Just Chase

I keep this blog for three reasons. The main reason is to keep friends and family updated on Chase's progress with his type 1 diabetes. Another is to keep up-to-date with his antics as an aside to his baby book. And, finally, it is therapy for me!

I don't want Chase's diabetes to define who he is in anyway. Although, through it all, I've seen a kid that I'm so very honored to be called his mom.

I was going to do a blog on him starting his insulin pump on Thursday, but I've decided to talk about who Chase is aside from his diabetes.

Here's just a little bit about Chase:

There isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't make me laugh. Some things he does on purpose for a laugh like his intensity face (this one was done during his 3 year photo shoot at JC Penney). Other times, he'll do things like demand a "chip" in church during communion to get me chuckling.



He loves to be cuddled and held. He'll ask to hold your hand while driving in a car...which I will agree to if I'm not driving.

When you get him laughing he will hiccup for about an hour afterwards.

He can be bribed into doing almost anything for a trip to McDonald's! Except use the potty - have I mentioned yet that he's stubborn?

He picks up on quotes from movies quite well. My favorite was when we were in Florida and from the back seat of the car, I hear, "I have make-up on my butt!" It took me about 30 seconds to figure out he was quoting the skunk from "Over the Hedge". He keeps us on our toes trying to figure out what he's talking about some times due to this gift.

I'm not sure, but I'm guessing that he has the largest Pez collection of any 3 year old in the world.

And, lastly, some day I hope his kids smash Play-Doh into his carpets as often as he done to mine.

Happy New Year!!!!

Merry Christmas & Best Wishes for the New Year

I don't know if I'll get back to the blog before the end of the year, so I want to make sure that I wish everyone a very, very Merry Christmas and the happiest times for the new year.

From our family to yours - Merry Christmas!

You only turn 100 once

I've been busy lately creating a video CD for my grandpa Art's 100th birthday that will take place in Devils Lake in April. I've been scanning photos, adding sound, and editing it until it is perfect (a sign of a true Virgo - good thing I've got another 3 and 1/2 months to obsess about it). It's been fun. At work I don't get to tap into that creative side unless you call creating formulas in Excel to compute financial investment gains or losses creative.

My grandpa is one of the calmest people I know. That may be why he will soon be celebrating his 100th. He lives alone in his own apartment, cooks and shops for himself, and still drives his little red mini van. He also writes some of the best letters I've ever received. One that I have saved in Chase's baby book reads, "Chase seems tractors interest him. He is such an enjoyable little fellow - so fun to see them grow up. See change each time when one meets." A keeper.

I've enjoyed seeing a playful side of my grandpa that I didn't know existed. Below he is being chased up a pole by his younger sister circa 1920's. And "being difficult" as written on the back of the cake photo circa 1950's.

Just Relaxing

We all enjoyed a relaxing weekend. Gary and I were able to take in The Blenders concert on Saturday night (awesome) while Chase subjected Gary's parents to about 3 Disney movies in a row. Then on Sunday we all went to Charlotte's Web (yes, you will cry when Charlotte dies).


Chase's insulin pump arrived UPS this afternoon. He told me he didn't want an insulin pump as I went to the door to sign for the package. After we got it open, though, he was ready to put it on! That won't happen until the 28th when we meet for one last time with his diabetes education coordinator. In the meanwhile, my mom and I are going to try to come up with a device he can wear to keep the pump and tubing safe from a busy little boy.

Here are some few photos from our trip to Iowa. On Friday we will head out on the road again to Devils Lake for Christmas. After that, our suitcases will be shelved for a while!

5 states down, only 45 to go!

Chase and I just completed Chase's longest car ride. We are visiting my sister and her family in Iowa. We left early Friday morning with my folks and stopped briefly in Minneapolis to visit with my brother.

Chase is in heaven having my 11 year old niece, Brianna, to dote on him. We decided to tag along with my parents since my sister won't be coming home for Christmas. To me, not seeing Ben and Brianna at Christmas just isn't Christmas. We will celebrate an early Christmas with them tomorrow and head back home on Wednesday.

I haven't been to Iowa for about 6 years. It's nice to be able to spend this quality time with my family. And I'm lucky to have a husband that gave me a green light to go! But I'm also guessing that Gary is enjoying his time alone at home to play guitar and piano without a 3 year old to tell him not to!

*Exclusive News* for all blog readers

As a reward to all of you who read the blog regularly, I'm going to fill you in on some BIG news before everyone else hears by word of mouth (or in a Christmas news letter)...

July 12, 2007 - Chase is going to be a big brother! Call us crazy, but we're going to have another child. What was Chase's response when we told him? "Nooooooooooooooooooooo!" Today he also told me that he wanted me to have a big baby. Again, he's not happy with us.

He will be a great big brother, though. And we will continue to buy him shirts that honor our favorite bands. To go along with his AB/CD shirt, I found him a Beatles shirt. I was going to give it to Gary for Christmas, but I just couldn't wait!

Now, we just need to get Gary's parents hooked up to a computer before July 12th so that we can tell them...

He's hooked up!

This morning Chase started on an insulin pump!!! He will wear it for 3 days and if we have success we will start the process of getting him one of his own (this one only has saline in it to see if he'll tolerate it).

When we were leaving the house this morning I told him that we were going to see Maysil (his diabetes education coordinator). His reply was, "No thanks." He definitely knows who Maysil is!

I wasn't sure that we were going to have success getting the tubing attached. It broke my heart to hear him cry as we prepared to insert the needle. But, once it was done, he stopped crying (I think the anticipation was more painful) and he has since been very proud of his pump. Maysil took him down the hall to get a treat and she said that we was walking sideways to show the pump off to those that walked by. Also, at lunch I entered his numbers into the machine and he told me to leave his insulin pump alone. So far, so good.

Happy Birthday Chase!

It's official. We are now the parents of a three year old. Chase turned three yesterday. It was a very fun day - so much so that he was passed out in Grandma Diane's arms by 6:30 last night.

Uncle Rod always gives Chase toys that require batteries...thanks, Rod...

This birthday was especially fun because Chase was so excited for his special day. Having attended friends and cousin's birthdays in the last few months, he was ready for his own birthday. He's been telling me for a couple months that his birthday is coming and that he's going to have a tractor birthday cake. The day came and I don't think he could have been any happier. Well, there was an incident with a Chewbacca Pez, but otherwise, it was a great day.

Chase, his parents, grandparents, and great-grandpa, too!

Happy birthday, Chase. Your mom and dad love you so very much.

Ps...I was going to post this blog last night but Chase's 99 year old Great-Grandpa Art was on our computer. ;-)

November 29th, 2006

Wednesday will be our one year anniversary of life with diabetes. The article attached below brought back a lot of memories of the days leading up to Chase's diagnosis. The story is written by the father of a 3 year old diabetic. The father also happens to have type 1.

THANK YOU to everyone who has been there for Chase. We are truly blessed with such wonderful families and friends. We've come a long, long way.

November 30th, 2005...MedcenterOne

November 23rd, 2006...at home, in Spiderman PJs and eating an ice cream bar!


At present, 20 million Americans are affected with diabetes and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in three Americans born in this century will become diabetic. James Hirsch, author of “Cheating Destiny: Living with Diabetes, America's Biggest Epidemic,”shares a first-hand report on the emotional and psychological toll of living with diabetes.

Here's an excerpt:

“Cheating Destiny: Living with Diabetes, America's Biggest Epidemic,”

We're back...

Playing with the camera phone at Sea World while we wait

for Daddy to bring us a Shamu ice cream bar.

We made it back from Orlando last night. Boy was it fun. We did the Magic Kingdom on day one, Sea World on day two and then we hit some beaches the last two days.

As we headed to airport on Wednesday I asked Chase where we were going. I expected to hear that we were going to see Daddy or Mickey Mouse. Instead, he said, "Florida!" I don't recall mentioning the state of Florida to him. He really freaks me out some times.

You can check out our tip by clicking on the link below. Just click on the photo of Chase and you will be taken into the photo album (no need to log in to the sight).

Vacation Photos

Now, I need to get back to my third load of laundry. It's good to be home??

18 hours and counting

In 18 hours Chase will be embarking on his 2nd plane ride. We will be meeting up with Gary who has been in Orlando since Thursday. My folks came Thursday night to lend me a hand (a.k.a. an excuse to see Chase). He made out like a bandit and increased his Pez collection by 8 - it's never a good idea to get three collectors in a room together.

We'll be back in a week!

A Lifetime of Diabetes

From time-to-time I check in on BabyCenter.Com's chat board for moms of kids with diabetes. A mom recently posted a link to the following website:

http://www.alifetimeofdiabetes.com/diabetes0.htm

According to the photographer, Teresa Ollila, "These photographs portray the daily trials of those living with Type 1 Diabetes."

Do they ever.

Vote!

Either I need to enunciate better or Chase needs his hearing tested. I disappointed him when we went to vote instead of going to boat.

Boating would have been more fun, but we did our civic duty. Hope everyone had a chance to get out and vote.

This kid is nuts

Why do kids stick things up their noses? This kid does it to get a laugh. Gary once told me that he hopes Chase is a class clown when he's in school. My only reply was that I hope he joins me in the principal's office to discuss our son's behavior.

Gary's reasoning for this is that he was shy as a child and he hopes that Chase is more out going. I was shy, too (right now a co-worker is shooting coffee out their nose), but I'm not worried about Chase. He likes to entertain. One day during a play date, I was telling the other moms that Chase tends to take after Gary's side of the family physically, but socially, he tends to take after my side a little more. Right after I said that he put a sand bucket on his head and began to dance around. I'm not sure where I'm going with this...

Speaking of entertaining, Chase and his buddy Jacob put on a good show for me yesterday:

Halloween 2006!

We've gotten our money's worth out of this costume! Here is Chase shooting a spider web at me.

Ahhhh, remember the days when it only took a 1/2 hour to carve a pumpkin? These babies took us about 2 hours from start to finish.

Meow! Chase wanted some whiskers and a kitty nose, too.

The whole family gets into Halloween.

This is my friend Wynn and her son Jacob. Jacob is wearing Chase's Elmo costume from last year. It is nice to see a $40 costume worn twice!

Jacob turns 2 year old today - HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACOB!

Date Night

Last Friday Gary and I took advantage of a gift certificate we had to a fancy schmancy restaurant while Chase got to hang out at my friend Karla's house. Chase has had a crush on Karla for well over a year now. I'm not sure if he was more excited to see Karla or her daughter Bailey. He did pick up a Pooh Pez for Bailey, though (comparable to bringing roses or chocolates?).

Chasie and Gracie

Gracie and Chasie

Today is moving day for our neighbors and friends, Darla and Brady. We just got to know them this summer and then the up and move on us! Actually, we are very happy for them - and for us, because they are only moving a few minutes away.

Darla and her girls / Grace and Chase in the leaves

It is going to be a hard adjustment for Chase because his friend Grace will no longer be just across the street. I loved hearing them get so excited when they spotted one another outside. And, it was also fun to see Grace run to Gary with her arms open and call him "Susan!" I will also miss seeing baby Kate who is, by far, the happiest baby I have ever met.

We really hope you enjoy your new home and neighborhood. You'll be missed on Mandan Street.

Taking a break

Meet George Jetson

Talking to Grandma and Boppa Online

For over a year now we've been communicating with my folks via webcam. Having grown up watching the Jetsons, this technology makes me down right giddy. Gary and I even joked that we should have named our boy AlRoy (a combination of Al - Gary's dad, and LeRoy - my dad). Luckily for Chase, we realized that too late and he got the middle name of Garrison instead - which comes from him being "Gary's Son".

When I'm at the computer Chase will ask me if Grandma or Boppa are online. I check for him, and if they are, we give them a buzz. He plops down on the desk and begins to tell them all about his day.

Webcams - $15.99 each at OfficeMax

Replacement microphone because Chase kept putting the first one in his mouth - $9.99 at Staples

Staying in contact with those you love - priceless

Some day when you have kids, son...

Snow, snow, and more snow

New buddy.

Mmmm, snowmen have yummy noses.

Believe it or not, the weather man was wrong today. We were only suppose to receive an inch of snow, but we've gotten more (about 3-4 inches) and it is still snowing. As a result, Chase is in heaven! He has been asking for snow since July. He's been waiting that long to make a snowman. Right after his nap we donned our winter coats, mittens, hats and boots and went outside.

Helping Mom shovel.

No, that's daddy.

I bought Gary his very first Beatles t-shirt a few months ago. One day, Chase asked who the guys were on the front of Daddy's shirt. I told him that their names are George, Paul, John and Ringo. He wasn't happy with that answer. He repeated their names back to me as, "George, Daddy, John and Ringo." To this day, there is no convincing him otherwise.

What a little kiss-up.

Let's pump some insulin!

November 29th, 2006 - 8 AM we begin the process of fitting Chase for an insulin pump. The clinic receptionist and I had trouble finding a day that would coordinate everyone's schedules, but the 29th seemed to be a free day for all involved. I didn't know how we were going to mark the one year anniversary, almost to the hour, that Chase was diagnosed with diabetes, but I now I know. I hope it's a sign for good things to come.

A friend recently asked me how an insulin pump works. Above is the best photo I could find of the pump that will be similar to what Chase will wear. It is about the size of a pager and is worn like one. Tubing from the unit will go into a site on Chase's back hip and give him continuous doses of insulin. When in comes time to eat, we enter the amount of carbohydrates he will eat and the machine will give him a "bolus" of insulin to cover the meal. The catheter site will need to be moved every three days. Currently, in a three day period Chase averages 12 shots by syringe - that means 11 less pokes to his butt!

We will need to continue to monitor his blood sugar with finger pokes, but technology is getting closer to continuous glucose monitoring systems. Lately, he's been wanting to test his own blood. It's truly excruciating to watch, but it is nice to see him want to be a part of it all. It is funny, though, to hear him squeeze his thumb and say, "Come on, come on" as he tries to get the blood out.

Play dates and Dr. Spock

On Friday we hosted our first play date for Chase's friends Jacob and Sven. It was fun to see Chase's toys get played with...by Jacob and Sven! I wonder if the Dr. Spock books have any advice for a mom who goes through the following during play dates...

At our last play date, which was hosted by Jacob's mom, Wynn, Chase decided that he'd rather stay at the table and drink coffee with the moms. He tried that again on Friday but I was able to convince him to go and play with his friends after some prodding.

Does this mean he'll be hanging out in the teacher's lounge in school? I'm worried and he's not even 3!

Say Aaaaa

Chase had his first dentist appointment on Monday. I know that pride is one of the seven deadly sins, but I'm hoping there is a "get out of purgatory free" card for parents. He did awesome. He was very brave and even gave the hygienist his intensity face to show her his teeth.

Before we left for the appointment I told him where we were going and what they were going to do. I also told him we would go shopping afterwards for Pez if he was good. Of course he had to mention the Pez to the hygienist. She was very understanding and said, "Who doesn't love candy?".

We celebrated a cavity-free mouth with two new Pez dispensers and a new SpongeBob SquarePants tooth brush.

Coffee with Kathleen

Today our friend, Kathleen, joined us for a short, but very nice visit. Here Chase is drinking the coffee that Kathleen brought for ME! It was hard to teach him about sharing while he was drinking my yummy mocha.

Kathleen was co-instrumental in playing match maker to Gary and me. As a friend to me and to Gary, she was not so subtle about getting us to date! Well, the rest is history.

You're a class act, lady. Thanks for being such a good friend.

It's great to be 8

Happy birthday, Dylan!

These cuties are Chase's cousins, Dylan and Connor. Connor (right) turned 5 on September 6th and Dylan (left) turns 8 today. Brad (Gary's bro) and Michele live a block away from us and Chase loves to take his electric pick-up for a drive to "Connor's" house.

Thanks to hand-me-downs, Chase has a Dylan shirt and Connor pants that he loves to wear. I'm contemplating telling him that everything he wears comes from either Dylan or Connor so he'll rotate his wardrobe a little!