3 Things I Learned by Being a Mommy with Type 1 Diabetes

November is Diabetes awareness month. 

Go hug someone who has diabetes. Just go do it, unless they don't like hugs, then don't. 

I would like to clear up some misconceptions. 

And, I would like to also say that if what I'm about to say is a surprise to you, that's okay. 

Let me give you a little background. 

On June 4th, 2008, I felt like crap. It's true, I had been feeling AWFUL for about a week. 

I had to go to the bathroom all the time (like 8 times a night)

I couldn't drink enough water

I couldn't get enough to eat ever

I was just plain exhausted

And, I was super dizzy. 

I put all of these lovely symptoms into WebMD (Don't judge, you all have done it too), and it told me I had vertigo. Obviously. 

Later that day, my wise mommy told me she wanted to go to the Dr. to get it all checked out. 

I didn't want to go, WebMD Told me it would pass. 

But, I went because I learned at a very young age that one is not sassy to Sandy Clements. 

So I went to the Dr, and stepped on the scale and found out I lost 15 pounds in about a week. 

SCORE. 

(This was not the same reaction that the Dr. had.)

We talked about what was going on, and then they did some test... They poked my finger. I over reacted and acted like it was the end of the world, I'm sure. OH NO A NEEDLE. 

The nurse looked at the number on the meter and immediately left the room. 

The Doctor came back in and told me and my mom that I had Diabetes and that I needed to go straight to the hospital to get admitted. 

I then broke down and said (being totally naive), I'm not old or overweight how do I have diabetes. 

He then explained that what I had was Type one diabetes. 

Type one diabetes is different from type two diabetes(which is most common), it simply means that your pancreas has stopped working, and that in order for you to stay alive you have do the job of your pancreas. And, you do this with the needles that you have to constantly poke yourself with . 

Come to find out, I was in the late stages of DKA (this is a VERY bad thing). I got to take up a residence at the hospital for a week, before I was ready to go home and begin tackling this disease on my own (with the help of my incredibly supportive family, of course). 

Okay, I know great story. 

Things got interesting after Austin and I got married and  found out we were expecting twins. When we moved to Chicago and I told my endo that I had twins, she looked at me and said something to the extent of "Oh, gosh. I'm glad I wasn't your doctor." 

I got extremely lucky with my medical team while I was pregnant. But, it was a challenge. 

So, here are three things I learned by being a mommy with type 1. 

1. Don't be so judgmental. 

Some people can't nurse their babies. These moms still know its the best thing, and as a mom you do want the best for your kids, but for some people it's just not in the cards. If you hear that someone isn't nursing let's all just do one another a favor and assume that there is a reason. Don't be a hater. I gave it a shot, and it simply came down to the fact that it wasn't safe for me to be home alone nursing TWO babies. After I had the girls my blood sugars were all over the place (and still are some days). Austin and I were constantly afraid that I would go low and not be able to take care of the girls. 

There are definitely times that I need this reminder, maybe not about nursing but about another parenting issue. I'll say to Austin, "Can you believe that they are doing (insert any controversial parenting thing, ps everything in parenting is controversial)". I have to remember that I don't know their outside circumstances, and I need to stop being a hater. Nobody likes a hater. 

 

2. I have to put my health first. 

For me to be a good wife to Austin and a good mommy to Kate and Grace, I have to take care of my self first. There was a situation, not long after we moved to Chicago that I was admitted back into the hospital for DKA. It was bad news. My mom flew up from KC, everything seemed to stop. I couldn't take care of myself, and heavens knows I couldn't take care of my family. It was the worst, but it was a wake up call for me. 

3. Sometimes People Don't Understand, and That's Okay. 

If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me (or someone so close to me and my disease that it hurts) why I didn't just exercise more (Austin and I just trained for and ran the Chicago marathon) or eat better (I am a soft Vegan, and eat a whole foods diet), I would be a rich rich woman.  

Sometimes, when I'm really stressed my blood sugar will just shoot up. And, being a mom of toddler twins is stressful business. 

I can't always control my blood sugar, but I am thankful for the advances in medical technology and my support system.

I have to realize that some people refuse to take time and learn about the disease, and that's okay. I know there are so many things that I don't know the first anything about. And, it is a constant reminder that i need to be full of patience and grace not only with others, but myself as well. 

If you want to learn more, I encourage you to try the Type One for a Day Challenge here. 

Moving Downtown

Hello.

A while ago (okay, it's probably been a long while) , I told you that I would write a blog about us moving downtown. I haven't taken the time, I think because I knew this was going to be a long post.

So, keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all time. :)

To understand our move downtown , you have to understand where we have been.

When Kate and Grace were 6 weeks we packed up and moved to Chicago. It was a lot, but honestly it was all such a blur...

When we moved to Chicago, we didn't have an apartment lined up, so we lived in a hotel for about a week. The perk of living in a hotel with two itsy bitsy babies was the hotel staff felt bad for us and upgraded our room, the bad part was the rest of it.

That was a very stressful week for our family. We ended up finding a place, and it was almost too good to be true. It was in a "family friendly" Chicago neighborhood, it had a washer and dryer IN UNIT (this is a HUGE deal in Chicago) and a parking space included. Seriously, this was unheard of.

We were so revealed. Finally, we could stop living out of suitcases with two tiny babies.

Here is a photo from our days of living in a hotel :) 

Well, what people say is true. If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. 

We found out that our apartment, was really out of the "family friendly" neighborhood by about a half a mile and instead smack dab in the middle of two gang territories. Awesome. 

It was a really challenging year for us. 

I had to make the choice daily that I would not live in fear, especially in my own home. 

We had a number of unfortunate events happen while we lived in that apartment. Some that I would rather just forget. 

We knew we needed to move. We so desired to stay in Chicago, but we really didn't know what that looked like after our first year back. I was pretty traumatized. 

We decided to look in a few different neighborhoods. 

We looked in Lincoln Park, Lincoln Square, Lakeview and many more. 

We just couldn't find a place that we really felt like we could call home. 

Every time we went downtown, Austin and I would both say that we wished we lived downtown. 

Not only would it give us a lot more time together, due to the fact Austin's commute would be about 1/4 of the time, but it would also give us security that we were so desperate for our first year back in Chicago. 

We really wanted time to find a since of normal. 

There had been so much change in our lives, and we so desperately needed normal.

We looked and looked downtown. Nothing was really fitting. 

Then, we found a place right in between Michigan Ave and the Lake. 

Again, we thought that it was just too good to be true. 

We were so hesitant. 

We decided to proceed with it and just be watching for red lights. 

We didn't see any.

And, it finally happened. We were able to move downtown.

Here is the little tiny sliver of the lake you can see from our window. 

When we moved downtown, we decided to sell our car. This was such nerve racking move for us. 

We had two one year olds at this time. What were we doing selling our car. 

I have to say, it was one of the best moves we made as a family. 

It simplified our lives in a way, you can only understand if you live in the city. 

We didn't have to worry about tickets, or being towed to the edge of hell (which happens to be on lower lower lower Wacker Drive in the city tow lot.) There was so much freedom in the simplicity of just walking for us.  

Our true desire in living in Chicago has always been not to just be tourists in the city, but residents who are concerned about our neighbors and the issues of the city. And, I think Austin and I have both come to a realization in our move, that it doesn't matter where in the city you live, there are people hurting and their is injustice taking place. People just need you to stop and ask how their day is going. 

One of my very favorite things about our building is the other people who live here. I would say over half of our building is about 75 and have lived in the building for most of their adult life. They have raised their families in this building. This building is a significant part of their life, and their is nothing that brings them as much joy as seeing Grace and Kate in the building. I have had many people tell me, seeing them is the highlight of their day. It reminds them of the time that they spent here as a young family. It is such a cool thing to bring the joy of that memory to the people in our building. 

You should see all the kisses that the girls blow and kisses that are blown back to them. 

They are basically the rock stars of the building. It's adorable, and they don't mind it one bit. 

We love our city, our neighborhood and our building. We are so thankful that we are able to live where we do and have the opportunity to engage with the people around us! 

Kate and Grace's Nursery

Day 6.

I'm exhausted, but I'm going to write a blog. I can do it. I can do it. Sometimes, you just need a little pep talk.

I'm going to take the easy out and show you Grace and Kate's room. It's adorable, and they love playing in it. I'm still not quite finished but we are getting close.

Adorable, I told you. This is only half of their room. It is HUGE. Truth be told, we gave them the master bedroom. Since I work from home, it just made sense for them to have a nice big playroom where they can enjoy hours of play while I can be in the other room on calls. 

And, in other news, they are the cutest. They love each other and reading. 

Bed Time

I feel like every other post is about sleep, or lack there for. 

Never fear, this one is about sleep too. 

The girls and I spent the last week in KC. We had a fabulous time, but the girls got spoiled. They were rocked to sleep every night, they got to sleep in the living room, and if they didn't want to take a nap they didn't have to. They loved every moment of it, but we sure are paying for it now. 

Since we have been home, it has been exceptionally rough. Austin has been a trooper (He did have a week of sleeping through the night). The girls FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT sleep. As a result we have two crabby babies. I feel like Austin and I are zombies. We go through the motions of everyday life and drink a lot of coffee. LOTS AND LOTS OF COFFEE. 

The way Grace fights sleep is she rolls around in her crib and flails her arms and legs. She then gets into an incredibly awkward position and we will move her and she begins all over again. 

Case and Point. 

Kate on the other hands lays in her crib and blows raspberries. She then starts babbling until there is a excessive amount of noise coming from their nursery. 

I seriously think we might lose our minds soon. No joke. 

In other news, I took the girls to the park the other day and stepped in dog poop. Then Grace proceeded to kick my shoe and get it all over her. Awesome mom moment. But, I wouldn't want to have missed it for the world. I love my sweet girls, with dog poop on them and all. 

Mommy and The Girls

Day 13ish.

15 hours. 11 hours down, 4 to go. 

15 hours managing the girls on my own. I woke up dreading this day (shoot, things just got real here.) Not that I don't love being with my sweet girls, but taking care of twins on your own is TOUGH. It is overwhelming, frustrating, and the best job ever all in one. But, much to my surprise this day has gone incredibly well. I feel like the girls are finally getting on a schedule (I know, they are almost 6 months old, it's about time.) Also, Austin will be home in 4 hours. We can totally do 4 hours. 

We received our first shipment of Cloth Diapers in the mail today! So excited, it seems like Christmas morning. While I am excited, I am also a little nervous about this endeavor. At least they are really cute! 

For any cloth diapering mommas out there I found a great deal on BumGenius on the Cotton Babies website. You can buy 5 and get 2 free. As you all probably know, I'm a sucker for a good deal so we have bought 14 of them! We will probably buy 7 more before the deal is up (at the end of the month). 

The girls went to the chiropractor with me today. They are always a hit, but they were not having any of it today. 

In other news, this is what play time looked like today. Grace can not stay still for the life of her. 

Three hours until Austin's home. Not like I'm counting down or anything! 

How Do We Do It?

Day 12.

When we are out and about there are a number of things that happen on any given trip. We are always stared at, someone always comes to close and tries to talk to us way too long, and we are always asked the question, "How do you manage two babies? I can barley keep my head on straight with one." Well, we by no means have this figured out, but we have found a few tricks that keep us sane. 

1. The girls whiteboard. 

This is how we keep track of who ate what, who pooped when ,and who is excessively sleep deprived. I made this when we couldn't remember who's turn it was to eat, and since it has been a life saver! We don't always keep track, but for the most part it is a must in our house. This also allows anyone else who may be over to know what is going on without us having to recount every moment of the girls day. 

2. The Mommy and Daddy Calender. 

We bought a big desk calender and we have everything that is going on in our life in it. We have the times that Austin has work stuff going on, we have Dr. appointments, and play dates. This gives us the ability to make sure the girls always have someone available to watch them and mommy and daddy on the same page. We try to sync up at least once a week. 

3. Crock Pot!

I love my Crock Pot. This is pretty much the only way we get a decent dinner on the table before 10pm. I think a good Crock Pot cook book may be part of my shower go to gift because it has given me the ability to keep some constancy in our ever changing lives! 

4. Date Night. 

Since Austin and I started dating we always made date night a priority. It has gotten a little more challenging since we have had the girls. I am a little protective of them to say the least and I had a really hard time (and still do)  letting someone else watch them. We have been so blessed to have found a GREAT sitter for the girls. She is getting ready to move, and she will be very missed by us! But, Austin and I are dedicated to keeping our friendship a top priority and we are able to do that by our weekly date! 

So, that's how we do it. But, when in doubt we wing it. 

Grace wanted to say Hi!

Pink and Purple

Day 5. 

I LOVE the colors pink and purple. Seriously, anyone who knows me would be able to tell you that pink is my all time favorite color. So much in fact, I almost peed my pants when I found out I was having TWO girls,  everything would be pink and purple. This is seen very clearly in their nursery. 

Our nursery in KC, it still looks almost identical

Gutter book shelf Austin made for the girls.

So, while pink and purple are on the top of my favorite color list, there is one place I don't want to see it, on my sweet girls arms and legs. When I first noticed this happen, I FREAKED out. It went away in about 15 minutes, but then about a week later it happened again. Luckily, we had our 4 month check up right after. I had snapped a few pictures of what happened and showed it to our pediatrician. She asked if she could show the pictures to a few other pediatricians in the practice, I thought shoot my girls are going to be famous for their pink and purple legs. When she came back she told us she had never seen anything like that ever before and none of the other pediatricians had either. Excellent. She then sent it to a few other specialists at Children's which eventually got us an appointment with the pediatric cardiologist. These are hard appointments to come by and we got in super fast, rock star status. All of this to say we had our appointment yesterday and we got the all clear. The doctor said what they had was rare, but it wasn't causing them any pain and that they should out grow it in the next year or so. Praise the Lord! He also said that they were incredibly pale children, they got that from their mother :) My sweet girls have had such a rough start at life that I couldn't stand it if they had to go through anything else. 

In other news, the girls are up to 13 pounds. Dang. I'm almost lifting 50 pounds if I carry them in their car seats at the same time. Don't be surprised if you see me in the Olympics in four years for weight lifting. 

Here are the pictures of their arms and legs, I promise they have been checked out and they are okay. 

     

Matthew 6:25-34 : We have needed this reminder :) 

²⁵  “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?^[a] 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, ²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ Butseek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

³⁴  “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.