Easter, Candy and the Big Bunny

While it still seems like the arctic north where we live, there is no denying that even with snow on the ground, Easter shall soon be upon us.  

My philosophy with Easter has been very consistent through the years.  The Easter Bunny fills plastic eggs with spare change, gum and little trinkets and hides them all around the house or in good weather, outside in the yard.

The basket is also hidden and filled with a small smattering of candy and outdoor items like sidewalk chalk, bubbles, frisbees, kick balls and jump ropes.  One year the Bunny brought matching Razor Scooters and to this day, the girls still use those on a regular basis.

In fact, I think during my childhood in the 1970's, the Easter Bunny managed the holiday in much of the same way. I also remember getting jump ropes and colorful kick balls.  

However as time has gone on and the kids have grown, they are less interested in the small toys and trinkets.  They are now aware of certain things such as HOW the bunny operates.  I know this from suggestive comments and outright requests.

Two weeks ago, Oldest Daughter stopped in the heavily filled, pastel colored Target store Easter aisle and said, "Mom, if you can get a message to the Easter Bunny (while giving me a big, sly smile), please mention that I would LOVE this kind of chocolate bunny in my basket.

She points up to the top shelf where there is quite possibly, the largest chocolate bunny that has ever been made.  

Over 2 lbs of hollow milk chocolate, which makes this guy about three feet tall!

Not to be left out, Youngest Daughter squealed and said, "YES!  That is the chocolate bunny that I have ALWAYS wanted!"  She smiles just as broadly and with the help of her older sister, manages to get it off the shelf and into her hands for a closer look.

I stifle every single impulse I have to flip giant box over and immediately scan the nutrition label.  This thing is HUGE.  The girls are holding it together and giggling over the name.  "Big" in an understatement.  Ginormous Binks would have been better.  

This kind of confectionery monstrosity is NOT something that the Easter Bunny would normally consider.  In our house, the Easter Bunny has always brought a small, thoughtful and delicious Godiva chocolate bunny.  I am sure that the Easter Bunny believed that it was better to get some good chocolate than a waxy substitute, if you know what I mean.  Especially at certain times of the month when the children are gone and the ears need to be nibbled on.

But guess what?  Kid brains do not think that way.  They simply see the best as the biggest.  To their childish minds, having a bunny like that is the ultimate in Easter candy goodness.  It is like a trophy from the Furry Guy that shouts, "This kid is NUMBER 1!"

In fact, I remember back to circa 1970 something and begging my mom for a store-bought Easter basket.  The kind that was shrink wrapped on the shelves with a fake Barbie peering out and stuffed with paper to make it appear fuller than it was.  I wanted that more than anything our regular bunny lovingly put together.  During that decade, homemade was out and it was much more fashionable to get a K-mart basket, or so I thought in my ten-year old brain.

What my mom did, yes, she who led us to be grateful for whatever we were given, was to make an abrupt and shocking decision to send the Easter Bunny a note to request that shrink wrapped plastic goodness.

It was my favorite Easter of all.  I even loved the crumpled tissue in the bottom of the basket.   I think I cried when the doll's head popped off about 45 minutes into playing with it.  No matter, it was the best moment of all Easter time.  

I thought about that memory several times after we left Target that day.

That kind of happiness is simple enough to fulfill.  My wise mom knew it back in 1970 and probably swallowed her concerns over knowing that the cheaply made doll wouldn't last a day.  She knew even back then that childhood was fleeting and memory opportunities will last a lifetime.  

I thought about the nutrition label a few times more.  I also thought about the waste that will most certainly occur as no one will even eat it all.  But what really stuck out in my mind is what would the Easter Bunny have done without type 1 diabetes in the picture?  

Yes, you are probably right.  

So this year, perhaps the Naturally Sweet Sisters will have a delightful surprise on Easter morning too. 

Remember, kids first, diabetes second.  

Love Is Fruit By the Foot

Our youngest daughter has two little boys that like her.

Yesterday, one of her young beaus remembered that youngest daughter had said she liked 'Fruit by the Foot.

  From how it was explained to me, she had told him a story that she hasn't eaten one since second grade, (insert an eye roll from mom because as a creative soul, she tends to exaggerate to make her point - huh, wonder where she gets that from???).  She said he had commiserated with her and even offered her the one he was about to eat, right on the spot.  She declined but I am sure she was charmed by his gesture.

At the same time, the other boy that likes her, quickly diverted her attention by making weird noises that sounded like farts.  Yes, this is the boy-style romance of fifth grade.  From what I gather, this was not as charming to her, although she did giggle a bit because she is also in fifth grade.

Yesterday, the first little boy decided to seize the moment and swear his undying love by bringing youngest daughter her very own Fruit by the Foot.  In the way that boys that age do, he said, "Here.  You want this?" and dropped it on her desk.  When I asked youngest daughter how she responded, she said, "I smiled and said thank you and watched him turn really red. Then, I felt bad for making him embarrassed, so I shoved it in my desk.  Plus there are no carb counts on these."

Later that day and after witnessing the Fruit by the Foot drop-off, the second little boy decided that enough was enough and got into a scuffle with the first boy.  They wrestled at the lockers and were separated by the teacher.  In an hour, the two boys were back to being friends as though nothing had ever happened.

Youngest daughter was not nearly as calm.  She jumped into the car after school and feeling worried, told me the entire story.  As she sat back and contemplated the days events, she declared, "This is EXACTLY why I am not ready to be involved in a relationship.  Boys are too much work!"

Then, she happily devoured the Fruit by the Foot which we guessed to be about 15 carbs!

:)

Why Our House Runs This Way....

Something wonderful happened at 3:00 a.m. last night.

Oldest daughter woke up to the sound of her CGM bleeping a warning for a high blood sugar.  Quietly and without a fuss, she flipped on her zebra lamp, blinked her eyes and read the Dexcom alarm of HIGH BLOOD SUGAR; 434 mg/dl.

Troubleshooting like the t1d pro that she has become, she flipped over her One Touch Ping mete, inserted a strip and re-tested to find a comparable 427 mg/dl.

Reaching for her Animas insulin pump, she felt her tubing slide underneath her leg with the infusion site dangling from the end and not attached to her body.  Thinking back, she remembered the tape loosening after her bedtime shower and hoping that once dry, it would adhere again.  It did not.

Without further analyzing, she tugged open her bed-side stand and pulled out her secret stash of brightly colored pink Inset 30s and Skin Tac wipes.  In seconds, she had expertly inserted a new site.  She then re-primed her pump, attached the tubing to the infusion set and gave herself a hefty bolus before going back to sleep.

All of this occurred while my husband and I lay sound asleep just down the hall.

She did it because she is aware of our own sleep deprivation.  A few weeks ago, from changing many basal rate overnight settings, she noticed that I fell asleep in the mid-afternoon.  Being the gentle heart that she is, she asked if she could do anything for me while I took my nap.  I told her no and that a nap was just what I needed.

She listened to that.  Somehow it stuck as  Mom needs a nap.

Our history with t1d is different than most.  For some families, their kids with t1d may have been doing this sort of thing for years, waking, taking care of themselves and going back to bed without bothering mom or dad.  This might be old news and nothing to blink twice at.

In our family, this is not the case.

We were the ones that made a conscious decision from the beginning to let our kids be kids.  The Naturally Sweet Dad and I took the burden of care upon our shoulders and made a point of minimally involving the girls.  It took years before they picked up testers and checked on their own.  Much longer until they were ready to learn how to do an infusion set change.  Even now, the bulk of the site changes rest with mom.  I plan them, prepare them and try to be as gentle as I can.  While I want my kids to know how to do something, I don't expect them to take on the full-time responsibility.

Why our house runs this way?  We live and breathe kids first, diabetes second.  Maybe by doing so, we can keep the exhaustion of chronic care at bay for as long as possible from our children.

Even with tonight's 'wonderful something', I am still not ready for oldest (or youngest) to shoulder that burden of management, especially during overnight hours.  Childhood is precious and in just a few short years, they will truly be on their own in college and in careers.  I am beyond pleased that she CAN do this but in no way do I expect her to HAVE to do this.  Not now.  Not yet.

Today, I plan to hug her after school and then if I can, encourage her to take a little rest.

 She needs a nap too.