The gorilla in the room...

The 2 most common questions:

1. How is Cadence, have you got the diabetes under control?
Answer: As of her last check an hour ago, she's under control.

2. Does Hailey have it yet?
Answer: No...I hope not.

Nic and I were hit from all sides on the debate about more children after Cadence was diagnosed with Type1 diabetes after just finishing a 6month bout of colic.

"You have enough on your plate"

"You guys really need to have a good baby next time"

"Why take the risk, what if the next on gets it?"

There's something about the constant puking, green poop, and long nights pacing the floor that the SMILE when I say "Hi Baby Hailey" doesn't completely erase. It's all worth it man to see her just so happy to be.

I find myself unconcerned for the most part about whether or not Hailey's islets cells are slowly shutting down. There's no way to know really, just wait until the Gorilla in the room (you see the analogy I hope) wakes up I suppose...if it does at all. The other day I went to check on her in the middle of the night and the diaper was absolutely full and she was very hungry/thirsty for milk. What was my first thought? Of course it was: I wonder what her blood sugar is....but i never checked. Change the diaper, give her some milk, and head back to sleep and hope that in the morning the diaper is bone-dry, which it was.

The truth of it is that for kids diagnosed under the age of 10, the risk of a sibling developing the disease is less than 1.5%. Is a 98.5% chance of a perfectly normal little baby/child worth the risk. That smile answers the question every time, you bet it is.

Finding comfort in the unfortunate.

We had a wonderful night tonight.

Cadence had a tantrum, pee'd on the floor, splashed the pee-puddle onto me, pooped in her diaper, Hailey puked on my shoulders, arm, foot, shirt, shorts, and shoe, and we had a blast with "baby JJ" who only filled one diaper and his lap with food.

Two friends of ours became much, much closer friends. Two children that have only had one meeting now have a lifelong link. Diabetes is like any other disease in that it has no preference for who it affects, nor does it care how many it affects. It can't however choose who fights against and who they fight with.

Tonight was a rebuttal of sorts to the lurking "D" that we meet everyday and hate each time. Jeff and Karen remind us so much of us and JJ reminds me so much of Cadence a few short months ago. The link between Cadence and JJ was uncanny, at least from Cadence's perspective. Someone with diabetes......let's talk jibberish and figure it out is what they shared. Cadence knows she's different and knows JJ's different...that bond is forever.

It's amazing to watch a child have an injection of insulin. The ultimate of love-hate. You see the squint and tears but rejoice in the fact that the facial expression ensures another 4 hours of diabetes bliss...good sugar. Then the check, the discussion, the decision, the half hour in bed wondering if you made the right choice, only 90 minutes to sleep before the next decision.

It's unfortunate that our families are drawn closer as a result of our Children's misfortune but I can't imagine a better reason for families to come together than that of mutual support and dedication to our Children. We sadly welcome JJ to the D-family and wish he and his wonderful parents nothing but good sugars and a cure down the road and we couldn't be happier to have good friends to be good friends in the good bg's and bad. J-K-J had a hell of a week that we wish upon noone, but have handled it with incredible poise. We've done what we can tonight but hope they know that there are others out there and we are just a phone call away at any time of the day of any day. Diabetes never rests, nor will those that battle it. The bond that we share is a lifelong struggle for future generations and what more noble cause than that.

9.7 with 0.35 onboard....another 4 hours of peace.

b.