Diabetes Takes a Backseat

Once upon a time there were four young children (and two extras named Diabetes 1 & 2 that followed them around).  They laughed, splashed, and danced in the white-capped waves.  They pretended the extras didn't matter.  That they were untouchable.

The sweeties would take off all their machinery, tubing, plug up the holes in their tender flesh, and they would r-u-n.  The salty ocean and its heavy-handed waves were calling out to them.  (and the sand was a bit h-o-t.)

Sometimes they longed to just b-e.  To be alone with their thoughts, no beeping, no vibrating, no momma reminding them to check or bolus or ask how they were feeling.  

Finding shells is so soul-soothing.  Touching the sea-rounded shapes that have touched the ocean floor can calm their hearts and minds in minutes.

Just something calming about seeing the broken Reese's wrapper-like black ribbed mussel shells buried in sand, lifting, and rinsing them.
 

Then grinning at the momma documenting your vacation, your relaxing, your growth.

And then the four..they make friends, find others relaxing and appreciating the sand and they, with their full hearts and calm minds, share.  Share sand and tools and even the sandy piles and holes.

They are laying out and taking it all in: the warm sun and the rhythmic surf of water hitting land.  Only God could create land and water..and have them wash together, but never merge into one.  Taking in the convergence.

The littlest one, he could play in the sand a.l.l. d.a.y--rub it in his face, eat it, pour it on his hair, and roll in it.  Never too much sand.  It's therapeutic.
 

And then they need to fill their little bellies, and check their blood, and they remember the two extras.  One kept her pump on today in the sand, and the one in the surf didn't.  He plugs in and devours french fries and hot crispy pizza.  They fuel up for the rest of the afternoon..soul-soothing and body surfing require energy.

And then the four and their family meet up with more extended family for a big spaghetti dinner complete with cannoli and lawn darts.  Who wants to go inside when you have a cool evening breeze, freshly showered bodies, fluffy hair drying, and cousins.  Not these four, this moment will only last a short time.

This, the eldest, wants no part of documenting history, he wants back to his lawn darts and his cousins.  He is growing and maturing and sowing his oats.  He learns at the shore too..just some different things.

Their cousin?  He's already learned these lessons, he's older now.  Willing to document his history.  They'll all get there.  Time, we learn to take the time we need. 

Not focused on the extras..just being themselves..and enjoying one another.

But still some hiding.  Until they are ready.  

Thankful for the days the extras take a back seat. : )  Does my momma heart good to see them playing in the sand and sun.  Hugs, y'all!

Sandcastles, Beach Diamonds, and Bones!

This is our sand castle.  So much less sophisticated than we'd envisioned.  And it took us a super long time!  But there are five seaweed flags (we tied seaweed around sticks we found), a shell drawbridge over the moat up to the door, and a swimming pool on the top floor.  Fancy!

Every day we gather up and walk up onto the boardwalk for lunch the nearest clean bathroom.  It's worth the $20-30 every day.  Seriously.  And a big fat slice of cheese pizza is only $2.50!  We must eat a lot.

My sweet girl.

These boys stayed out long after the lifeguards went home.  They just love the sand.  They were building/digging a pit this day.

This baby LOVES the sand!!  He digs, rolls around, pushes it..throws it in the air and his hair..loves it all.  Doesn't complain either.  It's really sticky sand..like it's HARD to get off.  Just water doesn't wash it off.  He still has it in his ears and hair after a bath!

Caroline has had a great time playing with Carter, she's so patient!  He says, "Bulldozer!" and pushes sand around with his hands and whole body!

Will's been really good with him too!  He's so gentle.  And Carter laughs so hard when he does something funny.

So..after we went to the bathroom Tuesday, we went into the shops on the way back to the beach.  We found this cute sign, but there's only one..which boy to give it to?  hahaha!

The girls chose matching rhinestone anchor earrings while we were shopping!

That night we played Headbanz..the kids are hilarious!  And the game goes soooo much better if Eric doesn't tell us what we are!! : )

My baby was EXHAUSTED.  He either doesn't get a nap, or it's a very short one.  He sleeps WELL at night!  Obviously the flash didn't even wake him up. : )

The boys kept yelling for me to come see the crab they had trapped under their big bucket!  When I got over there, I was freaking out about where Ethan was.  They said he'd gone back to swim.  In the Ocean.  Alone.  Before I could run to find him, they uncovered his head and laughed like hyenas!  It's a good thing, I was near freakout.

The sand is hot without your shoes on.  So Carter runs on the shady sand!

Waiting for movie night to start.  The boys are all watching a train app on Clay's ipad.  So cute and cuddly!

On Sunset Beach at Cape May!  They are looking at Delaware in the very far distance.  (You can kinda see it the the right of the left viewer.)

So..this is a concrete ship.  That sunk.  Imagine that!

Information on the SS Atlantus.  Proof that yes, they did indeed think a concrete ship could be a great idea.

Boys out on the rocks.  On the edge of the Cape.

My sorting buddy.  We sat to find the prettiest Beach Diamonds.  (Clear stones, most likely tiny bits of quartz or glass that have been beaten on the shore and rounded and smoothed.)  She kinda likes the pink and rosy bits of quartz.

Our sorting field.  Reminds me of beans!

Ches is keeping an eye on Carter..he got down IN the big rocks a couple times!  Like up to his head.

There's a pretty rose quartz!

We visited the Cape May lighthouse, and this is the only way to see them and the lighthouse at the same time!

The boys chose to buy fossilized whale teeth for their souvenirs! : )

Whale Jaw Bone that washed up on shore.  There's a live frog living inside!

Most of the cousins there!  Minus Carter, Christopher, and Eric!  But we got to meet Kayla, Erin, and Thomas in person for the first time! : )

These girls looks so much alike to me! : )  Beautiful.

We've got to get back to the beach to have more fun!  And it's already eleven am! : )  Hope you are sorting through your rocks to find tiny diamonds too.  Hugs!

How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God.  How vast is the sum of them!  I try to count them—they are more than the sand; I come to the end—I am still with you.  Psalm 139:17-18 

Mmm...Sandy Chocolate Pies

Laundry was on my agenda this morning! : )  I got up around 8, and ran down to the laundry to get some started.  I just had to wash swim stuff and a load of light things-Ethan had two shirts with stuff on them, and I didn’t want the stains to sit too long!

Then, we packed up our van.  Today was our last day at the beach. : (  I packed one suitcase with all we’d need to shower and change at Rita’s beach house after our sandy bodies trekked back from the beach.  We dropped off Hercules (Clay’s new hermit crab) so he didn’t bake in the van, and headed down to the beach!

Under the pier : )

Mary Claire and her daddy out in the waves

Ethan building roads and tunnels

Mary Claire planting a Garden.  She even watered it. ; )

This is when the girls took our chairs.  Pfttth. : P

He smiled, he smiled, he smiled for me!  (He's holding a plate of barnacles!)

It was a beautiful (HoT!) day-the water was warmer today, and it was perfect.  We (I with a little help from my little friends) made a big Pit Pool (very unofficial term! haha!).  We dug out sand, and gave it a protective wall.  It took us over an hour to get this far:

but then...in less than an hour...it was gone.  I mean, leveled and beautiful beach again.  It still always amazes me-the power of the ocean.  And that we happily play at its feet shore.  Even with sharks and jellyfish, it draws us in.  That beautiful danger, that is ready to turn on us in an instant.

Kinda like diabetes when you think about it.  We just keep it bouncing inside of normal-not too low, not too high.  And, boy have we had a week!

Sandy Site.

We take off Mary Claire’s pump while she is in the ocean, and use the little plug to block off her site (we’ve gotten sand in it before...not fun!).  But having that pump off, having her unhooked from her lifeline of insulin-drives her CrAzY high.  I do NOT look forward to her post-summer a1c. : (  I hate having that to think about all the time.

We immediately hook her up after swimming, and start pushing insulin.  I start conservatively, but then an hour later, I’m just pushing.  I have to get her down for dinner so she can eat with everyone.  And when she’s high..she’s SO irritable and whiny and uncooperative.  I’ve promised to love her no matter the number on the meter, but only the Good Lord helps me through.  She can be so difficult when she’s not happy (or too high or too low!).  I know how I feel when I am desperate to eat, so I can’t even imagine how she feels.  I try to sympathize, I really do.  I’m sure I still have room for improvement.

Yesterday, we lost a site.  Right at the end of our pool time at the water park, she unplugged to go back in one last time, and off it came.  I knew it could happen, so I wasn’t surprised.  I just knew that then the clock was t-i-c-k-i-n-g.  I hate that too.

Ok, anyway, you get it.  Back to vacation..

The kids played, and I fell asleep in a chair as the surf came up and washed my feet.  It was the sound, the kids playing, the warm sun, the “chocolate pies” Mary Claire was “feeding” me:

the long days lately and the hard work on the Pit..it was all too much!  Ches touched my hand, and I jumped.  I knew I was close to falling asleep, but really doing it?  Two totally different things when your kids are that close to powerful danger! 

Then I came up and laid under the pier and read for a while, with my legs hanging out in the sun.  This, my friends, is how you tan the backs of your legs.  Or like this:

Catch the mama in the top right.  This is how you tan your back.  Off the sand.  This will be me someday..in someone else's pictures!

We ended our day with warm showers, and a goodbye family dessert of layered ice cream sandwiches (with cool whip and caramel topping-DeLiSH!), for Ches’ cousin David’s birthday.  We took one last picture of all the kids there (we had to narrow it to post-1984 kids, since..aren’t we all kids? ha!):

Bye-bye, Ocean City, we’ll see you next year!

Love you, the Jones family