4 years

Wednesday was Seth's 4 year diaversary. I asked him on Tuesday night what he wanted to do. Pause. "Oh yeah, I forgot that was tomorrow." It has become such a part of who he is that he doesn't even think about it anymore. That makes me happy and sad. Acceptance is a good thing. That we must accept it is the hard part.  Me? I will never forget that day. It still makes me emotional to think about, even though life is good.

On Wednesday night, we went out to dinner as a family to our favorite local Italian place. We ate bread and pasta with abandon. We talked about all kinds of things, except diabetes. 4 years ago, it consumed us. Now, it's still there but mostly in the background. How can that be, with 3 of us now diagnosed? I don't know, but that's how it is. A blip, a nuisance,  but not front and center.

On Friday, we celebrated with our dear friend Rachel, who met us at the emergency room that morning, and went with us to Children's. This time, we indulged in Mexican food followed by Sweet Frog. Again, our conversations really didn't include diabetes, which thrilled  me. We talked about school and Pokémon Go, and various other things. We again just celebrated life.

4 years of KDA. In a few months, we will celebrate life again with Jason's 4 year diaversary. Some people choose not to recognize the day at all, we choose to celebrate life and how far we've come, both individually and as a family. Is there really anything better than that?

Graduation Day #2 - The Real Deal

Last Tuesday was Seth's high school graduation.  It started out a little rough.

It wasn't quite this high (confirmed by finger stick) but still much higher than he typically is in the morning.  It took a huge correction a long time to kick in!  He spent most of the day out of range, but not crazy high.  Excitement?  Nerves? The Twinkie he had the night before?  Who knows?

Nanny (my mom) helped him fix his tie.  She gave him his first bath when he was a newborn and also stayed with him one night in the hospital when he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.  She's been there for everything!  She's pretty awesome.

Entering the arena

Getting his diploma

Proud parents and brother

The white stole is for being a Distinguished High School graduate.  The cords are for Destination Imagination.  The medal is his Eagle Scout medal.  3 amazing accomplishments from an amazing kid!  Diabetes may slow him down at times, but it isn't stopping him!  He is fierce and determined.

My 2 type 1s.  I love these goofy guys!

It was an amazing day!  There were a few very special people missing from our celebration, but it was just a great day with those who could make it.  I didn't shed a tear.  For real.  I just kept thinking that we almost lost him on August 24, 2012 and now he is graduating from high school.  What is there to be sad about?  I am proud beyond belief, but not one bit sad.  He is ready for the world.  I hope the world is ready for him!  KDA, kiddo!  KDA!

DI Competition

A couple of weeks ago, Seth competed in Destination Imagination (DI).  It was his 8th time to compete; he started in 5th grade.  4 of the team members have been together since 6th grade (7 years). They are an amazing group of teenagers!  They are going to do awesome things in our world. 

Here's a glimpse into the world of DI.  The kids do EVERYTHING, including writing the script, designing and making the costumes and props, creating a soundtrack, and performing.  Everything!  There is an adult manager there just so they aren't unsupervised.

Shopping for costume ideas.  Seth got a little bored and started stacking golf pencils.

Final night of practice before the big competition.
Seth loves the tricycle for some reason.
 I think I have a picture of him on it every year.

This year's competition involved choosing a work of art, then centering the entire performance around it.  I had seen the work of art prior to the competition, but didn't know what all was going on with it.  DI is kinda like fight club.  The kids don't talk about it outside of DI.  The only thing I really knew was that Seth needed brown shoes for his costume.

The artwork inspiration for this year's performance.

The kids do ALL of the costume prep.
 If you'll look closely on the back of his arm, you can see a little bump that is his Dexcom sensor.

The  competition consists of 2 parts - a performance and an Instant Challenge.  I don't know much about Instant Challenge (think fight club again), but I know they have a problem to solve in a set time with limited supplies.  This is the hardest part of the competition for Seth's team.  Spectators are not allowed for the IC, but are allowed for the performance.

The performance was fantastic! The appraisers (judges) had awesome things to say about their performance. The engaged and delighted the audience from beginning to end.  There was humor.  The team used their musical talents as part of the performance.  It was just wonderful, beginning to end.

Team picture with their manager after the performance.  They nailed it!

There is a big awards show at the end of the day.  The scores from performance and IC are totaled and medals are given for each category.  Seth's team placed 3rd in their category overall.  BUT, they earned a DaVinci award.  DaVinci awards are given for excellence in their performance.  The appraiser's sheet for the DaVinci award had nothing but great things to say about their performance. This is only the 2nd DaVinci award ever earned by a team from Seth's school.  The first one was earned by this same team 2 years ago!  Like I said, they are an amazing group of kids!

At the awards ceremony with their DaVinci award.

Diabetes did not play into the day much at all.  Other than his Dex sensor showing and having to do an injection in the hall for his lunch, it was not much of a factor.  Seth tamed the D-beast like a boss.  He watched his Dex trend graph and took appropriate actions throughout the day.  I just wanted to share his amazing accomplishment.  With diabetes along the path is a little trickier, but with careful management he has been able to continue doing all of the same activities he did before d. Not only does he do them, he ROCKS them. KDA every day.

A year of firsts, a year of lasts

One year ago today, type 1 diabetes officially entered our life. This past year has been a year of firsts. It's almost like starting over. There was the first day of school, the first football game, the first overnight practice with his band, the first restaurant meal, the first time back at church, the first Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentine's Day, and Easter, the first birthday, the first day at work. Of course, he had done all of those things before, but not with diabetes.  Every experience with diabetes is brand new, as if they had never been done before.
We are now beginning a year of lasts that has nothing to do with diabetes.....last summer band rehearsal,  last summer assignments,  last first day of school, last pep rally, etc. Senior year officially begins on Monday. I know many parents are sad for their "babies" to be seniors, but I am not.  He is a senior, meaning he is still alive.  He is kicking diabetes' ass every day. Every day. Will I get misty-eyed throughout the year? Sure. Senior year is an emotional time for not only the seniors but also their parents. I intend to cherish every tear and enjoy every moment. One year later I am still grateful for every morning that he wakes up, every day he makes it until bedtime, and every "normal" moment in between.
We are trying to get to the place where diabetes only gets the minimum attention it requires. It doesn't rule our lives, it's just an annoying hitch hiker along for the ride. Today, we celebrate life by doing the things Seth loves to do: sleeping late, Endless Shrimp, and cake.  Tomorrow,  we go back to life as we know it. It really has become our new normal.