Reddick Mansion 2013

This is my fourth year telling you all about the Reddick Mansion Kids' Event.  This event is only 4 yrs old and Madie was one of the inaugural kids!  This is her last year, because it's only for kids ages 8-12.  She's sad to not be able to go back, but at least it ended with a bang!  She and Noah both agreed that it was their favorite year yet.

Reddick Mansion is a mansion in the heart of town.  It overlooks Washington Park, where Abe Lincoln and Steven Douglas had their very first debate.  The mansion was said to have had people covering these stairs to get a glimpse of the action back then.  Now, it's an historic site and one afternoon/evening a year they invite kids to come share a fun time with them as they go back in time to the 1850s.  Here are Madie and Noah standing on the steps leading up to the first floor.  Can you imagine walking up those every time you had to go into your house?!

I got back to pick them up a bit early, so I could take a couple pictures of them.  All the kids get to dress up in old-fashioned wear.  That is always my favorite part.  Love seeing what costumes they've chosen.

When I got there, Madie and Noah were both happily sewing their Indian headdresses.

Trying to get Noah to stop sewing and look at me wasn't easy.  That's why I got the "I'm trying to do something here!" smile.

They got to play lots of games outside like the sack race (Noah won!), marbles, tag, etc..  They got a visit from a French-Indian fur trader and had the most delicious meal (so I hear) of chicken, baked potatoes, fresh veggies, and cornbread with honey (Madie's favorite!).  They ended the evening on the lawn, listening to music being played by this sweet lady. :-)

They left with huge smiles and tons of stories and told everyone "thank you" several times.  They had the best time!

Every year they get to bring home their baskets filled with great things.  This year was no exception.  They got apples, popcorn, cookies to start.  They had their headdresses, a letter they wrote with a quill pen, a corn husk doll that they made, and more.  Such a great night!

PUMPing!

Guess what came in the mail today?

Let's just say it was something Noah has been excited about getting for a few weeks now.  It took a lot of phone calls and a lot of comparing and contrasting, but it finally came.  He knew this special thing was coming today, so when Tater went berserk, he knew that meant the UPS guy was here.  He ran to the door like it was Christmas morning!  He ran to get his knife and started ripping open to the box to find his....

new INSULIN PUMP!!  We went with the Medtronic, which wasn't our first (or second) choice to be honest, but when they said it was covered 100% by insurance, well, we really couldn't argue with that.  Not only did he get his pump, but he got a whole lot more - a 3 month's supply of infusion sets, insulin injector needles (that's what I'm calling them, because I have NO idea what they are really called), and more.

Of course, looking through all of this stuff is going to take a million years (or at least the weekend) and we have 3 classes to take before he will actually be able to use the pump to pump insulin into him, but at least we're on our way, right?!

This is his new pump.  He picked the blue color.  Do I have any idea how it works?  Nope.  Will I learn? Do I have a choice? :-)  Pete and I scheduled his "Saline Class" for October and I've asked for that day off from babysitting, so I could go.  Hopefully, I can.  There we will learn the basics of how to operate the pump.  We'll inject it with saline and spend two weeks injecting him with saline through the pump, and continue to inject his insulin through his multiple daily injections (MDI).

This is his "Infusion Set".  This is the thing that inserts into his body.  How does that work?  Again, I have no idea.  There is so much to learn, that it'll be like learning all over again!  In fact, once we complete the 2-week Saline Test, we'll make sure we document everything during that time and hopefully, if we've done our job, we will be able to then start him on his insulin pump therapy and start rolling from there.  There is another class we'll take after all of this and it's called the "Advanced Features" class that will teach us more about the pump, but hey, one step at a time.

In his box today, he got a new blood sugar tester.  I *think* this is also a remote that will transfer that number to his pump, but I'm not really sure.  That's what it said on the box anyway!  Kinda cool.

And, as far as I know, this is the little unit that will pop that needle into his belly, arm, or wherever to get the tubing inserted into him.  Kinda of a little handy piece.  Let's hope I don't lose it!

So, friends, that's all the NEW stuff I need to find room for now.  I obviously don't have any room left in our cabinet for more, considering how full that cabinet currently is!  All those notebooks on the shelf there?  Those are all his log books, since his diagnosis in Jan. 2011.  I can't seem to give myself permission to get rid of them yet.  As you can see, I need to come up with a cool way to start storing all this additional equipment.

As you can tell from my last several posts that we've had a lot of stuff going on in the world of Type 1.  Between gearing up for the Walk through our fundraising or going to classes and getting this pump thing up and started, we have been pretty focused on Diabetes lately.  It's certainly not the only thing going on in our lives, but it's definitely taken a front seat in the past few weeks.  Don't be surprised if I focus on it for a little while yet.  So much to talk about as we begin this process and participate in the walk.  Hopefully, by Thanksgiving or so, we'll have his pump connected and ready to go, and be on our way to having a more controlled boy - and, of course, by "controlled" I only mean his BS numbers.  I don't think I'll ever be able to truly control this boy of mine! :-)

Diabetic Sock Ninjas Return!

Since last year was our first year at the JDRF 5K, I didn't really know what to expect.  So, last year I ended up making our own shirts.  Well, that was fine and dandy and even got a couple compliments the day of the walk, but after a couple washes, the stupid iron-ons started peeling off.  In fact, I think it was Kendalyn's shirt that started peeling DURING the walk!  So, I decided if we were going to do it again (and, of course, we did!), I would order them and get them done professionally.  I've seen the commercials for Custom Ink and thought they had a great product, so I went online and started designing our shirts.  They were going to look exactly like last year's shirts, with the exception of me adding "Got Insulin?" on it.  Well, I received a quick phone call from them telling me I wasn't allowed to use the images I had on there.  So, they worked with me to come up with another sock monkey ninja image - I'm guessing that is probably the first time anyone asked for THAT!  They emailed me back the new updated shirt.  I made a few adjustments and the shirt was born.  The kids and I love them!!!  And, I gotta say, the service at Custom Ink was top notch.  Very impressed with their response time and ability to work with me through the process.  Noah couldn't wait for the package to come and he was so excited when he found out they came today.  Not gonna lie and say that it wasn't expensive to do this, but I think the shirts will last a while and can hopefully now be reused each year without fear of things peeling off.  So, here we go DSN!  We're off to another race!

Thirty-One Catalog Party

JDRF - Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.  This amazing group has made TONS of progress in the hopes of finding a cure one day for Type 1.  I mentioned in my previous post that we are in the process of raising money as we gear up for the 5K on Oct. 6th.  One of the ways we are raising money is by having a Thirty-One Catalog Party.  If you've never heard of "Thirty-One" is a christian organization that sells bags of all shapes, sizes, and patterns.  It's run just like the Tupperware company does, with all of the reps being people just like you and me that sell it as a side business.  My friend and former co-teacher, Ms. Audrey, is my 31 rep and she has generously offered to donate all of her proceeds to the JDRF organization - specifically to our team, the Diabetic Sock Ninjas.  If you are interested in donating to this cause and would like to get a bag or two in the process, please click on this link:  Thirty-One Catalog Party 

I will also have a link at the right hand side of the page right above Noah's donation page.  The party is open now and will remain open until Sept. 18th at 5pm.  Thanks to everyone that is able to support us and to those that pray for us as we journey through this disease with our family.  Thank you!

Let's Start Fundraising!

Starting today we begin our fundraising efforts for the JDRF "Walk for the Cure" 5K up in Schaumburg on October 6th.  Last year we started this fundraiser in hopes of raising $500.  It was our first year and we wanted to set our goal at a reasonable level, just hoping that we would make it.  Guess what?  We ended up raising $600 that year!!  Our goal again this year is $500 and we're hoping to reach the same level.  If you are interested in seeing what our experience was like last year, check it out here:  JDRF Walk

We had a great time last October and were so excited to be part of that experience.  To know that we were a small part of raising money to help continue the research necessary to help our son and many, many like him was fantastic.  Often, because Noah looks so normal and does stuff that every other kid does, we can forget what he's dealing with.  He's literally fighting every day to stay alive.  I know that sounds dramatic, but it's true.  If he didn't count his carb intake and balance that with insulin - both fast-acting and his 24-hr slow release insulin - he would get sick.  I've only seen him "sick" once and it was terrible.  Not something I ever want to see again.  If we went a week without intervention with insulin, he could literally lose his life.  I try not think about those consequences, because when I do, I don't sleep.  But, that is his reality.  Every day he must have 4-5 shots and test his blood sugar by poking his fingers 5-8 times a day.  Have you ever had a shot?  I know friends who have had to deal with fertility treatments and gotten shots every day for months.  I myself had to do insulin therapy once a day for 3 months while pregnant with Olivia.  It wasn't fun.  Now, imagine having 4-5 of those every day for the REST OF YOUR LIFE?!  That's what he's dealing with and so many more just like him.  THAT is why we walk.  THAT is why we are trying to raise money.

I don't share our story to gain sympathy or to be overly dramatic.  I share it, so you'll know why it's so important to us.  We all have a great attitude about what he's faced with.  He most of all!  Yeah, there are times where he wants to quit taking his Lantus or will want to skip a meal, so he doesn't have to have a shot, but for the most part he's great with his disease and rarely complains.  It's part of who he is now and he's not shy about sharing it with others.  Kids ask him all the time about it and he openly and willingly shares.  Some friends call him "Diabetes Boy" and he laughs along with them.  He doesn't care about any stigma, because it's who he is and he's not ashamed or embarrassed because he's a little different.  I can't tell you how proud we are of him and how he handles being a diabetic.

So, I will be posting a link on this blog until the Walk on October 6th on the right side of the screen.  If you want to give, please click on that link and donate there.  If you are interested in another way to give, I'm going to have a Thirty-One Catalog Party from Sept. 9-18.  Thirty-one Bags is a bit of an addiction of mine.  I love their product!  When I approached my friend and rep, Audrey, about hosting a party, she generously offered to give all of her profits from the party to the JDRF Cause - through us, the Diabetic Sock Ninjas!  How awesome is that?!  I will post a link to the party in the next few days.  If you would like to donate by getting yourself a bag or two, you can start window shopping by going to this link:  Catalog Party.  

Let's make our 2013 efforts the best yet, so we can continue to see strides made with Type 1 research!  Thank you!

Museum of Science and Industry

Today was a long, but super-fun day at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.  With the weather not wanting to cooperate this Labor Day Weekend, we decided to do a little something special indoors.

On the way up this morning, we ran into a major rainstorm!  It was raining so hard, we were lucky to drive 40 mph!  So thankful that we moved through it, because it was a little scary!

When we got there, the kids were so excited!  There was so much to see and do!  This was the first place they wanted to go.  It was all about weather.

But, first, we had tickets to go to the Coal Mine.  Since they are all so crazy about Minecraft, that was the place they chose to go.  We bought them a general admission ticket and gave them the choice to pick one extra.  They could've chosen a movie on the Omnimax or a submarine, but they really wanted to go to the Coal Mine.  We got to ride on a mine car/train thing.  They thought that was cool.

We got to see lots of the equipment they use and then we ended up in a control room and got to see real coal.  They thought it was awesome!

Once we finished there, we went back to the weather section.  This was probably the coolest place in the whole museum!  Especially for my weather nerds. :-)  I mean, who wouldn't love to see a 40 foot vortex?

Madie tried out the balloons.  You fill them up with heated air and they rise.

Here they played with ripples in water.  There were pools above us and the light went through them and reflected on the floor.  They could make the ripples go fast or slow.

This was a really neat thing.  I don't even know how to describe it.  It was a touch screen and you could move the pictures around.  It would show the picture using different kinds of light - ultraviolet, regular, x-ray, etc...  The kids REALLY liked this one!

They all tried it out and moved all the pictures around, so they could see the differences in them in the different lighted boxes.

This was also in the weather area.  Not exactly sure why, but it was all about colored light.  Using different lights would change the color of your clothes.

They had these pods where you could move the panels to make a vortex of your own.  Livie never figured out how to do it, but Noah did. :-)

This was about friction.  Each circle was covered with a different surface on the bottom of it, so you would push a button that would push them with equal force and some would go far and some wouldn't, depending on the bottom of it.

Each of the kids got a chance to go INSIDE the vortex, which they were thrilled about!

Livie had to hold the string on a balloon to see how it would rise.

We checked out the farm area a couple times.  This part was right outside the food court and I knew I had to take a picture of that!

There was a whole section about DNA.  The thing I loved about this museum is that it had so many interactive things.  Lots of computers screens with different things to check out, lots of movies, games, etc...  Noah was checking out one on Down Syndrome here.

In the DNA section they had a chick hatchery.  It was so cool to see the chicks starting to hatch.

There were 3 baby chicks that had just hatched and 2-3 eggs that were moving around with small holes in them, where the chicks were trying to peck their way out.  The newly hatched chicks looked almost dead!  But, they were just really weak and trying to learn to get up and move around.  They would stand up and wobble around, then lay back down again and close their eyes.  It was almost like they were too tired to continue on at times. It was really neat and so sweet to watch.  The kids LOVED this!

There were several chicks whose feathers were all cleaned and puffed up and running around.  A couple of them kept coming over to Noah and Livie and checking them out.  :-)

Once we left the DNA section, we went to the Transportation wing.  We got to check out lots of trains and even climbed into a real 727!

They had a HUGE display, with the Chicago Skyline, that had trains running around it.  I told Pete his Uncle Bob would LOVE this part!

Isn't this train awesome?!

There was a toy-making section that had a rock-climbing wall.  Another favorite!  They love climbing rock walls!

There was another floor to the weather area, so we went up there and checked it out.  This dealt with air flow.  They could make the air come out of the tubes faster or slower, and put balls in the air to see how the air flow manipulated the balls.

And, who doesn't love a giant plasma ball?!

Or fire?!  We went to so many different parts of this museum and I definitely think the weather center was their absolute favorite of the day!

We checked out the old-time downtown area.  It was set up to have store fronts and a road like you would've found in 1910.  They even had a silent picture going, to which Noah said he wanted his 10 cents back, because it was B.O.R.I.N.G!  I told all the kids that their great-grandpa Drexler used to play piano at the silent movie theaters before he became a pastor and they thought that was cool, but not cool enough to stick around and actually watch the movie. ;-)  Noah did like these things though.  They had rings to hook the horses up to and he thought that was neat.

We went into a place about computers.  They each got to buy a necklace that they scanned and were able to make into an avatar of themselves.  They used the necklace to do all sorts of things in this area.  It was pretty cool!

This section was about the future.  Not sure why they had this mist stuff at the entrance to the place, but they thought it was fun, so that's all that matters, right?

They got to see tractors and farm stuff.  Livie decided to take a break inside the tire here. ;-)

And, we had to get a picture on one of the cows, right?

We ended at this special kids section where they got to play with all kinds of things, including water guns and lasers.   Even with these 35 pictures I've posted, you can't even get a real idea of all the great stuff we got to see!  We were there for over 6 hours and felt like we were running through it at times.  We didn't even see everything!  We were all really tired at the end, but had a really great time!  They're already trying to schedule a repeat visit soon. :-)  It was a fun way to start our 3-day weekend!