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Friday, February 26, 2010

Two Year Old Paranoia

Last night, Matt went to the gym right before we put Jeb to bed. He (Jeb) got his feelings hurt when I told him he couldn't take his new (huge) firetruck to bed with him. So, I, being the awesome mom that I am, decided to make him feel better with a little chocolate icing. Ok, in my defense, it was a teeny tiny amount! All you non-sugar-feeding moms just take a deep, relaxing breath.

Anyway, he took, "Shhhh. Don't tell Daddy," very very seriously. The kid was totally paranoid, looking over his shoulder every few seconds. His nervous little face is just too much. I hope you enjoy this as much as Matt and I have.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Info I Wish I Would Have Known

I am learning so much about diabetes. It's mainly by trial and error. My endocrinologist cautioned me about believing everything I hear and read and to use good judgement and reliable sources. So, I am filtering a lot of what I hear. If I didn't, I think I would be scared to death by now.

What I mean to say is that I, by no means, understand the disease yet. So many people have asked me questions about it-some I can answer and some I can't. I'll figure it all out... hopefully. Mainly, though, people have asked me what my symptoms were. So, I read up on some of the literature and compared it to my experience. And here's what I came up with:

FATIGUE: I was CRAZY exhausted 24/7. Diabetics stop using glucose for fuel, and instead, use fat. (Hence, the next symptom.)

UNEXPLAINED WEIGHT LOSS: I lost somewhere between 10-15 pounds in around 3 months time. Diabetics can't process calories in some of the foods they eat. Even though they may be eating crazy amounts of food, the weight comes off.

EXCESSIVE THIRST: I can't begin to tell you how much I was drinking a day. I literally could not get enough to drink. My endocrinologist says this is a HUGE red flag.

INCREASED URINATION: SEE ABOVE! Plus, this adds to the weight loss issue.

EXCESSIVE EATING: I pretty much ate my face off for months. I am not exaggerating even a little. Every. Thing. In. Sight.

ALTERED MENTAL STATUS: This is a hard one to admit to, but it is so true. The technical terms are, "agitation, unexplained irritability, inattention, extreme lethargy, or confusion." I dealt with every one of these. Ask Matt. No, don't.

BLURRY VISION: I am still dealing with this one. I went for an eye check up before I was diagnosed, so I did not not know to tell my doctor I was a diabetic. He was surprised at how much trouble I was having focusing. My prescription increased greatly, and I am still having issues. Hopefully it will be resolved soon.

Again, PLEASE don't assume I think I'm an expert at all this. I know SO little. But I think people should know the signs. I didn't, and I let it go much too long.

My mother-in-law has a sweet friend who sent her a link to give to me. If you go HERE and fill out the information, you can get a FREE OneTouch Ultra MiniMeter. So, if you have blood sugar issues or have someone close to you who does, you can stay on top of things. PLUS it comes in like six cute colors. So important when you're trying to be a chic, fashionable diabetic. I, of course, went with pink.



These do not come with strips, and strips are not cheap. But it is so worth purchasing one box to keep on hand.

By the way, all this information is completely free. Aren't you glad you stopped by?

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Wednesday Texting with Matt

The following has been typed verbatim.

Angela: My email to you is stuck in my outbox.

Matt: Fixed yet

Angela: Just sent.

Matt: Your sent.

Angela: "You're"

Matt: No your.

Angela: Your what? Your is possessive.

Matt: Your possessive.

Angela: "YOU'RE!"

Matt: No, your possessive.

Angela: Stop before I pull my hair out. Grammar abuser.

Matt: I have no idea what your taliking about

Angela: Stop texting me.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

6 Very Random Pieces of Information on a Tuesday

Random Piece of Information #1) Things are beginning to seem normal around here. I am getting this whole 'shot before eating' thing down. (I think.) If there's any word I can think of to describe it, it would probably be 'inconvenient.' But I can handle a little inconvenience if it makes me feel better. And I have felt SO much better this past week (with one or two small exceptions). Who knows? This may even help improve my math skills. (Or not.) Bottom line... my numbers are CRAZY better. Yay!

Random POI #2) I ran out of deodorant the other day and asked Matt to run in Wal-Mart and grab me some. I told him, "Something fruity or coconutty or beachy." I know. I'm twelve. I just like deodorant to smell fun. Don't judge. Apparently, Matt decided to go his own way. This is what he brought back.

Seriously? Sexy Intrigue? He was so proud of himself. It didn't get him anywhere if you're wondering.

Random POI #3) We are getting things in order to totally re-do the girls' room. The dollhouse bed is out, and we are getting rid of all the 'little girl' decor. We are going fun and funky! I'm super excited, and Belle and E Dru can't wait. (Especially since they're sleeping on mattresses on the floor.) Here's a peek of something I'm working on....

Random POI #4) My sweet, sweet husband has been such a trooper through all this change going on in our house. He has treated me like a princess, but that's nothing unusual. Yesterday, Belle, Jeb, and I all had a fever over 101. When he came home from work, he brought me these. I love tulips. And let me just be honest. I don't deserve them. This house is a wreck and has been for about a week. I'm glad he loves me anyway.

Random POI #5) Something constantly on my mind, our trip to Brazil. We have received our itinerary, and we are going to be extremely busy. I am excited and nervous about every part of it. Recife is beautiful, though. Our hotel is near this beach.

Random POI #6) One of these days, Jeb is going to yell at us for having so much fun at his expense. But that boy is just so darn funny. The other day, I took him outside to take some pictures. I told him to 'jump,' and this is what he gave me.

I sent this picture to Matt this morning with the subject line, "He MIGHT be a dork." Matt's response, "At least he got one leg up." And I laughed out loud.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Par-tay Pics

Jeb's birthday festivities are over until next year. Here's a party recap.

Patiently awaiting the cake unveil.

No one does a cake better than Rick's. Even if it is Elmo.

Blowing out the candles all by himself for first time ever.

Eating Elmo and cheesin' with Sissy 'Stella.

Facial expression of the day. A brand new firetruck from Gigi and G-Pops.

So tired after opening so many gifts....

Thursday, February 18, 2010

The Jeb-Man is TWO TODAY!!

Today is a very special little boy's 2nd birthday. I've said it before, but I'll say it again.... I AM SO IN LOVE WITH MY BOY BABY. We all are. He is precious and fun and gorgeous and a total and complete handful!!

I woke him up this morning with the Happy Birthday song. He was a little embarrassed and so funny. Matt, I'm so sorry that I'm revealing to the world what he sleeps with every night. But you know how he loves his babies. And yes, my boy child still does not find it necessary to speak. Maybe someday....



So, Sweet Jeb, Mommy wants you to know. I LOVE YOU EVEN WHEN...

...you are a bit of a distraction when Mommy tries to write.

...you can pitch a fit with the best of 'em.

...you throw expensive testing supplies in the toilet. (So, that's what 'KEEP OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN' means.)

...you find it necessary to explore the contents of your diaper at nap time. (No, that's not chocolate.)

...you try to dress yourself and it just doesn't quite work out.

...you fall asleep in the backseat with a sucker, and everything is sticky for the next week.

I LOVE YOU EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE PRETTY MUCH TURNED OUR WORLD UPSIDE DOWN!


You are Mommy's precious baby boy, and I LOVE spending my days with you.


Happy Birthday, Jeb Sullivan!! Mommy knows God has some REALLY BIG PLANS for you.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Discover Shiloh


My husband asked me to blog about a Shiloh event he is hosting this Thursday. I would not have thought about blogging it if he hadn’t asked, but I should have. And yes, I am married to the Shiloh admissions and public relations guy, but the following is my true and honest feelings concerning the topic. Promise. Ok, here goes….

Shiloh. Christian. School. Is. The. Best. Thing. That. Has. Ever. Happened. For. My. Girls. That is quite a statement and one I believe with all my heart. I get that there are a lot of fallacies out there surrounding Shiloh. I used to be one of the people who believed them. (I’m still harboring some resentment for them beating Hector in the state championship game back in ’99. But I’m praying about it.) I can’t even begin to explain how my heart soars when my girls are singing worship songs in the backseat because they heard them in chapel… or how I feel when they recite more scripture from memory than I can. Bottom line is, Shiloh is grounding my girls in a way Matt and I could never do alone. The foundation they are building is Bible-based and solid and founded in everything we believe as a family. Right now, that’s everything to us.

I would do anything for my kids. Sending them to Shiloh is probably the best thing we have ever done for them. I get that it’s an investment. A pretty big one. Not to mention a sacrifice. But in my humble, humble opinion, it’s above and beyond one of the best decisions you can make for your child. If you have never considered it, I really think you should. Forget everything you think you know, and take a fresh look at it for yourself.

Matt is hosting a preview day called Discover Shiloh this Thursday. Go here to find out more info or shoot him an email at matts@shilohsaints.org. It will be worth your time to check it out. I screw things up so often with my kids. Shiloh is one thing I know I got right.

Monday, February 15, 2010

My New Normal

Things have been a bit crazy around our house since Thursday. I’ll try to re-cap, short-version style.

I haven’t felt well in several months. The first time I actually remember thinking, “Something is wrong with me,” was back in early November. I just generally felt bad. Extremely tired. Nauseous on and off. Just bad. But it was very easy for me to attribute it to other things, and so I tried to ignore. Then a month or so ago, I stepped on the scales and noticed I had lost around ten pounds that I had done nothing to lose. In fact, I felt like I was eating and drinking more than I ever had. I was a little freaked out, but let’s be honest… a little psyched, too.

But then there was that almost always present ‘bad’ feeling. The only way I can describe it is that I would get up in the morning and think, ‘How in the world am I going to tackle this day?’ I felt like I could sleep all day everyday and could fall asleep in any situation throughout the day… driving, reading, talking with someone. It was irritating. And then one day I picked up a tube of moisturizer and couldn’t read the writing on the back. I put on my glasses and still couldn’t read it. And then I realized almost everything was a little blurry. Still, I tried to ignore.

In the back of my mind, I thought maybe my blood sugars were off. For anyone who might not know, I had gestational diabetes with Jeb, and it was very difficult to control. My endocrinologist said I had none of the risk factors that would make me a likely candidate, so when we had such a hard time managing it (and we had a VERY hard time), it was frustrating to everyone.

In my defense, I had no test strips left from my pregnancy, and they are extremely expensive to buy. So, I told Matt I should probably run up to the school and have the school nurse test me 'real quick'. But I never went. Two months passed.

I happened to be at Shiloh on Thursday. I had felt pretty bad all day, but honestly, after so many months, it had already become my new normal. L, the nurse, was in the hall, and I asked Matt to ask her if she could test my sugars. She is so sweet, and told him ‘of course’. I can’t remember the exact number since I’ve tested so many times since then, but my number was around 400. For random testing, normal numbers should fall between 70-125. A reading of 400 is not just bad, but really, really, really bad. L also tested me for ketones, and I tested positive—also bad. Ketones make your body too acidic and completely mess up the body’s chemical balance. Ketones are what make things scary.

L had Matt call my endocrinologist while we were still in her office. I don't think she would have let us leave otherwise. And wouldn’t you know it? No appointments were available till June. Luckily, Matt still had his contact info in his phone. He emailed him and explained what had just happened. Within the hour, the dr. emailed back and said ‘Come right now.’

And so we went.

We were there past office hours. Everyone was so gracious and kind. A nurse did a blood test and determined that for the past 3 months, my levels have averaged around 400. The dr.’s words to Matt were, ‘If she hadn’t come in today, no doubt in my mind by the weekend or early next week, she would have been in ICU.” Awesome, right?

Bottom line, I have Type 1 diabetes. It was once known as Juvenile Diabetes but can develop at any age. Basically, my pancreas has decided to stop producing the insulin I need, and it never will again. Unlike Type 2 diabetics, the foods I eat make no difference. Type 1 diabetics are insulin dependent.

I left the endocrinologist’s office with a mountain of supplies and instructions to give myself a shot every two hours until my levels dropped from the ‘dangerous’ status and I tested negative for ketones. After 3 ½ days on that plan, he gave me the go-ahead to stop with all the shots and begin my new plan--which is testing levels before meals followed by a shot and a shot at night. That's just 4 shots a day. Much better. The actual giving of the shots are not as daunting to me as having to figure out how many carbs I’m about to eat and dialing up the shots accordingly. It’s a pain. And I don’t do math, so it kills me much more than giving myself shots all day. The good news (if you can look at it that way) is that my dr. said we will look at an insulin pump in the future so I won’t have to do any figuring on my own. At first the thought of something being stuck to and in me was too much to even consider, but now, I think I would greatly prefer it.

Right now, my numbers are still high, but I'm hoping the current plan will bring them down quickly. The good news is--no ketones.

So sorry for the extremely long post, but this is for me to remember, too. I know it may sound weird, but as much as this all really really sucks and completely affects the rest of my life, I’m ok with it. I already feel a little better, and again, God has shown me SO much over the past several months. This is just part of what He is revealing to me, and I’m rolling with it. Because I trust Him, and I can do this. I'm ok with a new normal.





Wednesday, February 10, 2010

The Great Date Experiment

I would be totally remiss if I failed to share this AWESOME opportunity with those who may not know it exists. ESPECIALLY with my northwest Arkansas peeps. This is just way too cool not to pass along. Our church does some pretty incredible things for young couples. You've heard me sing the praises of FNO. And recently, Matt and I went on an amazing marriage retreat to Branson with other incredible couples hosted by our church. And now, they are doing something called The Great Date Experiment. In short... you go to the church website, download a fun date idea, print it off, on the specified night you drop your kids off at the church for FREE CHILDCARE, and go have a date with your husband. Does it get any better than that? Yes, I said FREE CHILDCARE. You do NOT have to be a church member to participate. Just visit the website, and it will tell you all you need to know. Seriously, how can you NOT be interested? Go. Check. It. Out.

Below are a few fun pictures I found of me and Matt on the church's website from the Branson marriage retreat. Don't we look like we're having a ball? Because we were. The second one is us dancing beside the street in front of the Hilton. (It was part of a game, which we won by the way, along with a bunch of other crazy couples.)



The first of The Great Date Experiment dates is THIS SUNDAY on Valentine's Day. I'll try to remember to take pictures and report back. I can't wait.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Stretching

God has been stretching me. I mean, really s-t-t-r-r-r-r-e-e-e-e-t-t-t-t-c-c-c-h-h-ing me. Lately, just 'ok' has not been 'ok'. What has 'worked' for me for years, has not been 'working'. And when I cry, "But, God...," I hear Him speak to my heart, "No buts. I love you. Get up. Get busy. Get over yourself." My best efforts to argue with the creator of the universe are not going as well as one might hope. I enjoy hanging out in my comfortable little corner of the world, you know? Just quietly doing my thing. He gave me a writer's heart, so to some extent, I need that quiet corner to do good with the talents He gave me. But I had grown too comfortable. Too lazy. Too content.

It sort of reminds me of when I lived at home, and Grandma would wake me up in the mornings for school. The first few 'wake up calls' were quiet. "Angela, get up, Honey. Time to go." Ten minutes later (when I'm still in bed), her voice was a little louder, but still sweet. "Angela, get up. You're going to be late." Ten minutes after that, not so sweet. "Angela! Now!" I would roll out of bed with a fire under me. And that's where I am right now. I was hanging out lazily. I heard Him call intently. I am up (though a little apprehensively). There's a fire under me. I do not want to be late for what He has waiting.

One small example among many.... The opportunity has arisen for me to help Matt lead a mission trip next month......... to Brazil. And not Brazil as in Indiana. Brazil as in South America. Had this happened at any other moment than now, I think I would have not only said, "No" but "Heeeeccck No." A trip to Brazil may not seem much to some, but for someone who A.) has difficulty being away from their children for long periods of time, B.) isn't the greatest at talking one-on-one with others about anything much less Jesus, and C.) doesn't fly, it's a big deal. I mean, it would be awesome if I could take my kids with me, drive or teleport there, and just text or email people about Jesus. And I realize suddenly, I am an easy-way-out-taker. And I don't want to be. So, I'm going to kiss my babies goodbye knowing they will be fine without me, get on that plane (though medicated), and do my best to communicate with strangers... who speak Portuguese. And it's going to be hard for me. Really hard. But that's ok.

It's uncomfortable to be stretched. But if it makes me better... if He can use me more... if all of this stretching is the beginning of our new beginning, then I have to be ok with 'uncomfortable.' Because if it makes me better, Lord, break me.

There is an old school song by Morgan Cryar called, Yes. I love the lyrics. Here are a few:

Clutching all I have and hold,
where do I begin?
I lose my grip as I am told,
Lord, you always seem to win
every test of wills
with no contest.
So I trust you with it all,
every piece of me.
I lay it down, await your call,
no more holding back, you see...
You only have to speak,
and the answer is, 'yes.'
Every plan I've ever made,
on the altar now.
I think of all the prayers I've prayed,
and it's dawning on me how,
I talk so much more than you,
now I'll listen.
Make me like your Son instead,
awaiting every word.
He never ran ahead,
only did the things He heard.
Lead me where you will,
I will follow.



Friday, February 5, 2010

Friday Morning with Jeb

Sometimes pictures tell the story much better than words.




He's for sale, by the way.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

3-0.

My husband turns 30 years old today. I really wanted to do something special... plan a trip, do a special surprise, something fun and creative. But, he wants an iPad. And so... everyone's best efforts are going toward him realizing his iPad dreams. Sigh.

But I just had to commemorate this birthday with something special. SO... I put together a little video montage of pictures from our 10 years together. And believe me, it was hard. First of all, how do you pick a few pictures from 10 years worth? And second, I really suck at this computer/movie/picture stuff. To say it's amateur is a HUGE understatement.

Anyway... just be forewarned that it's corny. The song I used is our wedding song from 2001. I boycotted the wedding march and walked down the aisle to this. To this day, I have never heard a song that so perfectly describes the way I feel about him. I wish I could have thought of the lyrics myself, because they just perfectly reveal my heart. So, corny or not, here it is.

I LOVE YOU, MATT SLAUGHTER. More than anything. More than ever.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Say "Cheese!" No, don't. No, do.

With all the tooth-losing going on in our house as of late, it made me think of something. I lost several of my teeth in kindergarten--just in time for my first ever yearbook picture. Grandma was very concerned. The thought of me displaying my toothless mouth for the world (or at least, all of Hector) to see in the yearbook was just too much for her nerves to endure. We talked about the picture for days before. We even practiced. She played the role of 'photographer', and I played the role of, well, 'me'. By the time I left for school that morning, I had the ideal smile down to perfection. I. Was. Ready.

Apparently though, when the time came for the actual picture, and the photographer said, "Say Cheese," I panicked. All I could remember was, Don't show your teeth. Don't show your teeth. Don't show your teeth. And this is the picture that lives in infamy.


Every time Grandma looked at the picture, she would say, "Oh, I wish I'd have just left you alone!" But I love it. It makes me laugh and think of her every time I see it. AND it taught me to let my girls do their own thing... teeth or no teeth!

Mainly NO teeth.