Team EM was AMAZING! We feel so blessed by your support! With your love & support, we raised $4107, had over 50 walkers & had a BLAST! We are so excited about the results! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your willingness to help & for loving our Em like we do!

We met with the most AWESOME girl yesterday--Dr. Domek's nutritionist/registered dietitian/diabetes educator--her name is Heather & the best part of the whole deal is that she, too, is type 1!!! The cool part about that is, SHE GETS IT! She not only explains things to us, she can give real time examples! Emily's numbers have been fabulous, thus the declaration that she is still "honeymooning"--her pancreas is still working (for now). The greatest thing about our appointment is that the ball is now rolling to get Emily on pump therapy--in fact, we should expect to be sporting our fabulous pink pump before school starts--wahoo! That means one shot every 3 days instead of 5 per day! Emily cannot wait~!

One of the most glaring blessings of yesterday was realizing that Emily has the opportunity to share her diabetes with others & help them as Heather is doing. It really gave her a focus on what her future could look like--this girl was PRECIOUS! And not only was she a BARBIE, she was funny, sympathetic & cool. She knew exactly how Emily felt about everything that I can't understand, told her the best way to eat, but encouraged her to eat well & still enjoy a piece of cookie cake for lunch every now & then! So different than I ever anticipated, but blessings EVERYWHERE! God is SO COOL!

Thanks for checking on us! We love you for loving Em!

julie

hi friends...enjoying a wet week in oklahoma! we will be praying for this in the summer!

emily is visiting the middle school today--i cannot believe it! it seems like yesterday that we put pink bows in her hair with karo syrup! she had her "camo" bag with her insulin & needles to take with her. apparently once you hit middle school you have the option of the "ala carte" line at lunch. i was quietly praying that she would take her lunch as she does every day with the calculated carbs on a post it note, but she wanted to do the "big girl" thing. please pray that it isn't frustrating for her! i know it sounds silly, but it really is somewhat labor intensive to know what she is eating & what the carbs are--those are the times that she gets frustrated. when everyone else is eating & she is still calculating...

we have raised $1000 for our walk already! i am so excited! we don't have too many actual walkers yet, but we still have a month. it is so cool to see so many supporting em! her shirt will be super cute....of course. our little fashionista :-)

em has her last volleyball games this weekend. she is a great server! she is bummed that it is already over, but is planning to jump back in when it starts up in the fall with a few friends who play club volleyball. we are moving on to tennis lessons next....probably after school is out. so proud of her for keeping up the activities!

have a great weekend :-)
julie
p.s. emily's sweet friend & classmate, claire leffingwell is a cancer survivor. she had cancer in her leg when she was little. she fell down some stairs yesterday & broke that leg & is at children's in okc awaiting surgery. will you include her in your prayers today?

well, we have now had a few "lows"--and candy (much to emily's delight). it is amazing how quickly your blood sugar raises when you drink juice or eat smarties!

she also asked me why i think God chose her to have diabetes...one of the toughies. so i told her that i believe that God doesn't need a plan "b" (thank you, jodi muenker) & that He has a plan for everything...and that somehow, her life with diabetes will glorify God & she will be a huge influence on others around her. she seemed satisfied with that, but i still worry over the right way to phrase my thoughts...even though in the recesses of my mind, i wonder, too--a little. i would never CHOOSE for one of my children to have an autoimmune disease that they will deal with every single day of their lives, but i still know without a doubt that God is good & God is in control & that He will be glorified through all of this. i just pray that emily will be able to praise Him through the daily yuck of diabetes. maybe we could all pray this together :-)

thanks for checking on us...
julie

diabetes education--check! brandon & i went to emily's class today to "educate" them on diabetes. her classmates had been asking hundreds of questions (with good reason) & we offered to do a presentation & answer questions (after okaying it with em, of course). we called it her "new normal" & they had some great questions. i am hoping that will help her avoid having to answer anymore!

onto the walk info...
www.walk.jdrf.org
you can donate/register for the walk on the website under "TEAM EM"--of course we want everyone we know to sign up! we are working toward a cure! we realize that everyone cannot physically be there, but all of the proceeds go straight to the jdrf (juvenile diabetes research foundation) for research. please donate & tell your friends! we will be sending out more info, but for now, this is an easy way to get started! our email address is meyermom3@yahoo.com if you have questions, etc. you will likely have to email me to let me know your t-shirt size, etc. thank you, thank you, thank you in advance!

off to count carbs at school--they are finishing up a measurement unit, complete with foods from home. mrs. hatch is so helpful, though, part of their assignment was to list how many carbs were in each serving--way to go mrs. hatch! it takes a village...

hoping, praying, believing we can & will find a cure for diabetes!!!
julie

emily is a rock star! she not only is giving her own injections, she is (with an "approval" nod) calculating her insulin based on her blood sugar & carbs! she calls me to double check BEFORE her injection, but she is pretty much managing with little help! everyone told me that she would amaze me, but i have to admit, i thought it would be MONTHS, not days!!! her blood sugar is starting to come down & we are getting the hang of it...God is good!

we go back to the dr/nutritionist on may 6th & then we can start talking about a pump. from what i understand, the pump can be very liberating. it, too, is an educational experience, but makes the process much more simple. no more needles unless something isn't quite right with the pump--THAT is liberating!

met (via cell phone) another newly diagnosed "friend" from stillwater yesterday. her name is laura & emily was diagnosed about a week before her son landon. isn't it strange how God sends us friends we didn't even know we would have? landon is 7 & her husband is over seas 6 weeks at a time. she is handling it so well! i'm not sure that i could be so big...praying for their sweet family in this adjustment! i know we will become soul sisters through this!

thanks for checking on our precious em...she is a STAR!

hoping, praying & believing,
julie

we had a terrific Easter! we got a rare & wonderful rainy day--all day long! we went to church this morning & then to brunch at the country club...lily didn't even burp!!! long story, but we've been embarrassed in public by lily more than once...she is so cute, we just try not to get upset. she was, after all, born for comic relief :-) we then proceeded to be lazy at home & then em & i went to the new hannah montana movie--super cute.

em is doing well. she has been in the 100s each of the last 3 mornings. her b.s. has been in good range for the most part--until tonight. purely consequential to the diet that she consumed today, i'm sure. there are so many things that we put in our mouths that we just don't think about! it is hard to put a carb count on every single morsel! we are ALL learning...

we are ON for the jdrf walk in okc on may 30th, so be prepared. we will be hitting you all up for a donation &/or to join our "team em"!! we want to make a splash as our first team event! she is going to design a shirt & we have some sweet friends here in stillwater that have offered to donate the shirts for our team. i'll be posting info...be ready!

our kids (& all of oklahoma, i think) have standardized testing this week. we will be praying that em's blood sugar stays within range as it can definitely affect her concentration, etc.

i pray that all of you had a blessed Easter!
julie

good morning friends...

i've heard from several of you that you are trying to be a "follower" of the blog & i so wish i could help! i think you have to create an "account" & when it brings up a mugshot pic & a bunch of random letters & numbers as your account name, just highlight & change the name to whatever you want it to be. if anyone can explain any better (i know that wouldn't be difficult!!!!), please feel free!

we have had our first "can't"--our kids go to kanakuk, which is a christian sports kamp in the lake of the ozarks. emily was going to go with one of her best friends from deer creek this year & they were SO excited to be in the same cabin, etc. so i called kanakuk to talk to the health services people about how we do kamp with diabetes & they have a rule that if you have been diagnosed within 9 months of kamp, you can't go. of course, i started bawling. i was just so not wanting to tell em! we have spent so many breaths on telling her that she can do everything she has ever done, but here we are! there are so many reasons that the kamp people are right--i don't want her in a cabin with 18-20 year old counselors who don't know anything about diabetes, in the middle of the woods, being in charge of em until em knows what her body is trying to tell her. that takes time...

i was so worried about telling her & of course, being em--she was like "that's okay, mom. i can go next year. can katelyn spend a week here with us instead?" blessings, blessings...

if anyone is in the wichita area tonight--be sure to go to the mercyme diabetes benefit concert! it is only $10 a person & all proceeds go to diabetes research!!!

praying you have a blessed Easter weekend! so thankful that we serve a Savior who would die for us & all of our ugly sins & defy death glorifying our Father--God is amazing! and He is leading little ole us through our new normal...

hoping, praying & believing in our RISEN SAVIOR,
julie
"...for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." 2 corinthians 4:18

good day in okc...dr. domek & his nurse/wife, sharon are the BOMB! so helpful! we left there feeling so much less overwhelmed & assured that we can do this! i also realized that (even though i'd been told, i still wasn't assured) i wasn't missing the signs of diabetes onset (weight loss, specifically), that emily's diabetes came on FAST! i learned that she didn't start having the symptoms that got us to the e.r. until 90% of her beta cells were depleted (beta cells produce insulin, type 1 diabetics' beta cells screw up & don't work right, thus the external insulin). we also got some good tips on how to encourage her to give herself injections, how to calculate our "formula" for insulin, etc.

my precious friend, kris wooten, went with us today. she took notes while em & i attempted to listen & learn. kris would give the shirt off of her back for the people she loves--and if she wasn't wearing a shirt, she would give you something else. we feel SO blessed to have her!

so so tired. i keep thinking this tired feeling & being so behind will pass, but i'm just not catching up yet. my house looks like a dirty disaster zone & i look like a vampire with the dark circles i'm sporting!! and to make things even more interesting, lily came in tonight after her soccer game crying because her ears hurt. i'm banking on the Lord not giving us more than we can handle, but i'm teetering a bit tonight...

thanks for checking on our sweet em. she is, by far, the most precious 11 year old girl on the planet & we are SO thankful for her....please pray for her as she continues to get closer to being able to give herself her own injections...

hoping, praying & believing in the GIVER OF REST...
julie

hello friends...

emily did GREAT today at school! i went up to give her her insulin shot at lunch & she looked so good! we had counted her carbs before school, so we just adjusted per her blood sugar & got her little shot & off she went! praying that she will be able to give herself her injections soon so that i don't have to be up there everyday, but honestly--i like having the excuse to check in on her for now! she has a darling teacher who is keeping close tabs on her & learned a little more today from the school nurse....she (mrs. hatch) even checked her own blood sugar just to know how it feels for em (4-6 times a day). so thankful yet again for God's provision.

i went to my monday morning prayer group today & guess what i got??? i got my socks blessed off! not only was i amazed at the women in my group & their sincerity in their prayers for emily & our family, God sent me an amazing verse that i just have to share!

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says:
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light & momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

i am pretty sure that God personally sent me those verses just to bless me this morning. so i bawled right through our prayer time & left there lighter & more confident in God's eternal plan for us. this is TEMPORARY--we can't even imagine the ETERNAL plan He has for us--yeah God!

we are going to our first dr's appointment with our pediatric endocrinologist tomorrow morning. i am so anxious to meet them & am praying that they will give me a simplified way to calculate this carb/blood sugar thing! i am NOT an algorithm girl (yeah, i had to run the spell check for that one)!!!!!

hoping, praying & believing,
julie

our new normal with em is going well...she is a TROOPER! we are so proud of her! she is determined to meet this head on with a smile! we have had a few sad moments this week when she has asked "does diabetes come & go like cancer?" and when she came in last night & said "i hate diabetes..." to which we responded, "so do we!"

we have been amazed at the outpouring of love for her & for our family. we are so blessed! God is good & knows just what & who we need just when we need it!

we have become the ultimate carb counters. just a little fyi for all you weight watchers lovers...just because it says it is sugar free, you might take a look at the carbs. i spent over 2 hours in the grocery store tonight reading labels & getting more carb conscious than i ever cared to be! the deal with diabetes is that you have to count the carbs because you have to "cover" them with insulin. since emily has type 1, her body won't create insulin anymore, thus the external shots take over for the internal function. fun, huh?

3 quick things...

*pray for emily tomorrow--first full day of school

*mercyme is doing concerts all over raising money for type 1 diabetes...GO! help us find a cure for emily & so many others! they will be in wichita, ks this weekend

*i'll post more later, but the jdrf (juvenile diabetes research foundation) walk in okc is may 28th--more info later, but mark your calendars! i'm going to get info & i want to get as many emily lovers as we can find! light up the walk with our very own emily t-shirt!

thanks to all of you for being you & for caring about us!

hoping, praying & believing in the great physician,

julie