Meme snagged from...

...Penny!

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Kinda. My mom saw a movie when she was pregnant, in which one of the main characters was named Lia. She liked it so much she chose it for me (if I was a boy, I would have been Ryan). When I was finally born, she couldn't remember how it was spelled, so it ended up being Lea.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Sunday night, watching that darn Extreme Home Makeover. It gets me every time.

3. Do you like your handwriting? I do. It's very swoopy and girly.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Sara Lee smoked turkey

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Noah, age 9

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?I think so. I'm a likable person, just a bit shy at first. I'd take me out for a couple of drinks to loosen me up.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? ya think?

8. Do you still have your tonsils? Yes.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Not for all the money in the world. I hate heights.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Honey Bunches of Oats (cinnamon)

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? no, I do that thing where you use your other foot to pry off the shoe. The second shoe is always the toughest.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? I am a big wimp.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Ben and Jerry's Brownie Batter

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? their smile.

15. RED OR PINK? I'm a sucker for anything pink.

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I am the worst procrastinator. The upside to that, is that I do my best work under pressure.

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My Nana Peg. There's so much she's missing that I know would make her happy.

18. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? denim and no shoes...grey socks though.

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? coffee, a banana, and toast.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Mario Batali and Martha Stewart cooking on TV.

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? periwinkle

23. FAVORITE SMELLS? any kind of fruit smell, especially ripe peaches and fresh apples.
I also love the smell of Baby Magic baby wash.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Jon. He gives me a wake up call every morning from work to say hi.

25. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? New England Patriots football.

26. HAIR COLOR? brown, with a few pesky grays thrown in. Not enough to go nuts over, yet.

27. EYE COLOR? bluish-grey

28 .Do you wear contacts? Yes, I got them when I was 14. I even had those colored ones in High School.

29.FAVORITE FOOD? pasta of any kind.

30. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? I sound like the biggest baby, but scary movies give me nightmares. I will watch them, but my hands are up over my eyes the entire time. Happy endings are overrated, but nice.
I like an unexpected ending- like in "The Departed".

31. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Hoot.

32 WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? black t from Old Navy.

33. SUMMER OR WINTER? I love winter. For me, it's the time of year I have the most energy. In the summer, the heat gets to me, and I turn into a slug.

34. HUGS OR KISSES? hugs AND kisses!

35. FAVORITE DESSERT? Kahlua Trifle.

36. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I use the couch cushion- optical mouse.

37. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? Heroes. I got the DVD set of the first season for my birthday, and I've been hooked ever since.

38. FAVORITE SOUND? Noah saying "mom".

39. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles are way before my time, but their music has always been a constant in my life.
I only like one song from the Stones; Sympathy for the Devil.

40. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Ireland. I loved it, and would pull up stakes and move there permanently in a heartbeat.

41. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I'm a very good singer. (just shy to do it in front of people)

Flawless

First, to get it out of my system:
New England Patriots 11-0!!!!!

Thanksgiving blood sugars for Noah were unbelievable. I mean, spot on perfection even with all the rich food, and pie and constant grazing throughout the day. There was almost no effort involved (a couple things we even guesstimated on the carbs) and never did they go above 150. I couldn't believe it!!!

I wish every day with diabetes for Noah could be as effortless as that day- last night a 327 came along and bit us all in the ass. We were all taken by surprise by that one. I sometimes wonder if his BG meter just spits out random high numbers, so I will have him re-test and use more strips and have to buy more, making the strip companies that much richer...

Conspiracy theories aside, save for that weird high, it was a great long weekend full of family and friends. As we recapped the events,my husband and I were saying how carefree the d- management was this year, and it dawned on us that it's Noah's first Thanksgiving on the pump. It seems like he's been on it forever, but it's been just under a year.

It's a bit of a sad feeling of acceptance. That thing that was so foreign and scary to us not so long ago has become a (sometimes)seamless and integral part of daily life for all of us. Is has become so routine.
Just like they told us at the hospital - like brushing your teeth, it will become automatic, and they were so right.

This is our life, far from flawless, but I believe it's the way we are meant to live it.

I love this idea.

My dear friend, Jessica sent me this idea, which I thought was great, so I'm passing it on.

When you are making out your Christmas and Holiday card list this year, also
include
one for the following address:

A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20307-5001

If you approve of the idea, please pass it on.

I went to the actual web site of the Walter Reed medical center and also found a way to give thanks on Thanksgiving, and I thought it is a cool idea.

WHO: America Supports You is a Department of Defense program that recognizes citizens' support for our military and their families, at home and abroad, and connects individuals and organizations who wish to directly support the troops and their families. ASY is launching a text messaging program called “Giving Thanks”.

WHAT: Giving Thanks is an interactive America Supports You program taking place during the Thanksgiving holiday to offer citizens an opportunity to say thank you to the men and women who serve this nation. Major mobile wireless providers, including AT&T, Verizon, Sprint Nextel, and T-Mobile, provide access to the America Supports You Text Message program.

WHEN: People can text a message of thanks to 8-9-2-7-9, beginning at 6am EST on Saturday, November 17, and ending at midnight, PDT on November 22, Thanksgiving Day.

WHY: The goal is for people to take a moment during the Thanksgiving holiday to think about those who are serving this nation, and act in a way that demonstrates they appreciate their sacrifices. Giving Thanks offers a unifying moment for the nation, during a time in which families traditionally come together and express gratitude for things large and small that contribute to their lives. The United States currently has brave military men and women serving in 177 countries. These troops and their families will be informed about how many people have texted in their thanks and will get to see many of the messages, reminding them that people back home do care.

HOW: On Thanksgiving Day America Supports You will tabulate the number of messages sent to the troops. The volume of text messages will serve as a reminder to our military that the folks back home are grateful for their service.

About America Supports You
Since its formation three years ago, the America Supports You program has welcomed over 300 grassroots organizations and 35 corporate partners to its team. Many America Supports You team members support the troops through letter writing, care packages, helping the wounded when they return home, assisting military families, sending an email, or making a kind gesture—to learn more about how you can help please visit www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil

source

Shannon and Erin both tagged me with this, and I've never done this before so here goes!:

1. Link to the person’s blog who tagged you.
2. Post these rules on your blog.
3. List seven random and/or weird facts about yourself.
4. Tag seven random people at the end of your post

My 7 random facts:

1. I can do the moonwalk, cabbage patch and the running man.

2. When I was little, my answer to the grown- ups question, "what do you want to be when you grow up"? ...a stripper.

3. When I eat a sandwich, I have to eat the crust off first, and make it perfectly round and then eat the middle.

4. In 5th grade, I sang "Let's Hear It For The Boy" (from Footloose) in my class talent show, and my skirt fell off in the middle of it.

5. I have cried at every concert I've been to.

6.I can make the noise of a dripping faucet with my hand and my mouth.

7. I am addicted to this video game called Katamari Damacy. It's the most pointless fun thing ever.

I tag: Julia, Manny, Penny, George, Nikki, and Bernard

Sorry seems to be the hardest word.

I am not a scholar by any stretch of the imagination. Nor do I have hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in higher education. No, I am your average High School graduate with some street smarts and alot of "life experiences" under my belt. I am not an eloquent blogger, turning the everyday into poetry. My words and stories will probably never win any literary kudos. Some of my favorite d-bloggers are geniuses at this and I wish that I could be even a smidgen like them, but I can't mold myself into something I clearly am not. I write about life, and I try to be as honest as I can.

The ugly bits are sometimes all I can think about.

Noah's one year pump anniversary is coming up ,and I've been going over the last year in my head. I would love to say that it's been nothing short of awesome, what with the new found pump freedom and such. Should be no sweat. It was a tough transition and only in the past 4 months have we really been able to relax around here.

To be frank, I can be a bit controlling and picky. things have to be a certain way. In trying to make everything in our family life run perfectly smooth , I can be quite the bitch if something does not go my way. During the first few months of getting used to the pump, I was impossible to please. Now,to give you an idea of the kind of guy he is, my husband is quite possibly the best and most patient man on the face of the Earth. He is an incredible father, attentive, fair, fun and kind. As a husband, he is my best friend. I can truly call him my partner. I trust him with my life, and love him like crazy.

During this time, he was learning and trying to do his best. He slipped up a couple times while learning, as we all do. I was panicked, and took it out on him. I must have said a million times, "what would happen if I dropped dead tomorrow?!?!?! You would have no clue how to do all the D. stuff."!! I called him an ass under my breath, snatched infusion sets away from him in a huff, and instead of reminding him how it was done, made comments about how he "didn't even pay attention when the pump lady came to the house to teach us".

I was terrible. I was mean.

Looking back, it's easy to see I was clearly afraid I would be the one to screw the pooch, but instead of confessing my fears, I lashed out on the easiest and most convenient person -my sweet husband who was just trying his hardest to help our son. This is not the person I normally am. I spent my time from day one of the diagnosis trying to be strong, brave, tough, whatever. I became a bully to the one person I promised to trust and support forever.

If there was a way to go back and change how I acted in those situations, you betcha I would go.

I guess this is a public apology of sorts, and to my sweet husband I say, "I'm so sorry, and I love you."

Change is ok.

Oh boy, I hate change. So trying a combination bolus for the first time over the weekend for Noah, and his 3 slices of pizza (how that boy can stay so skinny with that appetite is beyond me) had me sweating and palpitating all over the place.
Even trying to explain how a combination bolus works is enough to get me all flustered. I know the general idea of it, but I could never put it into words the right way - I'd embarrass myself.
It was a tense few hours after that bolus. How could I possibly trust myself and a machine to do this right? What if I screwed up the carbs? Or the timing? I set it up to give him half the bolus right away, and the other half over a 2 hr. period. I did this based on his history of being high a couple hours after high fat stuff (like pizza) and crossed my fingers.
I made the poor kid test at least 3 times in 3 hours. He did it without complaint, but I think I might have caught an eye-roll the last time.

I had no reason to be worried...it totally worked. I'm no longer afraid of this feature, and will be using it from now on.

Friday Funnies

It's Friday, and after a long week, I love to laugh!

I love the thing Steve Carell does in the background:





And old school Eddie Murphy: *warning!!!! a couple swears here*



PIVOT!!

Good Morning

I'm not a morning person. I wake up early every day, and it is completely against my nature to do so. So today was no different- I opened my eyes and cursed under my breath (damn, it's cold!) and half-slid, half-fell out of bed.
I went to wake up Noah and help him pick out his outfit. He opened his eyes and beamed with his great big smile, and sprang out of bed ready to start his day.

In stark contrast, I plodded down the hallway to the kitchen, bleary eyed and sounding a bit like Ozzy as I grumbled back over my shoulder, "deodorant...don't forget to put on droderennnnt".
Over breakfast when Noah was testing his blood sugar, he flashed that smile again and then he said something that woke me right the heck up.

"I love my life".


"What did you say, Noah"? Again, he flashed that smile and said "I love my life". And then "click"! Went the lancet thing.

Immediately, my fog lifted and I was fully awake and beaming myself. "I'm so happy you feel that way, Noah - you're pretty awesome!" I slapped him a high five but in my head was going over those 4 words over and over, amazed. With all the crap he has to go through every day, the fact that he can say that, and honestly mean it is just...

...I love my son.

"Word In Your Hand" video

I'm so proud that Noah is a part of this presentation. Luis Garcia, a member of TuDiabetes started a Flickr group called the "Word in Your Hand" project. It's for members to describe in one word how diabetes has affected our lives. Luis took several photos from that Flickr group and made this amazing video. You can see Noah at 00:46 with his word: "stress".

Find more videos like this on Tu Diabetes - A Community for People Touched by Diabetes

Thank you, Smiths Medical

Noah got a surprise in the mail yesterday from the company that makes his insulin pump. A cool little art set with double-sided markers and pen. We weren't expecting this at all, and it was such an excellent alternative to candy.