of a chronic illness is the future argument that Michael and I might have if he reaches diabetes burn-out.  Parents of non-Type One kids don't have to deal with that.  The cost of a chronic illness is sleep!  I will never again lay my head down on my pillow and sleep the whole night through.  Even when Michael is grown and on his own, I will still wake and worry if he's okay.  

The cost of a chronic illness, as I put it in 2015, is that diabetes can rob you.  Of money, of peace, and of freedom.  That's a pretty huge cost to pay. 

Until Next Time, 
Much love, Reba

Expecting the Unexpected: DBlog Week Topic 1

It's #DBlogWeek where people from all over write posts on certain topics all week long.  This is the first year I've actually caught DBlog week when it's actually happening so that I can write posts on the topics too!  The first topic is "Diabetes and the Unexpected."

Do you remember that episode of Full House where Jesse and Rebecca were heading out for a trip to see Aunt Martha?  It was their first time to take their twin boys out of the house on any kind of trip, and they weren't leaving anything to chance.  They packed up EVERYTHING-- baby swings and coats and hats and changes of clothes and lots of diapers and baby powder for the twin who had a diaper rash, and pretty much the whole nursery!  Mind you, they wouldn't be gone overnight-- it was just a day trip.  Just as they were about ready to start loading up their vehicle after lugging all of this stuff down the stairs from their attic apartment, Aunt Martha shows up at their door!

That, folks, is diabetes preparedness.  As soon as Michael was diagnosed with Type One and our plans of a "normal" life flew away, the freedom of just taking my purse to the grocery store also flew away.  Now when we go to the grocery store-- or ANYWHERE-- we take a backpack filled with things we might need when we're out and about.  This includes his CGM continuous glucose monitor receiver), pdm (personal diabetes manager, that controls his insulin pump), a vial of insulin, a blood sugar meter and all its accoutrements like test strips and the lancet device with lancets, glucagon (an emergency shot in case his blood sugar drops too low for a fast-acting carb to correct it), snacks, and fast-acting carbs to treat low blood sugars.  These are necessities.  And, surely, like the Aflac commercial says "If you don't have it, that's why you need it."  Sure enough, if you leave your house without items to treat a low blood sugar, a low blood sugar will probably appear on your trip.

Being prepared is what keeps us relatively sane.  We ventured out of the house last week to take the boys to a park about 20 minutes away where there was an ice-cream stand.  On our way, Michael's CGM alarms for a low blood sugar.  As I drove, Aaron turned around in the passenger seat and checked a blood sugar and Michael was really low.  Aaron knew that we had something in his backpack that would help, and he quickly found the Skittles and gave Michael a whole handful to eat.  We knew we'd be getting ice cream at the park, but low blood sugars don't wait around for a well laid plan.  We had to act fast in order to keep Michael safe during our little trip.  Everything turned out fine and Michael was able to enjoy an ice cream cone and play for a long stretch of time on the playground.  These are little victories to us-- when things work out in the end and when we don't have to cut an event short in order to take care of diabetes related issues.  When we got home, I restocked Michael's backpack with another fast-acting carb-- Smarties, and I knew we'd be prepared again if this same kind of thing happens in the future.

I still get jealous of those people who can just toss a diaper or whatever into their purse and head on like nothing could ever go wrong.  I wish they knew how easy they had it.

Having Type One in our life and learning how to be prepared for what it can throw at us has taught us to be prepared in other areas too.  My younger son has a lot of different allergies, and some of them are just coming to light now.  He ate a tiny bite of a cashew on Saturday and within ten minutes, his top lip was swollen right where he had placed that cashew.  Since he has other allergies, I always have Benadryl (and most recently, Zyrtec too)  on hand.  I knew the "rescue dose" for Benadryl and was immediately able to give it to him.  Within half an hour, his lip was decreasing in size, and within three hours it was back to its normal size.  If I hadn't have been prepared with the Benadryl, our evening would have included a trip to the ER and a frantic mom-- me.  However, I've learned to be prepared for whatever may happen, especially when it pertains to my kids, and I can attribute that to living in a home where Type One Diabetes resides.



Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba

A Post About Noah

I talk a lot on the blog about the growing baby, and about things related to Michael’s Type One Diabetes. 

But I don’t really write too much about Noah, so today’s post is for him. 

He’s definitely not forgotten in our home by far!  He’s been making his presence known since birth.  He had APGAR scores of 9 and 9 upon birth, and his scream/cry has not lessened since then!

He is of average height and weight—if not a bit on the small side.  Right now he wears 3T shirts and pajamas, and can fit into 18-month, 24-month, 2T, and 3T shorts. He is totally potty trained and likes to choose his own underwear each day.  If he could pick his Chase and Marshall PAW Patrol underwear every day, he would.  On disappointing days for him, we have to remind him that his favorite pairs might be in the wash and that it’s okay to wear striped or superhero or Olaf underwear.

He is a superstar at self-entertainment.  He can play by himself for well over an hour.  He’s a guy of simple likes.  Video games do not appeal to him at all.  He will pay attention to a board game for about 5 minutes.  If a movie is in, it better be one that he’s seen a million times (like Despicable Me 2), or he has no interest.  He does enjoy watching “Phineas & Ferb” or “Pocoyo” and those are usually the shows of choice in the early morning while I’m beginning my workday. 

Noah is our early early riser.  This past week, he’s been getting up at 5:45am.  (cue the mommy tears!) This doesn’t allow me the quiet solitude I like in the mornings as I get my day started, but it does remind me to count my blessings, and Noah is definitely a blessing. On the weekends, he and Michael do a pretty good job of entertaining themselves for about an hour before they come into our bedroom.  However, since Noah is potty trained, but not quite tall enough to get on the potty alone, usually I’ll have to wake up to help him go potty first thing each morning, and then I can go back to my bed and rest until that hour is up.

Noah is the typical toddler snacker/grazer.  We didn’t get that privilege with Michael since he had to eat on a pretty strict schedule to manage his blood sugar.  Noah, on the other hand, gets the benefit of being the second child who we have the privilege of handing a snackie cup filled with dry cereal and letting him go to town on it.  His favorite cereals are Froot Loops (which he calls “dinosaur cereal” since the Publix brand has a dinosaur on the back of the box), and Berry Colossal Crunch (which is an off-brand of Captain Crunch, and Noah calls it “ball cereal”).  I don’t let him go crazy on the cereal and eat it all day long, and I do monitor what he eats, but I also know he’s growing appropriately and isn’t heavy by any means at ALL, so we do find it okay to let him snack on cereal.  (For those wondering, Michael doesn’t really care about snacking.  He’s more interested in his toys or imaginative adventures, or video games.  On the off chance that he does notice Noah’s snack and wants his own, we portion it out and give him insulin for it.)

Noah is allergic to a few things that we know of so far:  dairy milk, soy milk, almond milk, and dirt spores. He gets his dairy intake through Greek yogurt and cheese (occasionally), but we avoid milk when we can. When he insists on having it, and I don’t feel like denying my child something healthy like milk, we give him some Benadryl and then a small glass of milk – regular or chocolate.  We have Fairlife brand in our house because of its fantastic protein to carb ratio (good for Michael) and it is also lactose free (good for Noah).  

We buy the Trop50 orange juice because it’s about half the amount of carbs as regular orange juice—so it’s good for us to have around.  Michael doesn’t ask for juice to drink—he usually sticks with water and Crystal Light lemonade.  Noah is quite the fan of lemonade as well, but he’ll occasionally ask for juice instead and it’s nice to give him the Trop50 orange juice—knowing that Michael could have some too with just a little bit of insulin rather than a whole lot like regular orange juice would require.

Noah is stubborn to a T and picks up little habits here and there that become extremely hard for us to break.  Currently, he will take his cup of water or lemonade into his room or the hallway (which is hardwood) and he will drink a sip and then let it run out of his mouth onto his shirt and the floor.  He had this same habit about a year ago and it took forever for him to stop doing it!  And now it’s back. *sigh*  He’ll come down the hallway and the front of his shirt will be soaked and we’ll ask “Noah, did you spit out your water?” and he’ll respond “I’m not going to tell you.”  Which, of course, means yes.  On other occasions, we’ll walk down the hallway and step right in a puddle of water, or we’ll go into the boys’ bedroom to put away a toy or to tuck in the boys for the 50^th time at night and we’ll step on wet carpet or see water dripping down the walls of his bedroom or see giant wet spots on his sheets.  It’s a hassle! 

Another thing he has picked up recently is the habit of saying “no” to me when I ask him to do something, like to come see me if I’m sitting in the dining room and he’s in the living room and I need to tell him something.  I’ll say “Noah, come see me” and he’ll say “no.”  He knows now that he will get a little spank if he says no for things like that. 

After my 4-year-old nephew came for a visit a couple of weekends ago, Noah picked up the habit of calling people “stupid.”  His favorite person to call stupid is me.  And Avery.  So, we’ve had to address this issue and tell him that we do not call any person stupid at all.  So now he knows that he will get 1 warning and then a spanking if he continues to call people stupid.  Sometimes he’ll come up to me at the end of the day and whisper, “I won’t call you or Baby stupid.” 

God sure knows what He’s doing when he puts ornery feisty kids in the cutest little bodies!  Noah has a smile that totally melts me & Aaron and we have to really stick to our discipline plans—otherwise, they’d totally get thrown out the window with each smile Noah gives! 

Noah still very much loves his blankie, which he calls “Bampeen” because he couldn’t pronounce “blankie” as a young little guy.  This is a 3ftx3ft plush white blanket with brown and blue chevrons on it.  He takes this thing everywhere and I call him Linus when he does.  Occasionally, he’ll forget it when he goes to my mother-in-law’s house for the day and I can sneak it into the washing machine! 

He absolutely looks up to Michael, but he doesn’t feel the need to do everything Michael does.  I’m glad that they both have their own personalities and likes and dislikes.  They play very well together and they like the same shows, which means they act out the same things when they play.  So, one of their favorite things to do right now is pretend box—which we don’t condone. But I’ll be sitting in another room and I’ll hear Noah say “give me your best shot!  Is that all you got?!?!” and I’m like “this is a 3-year-old talking here! Where did he learn that?!?”

I do think Noah will be a good big brother.  He is a good cuddler and is quite content to sit beside me on the couch and look at books, etc.  He is fascinated with baby toys and accessories like swings and rock-and-plays, etc.  He has mastered how to operate my 4-month-old niece’s pack-and-play when she comes into town every other month or so.  I bought a rock-and-play at the consignment sale this spring and he was ecstatic!  He actually peeked out of his room after I got home around 8:45pm to say “Mom! I see a rock-and-play!  I need to come out of my room and look at it!”  He will be our designated rock-and-play master, and I’m glad I have a kid who can easily crouch down and push the buttons on it!  He’ll be a good “assistant” to me, I’m sure!  We probably won’t let him be the swing operator if Avery is actually in the swing.  The rock-and-play does not go very fast—at all! But the swing is another story.  It can pick up some speed, and we don’t want Avery flying out!  I think many of Avery’s early memories will be of her seeing Noah sitting by the swing or the rock-and-play as she’s in them.

Noah says the funniest things and does the funniest things.  Yesterday, he was playing with the bucket of reptile toys Michael picked out at the Children’s Hospital gift shop.  He lined them up on an end table in our living room and yelled out like a carnival barker “Get your toys! Get your toys!” Another day, he was looking around for his cup and it was on the edge of the dining room table.  He kept spinning in circles saying “where’d it go?  Where’d it go?” and I’d tell him, “it’s behind you!” so he’d spin around until I was behind him and he’d turn around and say “You? You’re my cup?”  and walk over to me and try to pick me up!  His little personality is just the cutest! 

He knows his birthdate in January and told me yesterday that he will need cake on his birthday and not to forget his fork!  He knows that Michael is going to school in August.  He tells me “I will go to school with Michael in August.”  He doesn’t want to be left out.  He knows he’ll be four in January, but he’s not understanding that he can’t go to kindergarten until he’s five.  He also doesn’t fully grasp that he won’t be alone once Michael goes to school because Avery will be here.  But he tells me “I will miss Michael” and lets out a pitiful little “aww.”  I remind him that Michael will come home every day after school. I think Noah will enjoy being the only kid who can talk at my mother-in-law’s house this fall.  He won’t have to compete with his big brother to get in a word—he’ll be competing with a baby’s cries, but we know newborns sleep a great amount of the day, so Noah should still get plenty of talking time!

I can’t wait to see how God uses Noah and his personality to do great things!

Until Next Time,

Much love, Reba

Endocrinology Visit and School Tour

Yesterday, we started out by going to the elementary school and taking a tour!  Michael has told us he's "norvous" about going to school and we assure him that every boy & girl in his class will be nervous and it's a good time to make friends.

We began the tour by checking out the gym where the 4th graders were having P.E.-- archery, as it were.  The Pre-K through 2nd grade counselor, who was our tour guide, told us that kindergartners do not do archery in P.E.  Seeing the 4th graders use the bow and arrows was the highlight of Michael's trip. :)

Next, we went down the Kindergarten hall where the teachers were asked to keep their doors open so we could peek in as we walked by.  It was interesting to see a glimpse into the classrooms.  I'm not sure which of the 8 classrooms Michael will be in, but we'll get to choose his teacher based on who the nursing staff shows is most competent to handle the ins-and-outs of having a student with Type One in the classroom.

We visited the lunchroom and the group walked by the nurses office, and we actually popped in there really quick to introduce Michael to the nurses.  Not all of them were in the nurses office at that time, but at least Michael got to see where the nurses office was located.

Next stop was the music room-- with lots of Minions posters on the wall, which Michael loved!  There were all kinds of instruments set out-- bongos, egg shakers, tambourines, etc.  Michael is super pumped to learn how to use all of those instruments.

The final stop was the library where the kindergarten classes will come for story time once a week, I think.  The tour really helped Michael be more at ease at the thought of going to school this fall.  I left more nervous than I was before.  I don't hold the P.E. coaches to be of high enough standard to care for Michael's needs while in P.E. class, but I'll have to trust that they are.  And I'm hoping I'll get to meet with them before school starts.

We headed out to the car, got some gas, ran home for a snack, and headed up to Birmingham for Michael's endocrinology appointment.  We arrived around lunchtime and ate our picnic lunch in the main entrance to the hospital.

Noah, who Grandma Chips had picked up earlier in the morning from our house, was having a fun day being the only kid, and he got to go to McDonalds to get a Happy Meal!  Apparently, he talked non stop the whole day-- didn't have anyone to compete with, so it was all up to him!

Back at Children's Hospital, Michael picked out a toy for himself and a toy for Noah.  This is a highlight of the trip for him!  He chose a bucket of frogs and snacks and lizards-- very tiny little toys, but a good deal for the money.  He picked out a tank for Noah.  Aaron & I treated ourselves to a couple Children's Hospital t-shirts.

Michael's appointment went fast and very very good.  He was SO well behaved and we couldn't be happier with that!  The doctor is super impressed with our aggressive treatment of high blood sugars, and we made some more dramatic changes to further improve Michael's diabetes management.

We swung into a McDonald's drive through on our way home-- which we never do, but at this time the Happy Meal toys are Super Mario, so we wanted to reward Michael with an extra special treat.

We hit zero traffic on the way home, picked up Noah, and made it home in time to serve up some leftovers for dinner and get ready for my mom to come over to read a story to the boys before bed.


We are really hoping that our visit yesterday was the first of many visits to follow where Michael just does what's expected of him and cooperates so well.  It certainly renewed our energy as parents and we were commended by the doctor on how well we act as a team. :)

We got all of our paperwork ready for me to submit to the school here to get Michael set up with his medical rights plan for the upcoming school year.  Now, only a summer stands between us and having an official kindergartner!


Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba

Mom Pins

I have this board on Pinterest, "New Mommy Advice," where I've pinned lots of tips on newborn care, boosting milk supply, and words of encouragement for moms.  Here are some of my favorite "mom pins" and I like to look back over them and get a boost of encouragement as I am now mommy to a near-kindergartner and preschooler, with a baby on the way.

Reading things puts new spring in my step and serves to remind me that as moms, we're going to make mistakes, but it's normal and we can start afresh each day.  Children are a blessing from the Lord and I want to make sure I remember that at all times.

Until Next Time,
Much Love, Reba

Opposites Attract

My husband and I are very different people.  That being said, we complement each other so well in life that when one of us has to be away, we literally feel like half of us is missing.

 

I joke with Aaron that we would not have been friends in high school.  He was a skateboarder who was friends with anyone he met, and everyone liked him.  I was a shy girl who had my group of misfit friends, and wasn’t noticed by anyone else at school. 

 

Aaron went to school in Washington state, where he grew up.  His graduating class was about 500.  I attended high-school from freshman year to the end of junior year in Hawaii—where my dad was a pastor.  We moved to Alabama at the beginning of my senior year when my dad changed churches.  My class was about 450+ in Hawaii, and it was 72 in Alabama.

 

Aaron has always had great self-confidence.  He was very athletic his entire time growing up. He did wrestling, basketball, and baseball in elementary and middle school.  He played baseball, tennis, and soccer in high school.  He has always been a laid back guy, and always one to stick up for those with disabilities.  The popular kids at school liked him because he was so confident, cool, and collected.  The unpopular crowd liked him because he socialized with them and included them when he could.  The jocks liked him because he was pretty much good at any sport and was an asset to any team.  The art crowd liked him because of his natural talen, sans cockiness, when it came to art projects and assignments.  Pretty much everyone in that huge school knew of him and knew he was a stand-up guy.

 

It took me a while to find my self-confidence.  I had been a ballerina for seven years prior to our moving to Hawaii.  Once we moved there, we didn’t really attempt to find a ballet class for me to attend.  Being a minority race on a tiny island only aided in the middle school awkward years.  We had a good size youth group at church, and many of them attended the same school system that my older brother and I did, but it didn’t always mean that the other kids and I matched up in our social circles. 

 

Prejudice in middle school hit hard.  Our very first day on the bus to go home, my older brother attempted to tell the bus driver we were new and where we lived, and she snapped at him and told him that she knew all the stops and to sit down.   After she passed our stop, my brother scooted over into my chair and told me to get off at the next stop no matter what.  We had to walk about a mile home that day.  My brother was furious, which made my mom furious and she immediately called the school.  The morning, the bus driver apologized and she never missed our stop again. I only attended the public school for my seventh grade year because it became evident to my parents that I was a target for prejudice—from teachers and students alike.  The final straw was a teacher screaming at me in my seventh grade math class because I asked to be excused from lunch duty (after I had already done it about 5 times, and was told I wouldn’t have to do it again—where kids of the majority race had not had to do it at all).  I had a history test that afternoon and was planning to use part of my lunch time for some final studying, and when I asked to be excused from lunch duty, the teacher (my homeroom teacher who was also my math teacher) flew off the handle and screamed at me for several minutes—all while a friend of mine watched from the doorway.  She immediately helped me gather up some quarters and we went to the payphone to call my parents.  That was towards the end of the school year, fortunately. In the eighth grade, my parents signed me up for a home school program through a Christian school in Florida where they’d send me videos to watch of a classroom and I’d complete the bookwork on my own.  It was a lonely year, but I was much happier to be by myself than in the public school setting.

 

In ninth grade, I joined my brother at the high-school for our district and instantly bonded with a group of misfits.  I tried to follow in my older brother’s footsteps by choosing band as my elective for freshman and sophomore year, but I wasn’t very good and in my junior year, I kind of found myself and chose Ceramics as my elective. I had much more self-confidence then. 

 

Once we moved to Alabama for my senior year, I found another small group of friends and was an office aid for two periods of the day—their elective choices were much slimmer at this school, and office aid was pretty much the only choice I had and I didn’t mind!  I had a lot of fun during my senior year, but it was all low key fun.  I was never a wild and crazy kid—and neither was Aaron. So we had that in common.

 

I attended Auburn University the summer after graduating high school.  Aaron’s mom & stepdad moved to my parent’s neighborhood the day after Aaron graduated high school.  During that time, Aaron moved to Seattle with some friends and would travel to visit his grandparents about an hour away (by ferry) where he would work for his grandpa as a logger to earn some money, and then head back to Seattle until he ran out again. 

 

It was not until the summer of 2007 when Aaron was visiting his mom that he and I met.  He moved to Alabama in December of 2007 after the log market fell, and his stepdad offered him a job in construction.

 

We both attended the College & Career Sunday school class at the church my dad pastored—where Aaron’s mom & stepdad had chosen to attend.  We went on outings as part of the Sunday School class, but we really didn’t start to get to know each other until fall of 2008.  We started dating officially in January 2009, got engaged in July 2009, and married in October 2009.  Sometimes, you just know, you know?  We are absolute best friends and just knew that we were meant to be married to each other for life.  

 

Lots of things are still totally opposite about us, and some things have become clear that we share in common.  His love languages are Physical Touch (back rubs, and neck rubs are a way to tell him that I really love him!) and Gift Receiving (even picking up a Coke or a candy bar for him shows him that I am thinking of him and care about him). Mine are Words of Affirmation (when he tells me I’m doing a great job as a mom, or employee, or wife, etc) and Quality Time (he knows that sitting next to me on the couch and watching a show with me really shows me he loves me).  We enjoy our separate things and hobbies, but we most enjoy being together.  Our parenting approaches vary a bit since we were raised in different ways, but we are finding our way and what works best for us as parents. 

 

Doing life with Aaron is such a phenomenal treat.  Sometimes, I’m still in awe that a skateboarder with so many friends would be attracted to me—a shy girl who has two solid best friends and a pretty sheltered upbringing.  God knew what He was doing though and I am so glad He does!

 

Until Next Time,

Much love, Reba

Kindergarten Registration

I remember when we were pregnant with Michael-- probably about 30 weeks along-- and Aaron says, "People say babies grow up so fast and that we should enjoy every second because it'll be gone soon.  Now I'm sad."  I smiled and looked at him and said "Michael isn't even born yet-- we have all of this time to enjoy."

Well, somewhere along the lines, someone flipped my calendar five years forward!  And, sure enough, that time slipped away and here we are with a near five year old!

On April 19th I attended kindergarten registration!  Eeks!  This school had a few days parents could choose from in order to come fill out paperwork.  This made sure that no one had to wait a very long time to complete the registration.  No one was around when I filled out Michael's paperwork.

The registrar was very nice and sat me down at a table in the hallway of the school outside the front office.  I filled out his paperwork, which basically said the same things and asked the same questions (what language do you speak at home, how well does your child get along with others, etc).  When handing in my paperwork to the registrar, she discussed the Kindergarten Tour, which of course, takes place on the day we have to go to Michael's next endocrinology appointment.  Since there are three time slots for the tour, I told the registrar that we'd most likely be able to attend the first tour so that we can leave straight from there and head to Michael's appointment-- at a hospital over an hour away. I asked if we could see the nurse's station during the tour and the registrar asked why.  When I told her that Michael has Type One Diabetes (which is marked on his paperwork), she said "Oh, we need to take you there right now!  They have to know he's coming."  She was super nice and led me down the hallway to the nurse's office.

There are three nurses at this school, and all three of them had heard of me.  One, I've spoken with on the phone.  One heard that Michael was coming through the other two nurses.  The final nurse-- the head nurse-- has spoken with my dad who is a bus driver for the school.  I spent about 30 to 45 minutes in the nurse's office discussing Michael's care and what to expect at school.  Each nurse was so super nice, and once the registrar found out that they already knew about me and Michael, she left me there in good hands.  I sat down with one nurse and she made a list of what they'd provide for Michael (small refrigerator to store extra insulin, snack boxes for Michael for his classroom, PE, nurse's office, and bus) and what I'd provide for him (meter, meter supplies, pump supplies, low supplies, etc).  We talked about how they'd handle lunchtime and snacktimes and even talked about how they'd assist us in picking Michael's teacher to make sure he got the best one who'd pay most attention to his symptoms.  I left the nurse's office feeling SO GOOD about sending Michael to school!

After we go to the endocrinologist's office next week, I'll bring back the medical & legal paperwork Michael will need to attend school safely this fall-- it will include specific instances where Michael will be given help during the day.

At the beginning of August-- hello, huge pregnant belly!-- I will go to the school and help them learn how to use Michael's insulin pump.  The two other type one students at the school currently are on Multiple Daily Injections (MDI), and the school had one student prior who was on a pump, but it was different from Michael's.  They've never encountered anyone with Michael's specific pump, so I will train them in how to use it, and I think they'll like the convenience!

Aside from meeting with the nurses, and having my list of medical supplies to get for Michael to keep at school, we have an entire page of supplies to bring just for kindergarten alone!  While we lived in Hawaii during my teen years, we learned that if you see something in the stores-- you buy it right then, or it might not be there when you go back.  I apply this a lot to supply lists.  I don't want to wait until July and August to buy all of his supplies because, holy checkbook!  But I also don't want to be competing with everyone else in the surrounding three counties, plus our own, to be buying all of the boxes of crayons etc.

This list is extensive, so I'm taking it a bit at a time.  I'm buying supplies as they go on sale (ie, 2 containers of Clorox wipes were on sale at Publix this week), and I'm adding in things we already had on hand (we buy our paper towels and Kleenex in bulk from Costco, so I was easily able to spare 4 paper towel rolls {yes, 4!!!} and 2 boxes of Kleenex from our stash).  I'm applying the same plan for Michael's low supplies-- so I bought juice boxes (fast acting carb) when they were BOGO at Publix, and granola bars (slow acting carb) when they were on sale this past week).  I plan to add in 2 things each week so I'm not overwhelmed in July and August.  So far, it's working out pretty well.

Here's hoping the Kindergarten Tour goes well next week, and here's double hoping the endocrinologist's office is on top of it when it comes to the paperwork.  Lots of changes are ahead, but one thing is for sure-- I'll certainly be taking my time to savor these last few months with Michael at home before he starts school.

Until Next Time,
Much love, Reba