How You Doin?

I haven't done a general update in a while, and since I couldn't sleep, I feel now is a great time to do just that.

We'll start with Clayton, since he's the coolest of the 3 of us anyway. Mr. C is 8 months old now. How did he get that big without asking me first? He's starting to say a few little words. Hey, Dada, and when he's really upset and angry, Mama. He's trying to crawl, wave, pull up, stand up, learn to drive, and apply for college. Well, maybe that's a stretch, but it seems he is growing by leaps and bounds every day. He's still a great sleeper and eater. Eating off of the table most of the time now. He loves beans of any kind, fudgesicles(thanks Gram :P) and something called a Moo Tube. A Moo tube is yogurt in a long plastic sleeve. I think it's gross, but he likes them. Chad and I are starting to plan for Christmas. How cool is that? We get to buy toys this year for someone that actually wants them.

Next there's Chad. If you have no life and keep up with my random posting, then you know he now has an insulin pump. WOW. I really can't think of anything else to say about it. In my opinion(and since it's my blog, it's the only one that matters) it has completely changed his life. He feels great, looks great, acts great, and is always busy again. His blood sugar levels are starting to become more normal without the erratic highs and lows. We are thankful that the Lord saw fit to provide Chad with the pump. Already we have noticed that diabetes is not in the forefront of most of the things that we think about. Sometimes you can almost forget about it. AWESOME. Chad is also back in school working on his Masters Degree. He's busy at Calvary doing all of the things an Associate Pastor does. I'm really proud of him, and the man that he's becoming.

Now to me. I don't have a whole lot to report on myself. My days are filled with work, helping Chad with his church duties, and loving Mr. C. And really, is there anything better? I didn't think so. We are very busy, going here and there. But, we love it. We have a lot of opportunities and get to do a lot of different things, and meet a lot of different people that we otherwise wouldn't be able to do. We're thankful for everything the Lord provides for us, and we know that it all comes from Him.

Heavenly Sevenly

Today is our 7th anniversary. How exciting for us. I know 7 years isn't all that long, but we're happy about making it that far. We have been blessed with a lot in our short time together. Great jobs that make us happy, a great church where we get to serve the Lord, a great house with an equally great payment(read cheap), great friends and family, and of course a WONDERFUL, AWESOME, CUTE, ADORABLE, SWEET, red headed little boy.

This past year was filled with a lot of craziness and busy days, but we did it and came out on this side happier than ever. So, I love ya babe!!

You made my Life!

We text...... a lot. Here's our text conversation for today. It's by far the best ever.

Me:Thanks for stopping by, you made my day
(Chad has stopped by my office to get Clayton's car seat, and we chatted a few minutes about nothing really important)

Chad's reply:Thanks for loving me. You made my life.

WOW

Go Bama!!!!!!!!

At the Carswell manor we love football. All kinds, high school, college and professional. Our pro team is of course the Carolina Panthers. I feel this is our year. They almost won against Pittsburgh on Sunday. It's still early, but I'm hopeful. On the college front we love the University of Alabama. The Crimson Tide is basically an American Institution. In my humble opinion. Anyway Saturday evening was their season opener. They trampled Clemson 34-10! In the spirit of the festivities we decided Clayton needed to support the team as well. He was sleepy and it was way past bedtime, so the photo shoot didn't go all that great. But, don't you think he looks great in his Red. Go Bama!

It's Here

The Medtronic Minimed Paradigm 722, and it's accompanying Real Time Glucose Monitor arrived via "Brown" today. We were so excited. Chad immediately tore in to his packages and opened everything. He still has to wait a few weeks to get started on the insulin pump. There is training that is required before you can begin insulin therapy through the pump. Anyway, it's a giant leap in the right direction. Chad's well on his way to a target A1C of 6.

YIPPIE!!!!!!!!

Chad is finally getting an insulin pump. He had a consultation today at our local Diabetes Care Center. They were very knowledgeable and helpful. He has decided to go with the Minimed pump distributed by Medtronic.

This pump has all of the standard features, and a few really cool extras. The main extra feature is called real-time Continuous Glucose Monitoring. This is an extra piece that he will have to insert in hie abomen. This device measures his blood sugar every 2-5 minutes. If his blood sugar rises above, or falls below, a safe level the device will sound an alarm. Our hope is that this will, in time, eliminate the hypoglycemic comas(it's a scary name, but we do know how to manage them) and the incredibly high spikes.

As of Friday morning we have placed the order for the pump to the Medtronic Rep in our area. They will contact our insurance for final approval. Chad's medical history has to meet medical necessity for an insulin pump. This is not generally a problem for a Type 1 diabetic. Insurance companies are starting to realize that it is cheaper to control diabetes, than to pay for medical care to combat all of the complications of diabetes.

God has truly answered all of our prayers thus far. What follows is the short list of answered prayers.

1. We prayed that God would allow our insurance company to cover the majority of the cost of the pump. When deciding to go the route of the pump, there are a lot of costs that are associated. The pump itself cost around $6000. Then there are the monthly supplies that are required to get the insulin from the pump into the body. They run around $500 monthly. These prices are before insurance pays their portion. Our Savior saw fit to provide the pump at a tiny fraction of the total cost. I don't think you would believe me if I told you what the estimated charges are. Let's put it this way, a nice steak dinner at Longhorn would cost you more out of pocket than Chad's pump should. My God is GOOD.

2. We prayed that God would send the pump to Chad quickly. Our thought of quickly was 6 weeks to 2 months. It's better than that. The diabetes educator informed us most patients have their pump around 2 weeks after ordering it. There is training required after it is received, but that is minimal and should be scheduled very quickly. Chad should be using his pump before September. Keep in mind, we will be on vacation 1 whole week during August. My God is GREAT.

There are many more answered prayers in relation to the insulin pump and Chad's diabetes. He has not had a critical low in 6 weeks. That's exciting for us. There may be one tomorrow, but God's grace is sufficient. He's kept Chad safe thus far and I believe Has a greater purpose for Chad and for our family. Diabetes DOES NOT run our life. It DOES NOT have preeminence over our God. My God knew exactly what He was doing when he created Chad with extra antibodies(extra antibodies kill the insulin cells that the body creates in Type 1 diabetics). Chad is still "fearfully and wonderfully made". This is a challenge we deal with every day of our lives. But through it we have drawn closer to God. We have been forced to rely upon the Lord for Chad's safety, health, and well being. Chad and I now realize we can't take care of ourselves. It's all God. We aren't supersaints or bionic Christians. We are simply saved by Grace. Our creator loves us, makes us the way He wants us so that He gets all the glory for our lives. If Insulin Dependant Type 1 Diabetes in Chad brings more Glory to God, BRING IT ON!!.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me!!!!!" Philippians 4:13

It's Official

It is official and certifiable that I am the worst blogger in the history of all blogs. I sincerely apologize to all of my adoring fans(all 3 of you). I will attempt to do better.

On a different note, Chad is finally getting somewhere with the insulin pump. He goes next week to the Diabetes Center at a nearby hospital for a pump consultation appointment. This appointment is expected to take 2 hours or longer. It sounds very daunting, but we are very excited. I have called our insurance carrier and we were excited to learn that our insurance pays for insulin pumps and they pay very, very well. We are thanking the Lord for how he has worked this out for us.

Please pray for Chad and for me as we begin this new journey. There will be a lot of learning and changing, but we are definitely up to the challenge and ready.