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!

8.2!

Chase had his 3 month check-up today. His A1C was 8.2. His last was 8.4, so this was good news! This means his average blood sugar levels for the last three months have been about 220.

We are going to go ahead with the insulin pump starting in January. Our doctor, diabetes educator, and dietitian are all just as excited as we are since Chase will be in youngest in the area to wear a pump. They hope for success with Chase so that they can use his experience to help other families.

We could start the process now, but with the holidays coming up, Chase's birthday and....a trip to Orlando!!!!...we decided to hold off until next year. That and the pump runs $6,000. Yikes! Good thing for a flexible spending account and insurance.

Chase seems to be very adaptable, so I'm confident that we will have success. A couple of nights ago Gary brought home supper from Wendy's. As Gary brought in the bags, Chase turned to me stuck his thumb in the air and said, "Need to test blood. Let's do thumb!". We've come a long way, baby.

In other news, we are heading to Orlando November 15th -20th. Gary will be heading out before us to go to an emergency management conference. Chase and I will meet up with him on the last day of his conference and then we will go and play. I've told Chase about the trip and he likes to tell people that we are going on a plane to see Mickey Mouse. I'm a little scared to fly alone with a nearly 3 year old, but it will be worth it when I step into the November Florida sunshine!

We've also upgraded our cell phone to a camera phone. I took this photo today of Chase looking at a ladybug on a leaf. From insulin pumps to phones that take pictures. Isn't technology grand?

Goodbye September, hello October!

I hope Chase will be a spontaneous child, because if he is not, I will probably drive him crazy.

We arrived back in Bismarck at 4 pm on Saturday and by 7:15 we were setting up a tent in Sibley Park. We figured it was our last nice weekend to get out and try out our new tent that was purchased for Gary for Father's Day in '05 (apparently we didn't go camping at all last year either). Our neighbors, Darla and Brady, joined us for roasted marshmallows with their daughters, Grace (2), and Kate (6 months). There is nothing sweeter than the sound of two 2 year olds laughing.

This morning I cooked the boys some bacon, eggs and toast over the campfire. By then, Chase was wanting to go home to play with his Spiderman Playdoh set and I was in need of Starbucks. None-the-less, it was fun to be in the great out doors and enjoy fall for a little while.

Holy Pez, Batman!

I admit that letting my diabetic child start a Pez collection may not be a smart move on my part, but it does give him some semblance of normalcy. And, to his benefit, he does not take advantage of the sugar laden (9 carbs per pack) treats inside.

It all started one day when I picked up Bugs Bunny at the supermarket for him as a little surprise. Then, some how, Tigger joined Bugs and from there the rest of the crew from the Hundred Acre Wood needed to join the collection. Oh, and two trips in two weeks to Devils Lake has added to the collection greatly. Where I will make him pick between two in his hand, Grandma and Grandpa don't make him decide!

Hopefully the obsession will soon end and we'll be on to something new before we need to add on a addition.