Sports and why #wearenotwaiting

You can't see it, but Elise is in that picture above, playing soccer.  Actually, she's in goal.  She did pretty well and caused this former goal keeper a bit of stress during the game.  But not because of diabetes.

I haven't blogged about it, but we have been Nightscouting for close to a year.  I am so amazed to look back over the almost 7 years (did I just type 7 years???) since  Elise was diagnosed and see how far technology has come.  Just 3 years ago a BG meter that would transmit her numbers to a website was revolutionary for us!

Everything IS awesome... thanks Nightscout!

When Elise plays soccer, her rig (the Nightscout setup) is in her soccer bag across the field from me.  And I hold onto the extra dex.  Between the two devices, she almost never goes out of range.  Soccer on this day was at 9:00 am.  I figured we didn't have to worry about lows because it was right after breakfast, but when she topped out at 180 before the game, I was a bit worried.

Maybe it was the adrenaline from playing a new position.  Or maybe it was because she was only running for half the game, but periodic glances at my wrist showed me she was steady at 150 through most of the game.

Elise is now getting to the age where most parents just drop their kids off at practice and then take off. This obviously doesn't work for us.  I actually enjoy watching her as she practices... it brings back happy memories from my childhood. But on the day the picture above was taken, it was about 38 degrees out (4 degrees Celsius).  And I was recovering from the flu.  In short, I felt like death, but thanks to Nightscout, I was able to monitor Elise from the warmth of my car.

A new one for us this winter was hockey.  My kids had been bugging me to try hockey, which makes my Canadian heart sing, but is not something you just sign up for... It's quite an investment and you need to make sure they'll like it.  The spawn-of-the-devil local pro team offers a free 4-week hockey camp, so I signed my two older ones up.  Believe me... my Canuck loving heart was conflicted and seeing her wear that logo on her chest makes me want to puke a little.

Hockey was a beating BG wise, partly because it was right after her soccer games, but at the end of the 4 weeks, I think I had it figured out pretty well. 

One thing I'm excited about is letting her have a little more freedom at Friends For Life.  See this back pack?

Besides having a super cute donut pattern, is the perfect size to house her rig.  She will be able to do a little more of her own thing this year.  Plus when we're in our sessions, we can monitor her while she's in her class (not that we ever worry at FFL... that's why we love it!)

I am so indebted to the people of Nightscout for all the work they have done on this project.  I could give you more examples of how it has changed our lives, but this post is long enough.  If you're curious and want to know more, check out the CGM in the Cloud FB page here.

Thankful that #wearenotwaiting.

Snacks gone wild

I've played soccer for a long time... probably longer than some of you reading this have been alive.  Man, that makes me feel old and stuff.  

The bowl cut!  I can't look away!

I don't really remember having snacks when I was really young, but as I got older, the fixture became orange slices at half-time.  When I was a teenager, the team manager put lemon slices in our water... now that was something special.

Before my Big and Middle littles starting playing soccer, I had head rumours of the post-game snacks; donuts!  Gatorade! Rice Krispie Treats!  Juice!  Sometimes all of the above at the same time!

Holy crap and then some.

It's not that I'm opposed to those things (okay, some of them I am), I just don't get why anyone would feed that junk to their child after they had just gone out and done something good for their little bodies.

I mean, when was the last time you saw a runner crack open a pop after running a 10k?

When Elise started soccer at the age of 4, I took the snack coordinator aside and told her about Elise's diabetes.  She was still on NPH at the time, so snacks were tricky.  Honestly, I'm not sure how we even handled it at the time.  We agreed that healthier snacks were the way to go and she asked for parents to stick to those guidelines when bringing snacks.

Now that Elise is older, I don't yell "DIABETES" at the snack mom.  In fact, we don't really mention it anyone except the coach and how we deal with the post-game snack really depends on what her BG is doing.  

It gets hard on the days that Mattias and Elise have their games right after one another.  For some reason, siblings are included in the post-game snack.  I  guess all that watching (right after breakfast, may I add) makes people hungry.

Just a picture of my cute little guy at his first game

My biggest face-palm moment came this year after one of Mattias's games.  The grandparents had brought (wait for it...) pigs in a blanket (full sized ones) and donuts.  Oh yeah, and juice.  Before I knew what was happening (I was alone wrangling blood sugars and an ornery 2 year old), Mattias had grabbed one of each and was stuffing them in his face.  Elise saw what was happening and went in for the spoils.

I stopped her and let her know she could choose one thing, and she would be splitting it with Lucas.  Before the protest could leave her mouth, I stopped her and told her she had just eaten breakfast 90 minutes ago, and that she had not done anything but sit there and watch.

Of course the grandparents told her to take one of everything, and I politely told them that we were okay with just one donut.  They insisted, telling me there was more than enough and I firmly told them, "no thank you... my other two are fine with sharing."

It got me some strange looks, but I'm sticking with my siblings-do-not-need-snacks policy (and yes, I realize in this case I gave the siblings a snack, but it was all over when Lucas saw the donut... I barely made it to the car alive).

So what do you do when it comes to sports and snacks?  I'd love to hear how other parents handle it.

And for the record, my go to snacks are (not all at the same time); yogurt, cuties, popcorn, applesauce and water .  

Because I'm lame like that.

Makes my heart happy

Bend it like Beckham

She's got her cleats, shin guards, and will be wearing good ol' #7 on her back... I am so excited that Elise will be playing in her first soccer game this Saturday!

Does that make me a nerd?

I started playing soccer when I was 4, and played all the way up until I found out I was pregnant with Elise. The only time I took a break was when I had to have both femurs broken (not at the same time) when I was 15.

And now my little girl is following in my foot steps! The funny thing is, her shirt colour is orange, and so was mine when I was her age.

Of course I am pretty nervous about wrangling her blood sugars during the game (they have a 30 minute practice followed by a 30 minute, 3 on 3 game). Especially without the dex. Plus, Fred can't make her first game, so I'll also be chasing Mattias around too. Blergh.

I'm wondering if anyone has tips on pre-carbing/temp basaling. What would a good pre-game breakfast be (the game is at 10:30)? Any other tips would be most welcome!

I don't have a pic of Elise all gussied up in her uniform, but I did find one from my early years... note how I am rockin' the bowl cut!

If you ask really nicely, I'll share some of my track photos... in which I am wearing spandex. You know you want to see that!

She's a natural

CGM before lesson: 94, double arrows down
Actual BG: 74
Extra carbs consumed: 14g
Watching your child partake in something that is near and dear to your own heart: PRICELESS!

So you can suck it diabetes, nothing's going to stop this girl from enjoying her Canadian roots!