Settling In.....

I always have good intentions but sometimes life just gets in the way!  It has been too long since I last posted but who ever thought moving would be so difficult?

Friends, moving is so stressful.  No matter how much you plan and how far in advance you pack, you will scramble to make it across that final line at the very end.

But.....it is totally worth it!

We are all settling in very nicely in our new home.  We love it and feel very blessed.  While we will likely have boxes to unpack for months to come, all the necessities (ie. doll houses and diabetes supplies) are easily accessible.

The girls love our new neighborhood and all the kids out and about.  It makes for busy days which is a great thing.  But, busy days plus the stress of moving has had its toll on Kinsley's body.  For nearly two weeks we had nightly battles with low blood sugars.

Low blood sugars have immediate, life-threatening implications.  If low blood sugars aren't corrected, things can go bad very quickly.

And so, for nearly two weeks, we had nightly battles with lows.  The battle was scary and recovery always took longer than I wanted, but eventually that arrow would move in the right direction and we could all breathe a collective sigh of relief.

What would I do without this amazing technology?

After several nights of crazy, we reduced her basal rates (continuous infusion of insulin) and for three nights now, friends, we've had no low blood sugar alarms all night.  Praise Jesus!  Of course, I still get up to check her Dex every time I go to the bathroom (so, you know, at least 10 times during the night) but we've been in the clear which means Kinsley can get a full night of sleep.

What six year old couldn't use a full night of sleep, right?

On another note, we are super excited for our very own cupboard for our bazillion diabetes supplies.

Check this out......

Christmas in summer for me!

In closing, I promise to be more active now that things have slowed down.  We hope you are enjoying the summer!

Soldier on, T1 families,

Kim

Rediscover this day...

When you parent a child with disabilities, there is so much mommy guilt.  

The list of my failures and shortcomings as it relates to acting as a human pancreas 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year are long.  And, the guilt is compounded in direct relation to the action or inaction that caused the guilt in the first place!

No one prepared me, though,for the guilt I would experience as I learn to balance the medical needs of Kinsley while cultivate and grow in relationship with my second beautiful and precious daughter, Kaitlin.  

Kaitlin is the unsung hero, here, folks!

As our family manages this serious medical condition, we are often forced to take detours, pauses, mini-vacations, or whatever you want to call it from "life" all the time.    

All the while, Kaitlin is along for the ride.  And, she is the best and most loving companion for Kinsley.  Yesterday, pictures I took exactly a year ago popped up on my phone.  "Rediscover this day" was the title.  I wanted to cry.

It may not be obvious, initially, but these pictures depict what it was like every......single.......time... Kinsley needed an injection every day for months.  Kinsley would scream, hit, hide, and bargain.  It was beyond emotionally painful for us to inflict this pain on Kinsley, for her own good, no less.

Kaitlin was an observant and concerned sister throughout these daily occurrences.  Kaitlin would offer to take the shot for Kinsley.  Kaitlin would help Kinsley hide.  Kaitlin would hold Kinsley's hand.  Kaitlin would attempt, in her two year old speaking skills, to convince Kinsley to cooperate.

"It's okay Kinswey..........."

I am so proud of Kinsley and I thank the Lord all the time for helping her overcome such adversity this past year.  Kinsley is my T1 warrior and she is fierce.  But, I am equally as proud of Kaitlin and I don't tell her that often enough.  Kaitlin is just as forceful and just as strong.  

I love my Kaitlin Mae.  It is my hope and prayer that these complex and difficult experiences will develop, within Kaitlin, a certain empathy, cooperation, altruism, and maturity that no textbook or training class can ever possibly teach.  

And, in fact, I think it already has.

The Character Behind the Character

My Sensitive, Sweet, and Rather Silly Kinsley

You wouldn't know this by looking at Kinsley's picture above (on the left with a Maggie comparison, on the right 😊) but just hours before that picture was taken, Kinsley had a severe hypoglycemic episode.

It was such an exciting and joyous morning in the Munson household, too.  Kinsley and I had tirelessly worked on her "gift for the King" for our homeschool cooperative Christmas program.  Kinsley had practiced her lines (in Spanish) for nearly two months.  She was ready and so excited!

That morning, we were in a rush to get to church and prepare for the program.  We ate "on the go" and unbeknownst to me, Kinsley hadn't finished the breakfast she had been bolused for (given insulin).  Normally, I watch every bite she eats like a hawk (and mentally calculate the carbohydrate total in my head) in an attempt to prevent her blood sugar from rising or falling too fast.  

But, the second I arrived at church, my attention was diverted to program-related questions and when Kinsley grabbed my attention a bit later, I just assumed she had finished her breakfast.  

Well, she hadn't.  

Anyway, as we grew closer to the program, Kinsley's continuous glucose monitor (CGM) started to alert me that Kinsley's blood sugar was rapidly falling.  (Double arrows down which isn't good.)  In a matter of minutes, her blood sugar fell over 50 points.  And, at one point, her blood sugar read 58.  58!  That is dangerously low.

The next half hour was a blur.  I was trying to doctor her blood sugar up with copious amounts of carbohydrates and mentally determine if the program needed to go on without Kinsley's gift presentation.  I knew Kinsley would be devastated if I pulled her from the program but I suspected that Kinsley's blood sugar was falling not only from breakfast but also a bad case of the nerves.

By the time it was Kinsley's turn to share her gift, I decided to let her proceed.  Her blood sugar was in an acceptable range just moments before and my concern shifted to a rapid blood sugar rise due to a "rebound high."  All things considered, her presentation was perfect and I was so proud of her composure despite the invisible battle she was fighting just moments before.

She demonstrated, in that brief but brave moment, how amazingly strong and courageous she truly is.  To the audience, everything was normal though.  You wouldn't know that, moments before, Kinsley was on the verge of passing out.  

The entire way home from church, I cried, though.  Diabetes won that morning.  I felt so guilty for not being more attentive.  I felt sick thinking about alternate endings.  And, I left wondering if I made the wrong decision in allowing her to go up to the microphone and share her gift knowing that she was still recovering from a blood sugar of 58.

As I've learned, there is no use concentrating on these questions.  If I allowed myself to focus on these questions too long each day, I would be immobilized by fear.  

Within a few hours, Kinsley fully regained her strength and her blood sugar recovered.  She made that episode look so easy!  If that was me, I'd be in bed the rest of the day.  But, she went back to her happy- go-lucky self who has the most infectious laugh and sincere smile in the world.  She is my T1D warrior!

It is in these moments, I am reminded how fragile Kinsley is and how desperately we need a cure.   While we have come such a long way, we have so much further to go.  

Kinsley is silly.  She can be so sensitive.  And, she is so stinkin' sweet!  

She is the "character behind the character" and it is my hope that this series will delight children with type one diabetes for years to come!

Introducing Maggie Martin!

Introducing Maggie!

This week is exciting in the Munson household for many reasons but none more so than the introduction of Maggie Martin.

Maggie is a spunky, sweet, and fun-loving six year old girl who learns, after a series of unfortunate events, that she has type one diabetes.  

I started this book late last year after gentle encouragement from my husband and friends.  I have always found great solace and strength in writing and I can think of no other subject more worthy of my time and talents. 

As a teacher and homeschooling mama, I depend on rich literary resources from all across the world to introduce my children to the the beautiful intricacies and diversity our world has to offer.  There are a few really great type one diabetes resources out there, and I'll share more about them in future posts, but the selection is quite sparse and at times, very unrealistic.

There were times I wanted to give up, especially during the illustration stage, but I am so proud of this work and so excited to introduce the world to this series.  So, here is Maggie!  All the hard work, sweat, and tears has paid off. 

It is my hope to get it live on Amazon and other book distributors, likes Barnes and Noble, in the next few weeks. It will also be available on Kindle, too.

Stay tuned!!!!  And, yes, I definitely think there will be a sequel.  

Soldier on, T1D warriors,

Kim