My Non-diabetic Kids

Ok- so I have a child with Type 1 Diabetes.  It's been an incredibly stressful 10 months adjusting to this disease.  I often think  about how this has affected Jada, myself and Jeff.  How often do I stop to think about my other three amazing children and what this has done to them?  I don't stop often enough to even think about it- let alone do something about it.

  I don't even think that I've asked the boys how this whole "diabetes thing" has made them feel.

 I know that they worry about her.  She fell asleep on the couch the other day and Eli kept trying to wake her up.  She had been up since 6 am and was super tired.  Come to find out, he was fearful that she was asleep and not waking up because her blood sugar was too low.  He told me last night that when he grows up, he's going to live near Jada so that he can keep an eye on her.  I love that he wants to protect her, but I want him to understand that it's not up to him to be responsible for her.   David loves to take her blood sugar and even bought a cook book with his own money that had the nutritional info after each recipe.  Last week, she was spilling small ketones into her urine and obviously, I was concerned.  They heard me talking to the dr. about it and then had all kinds of questions about ketones and DKA.  

I think the one that has been affected most by my lack of time and attention is Mary Beth.  She just turned 5 in September and is probably one of the happiest little girls that you would ever meet.   Mary Beth and Jada are only 19 months apart in age and Jada's personality is such that she naturally tries to demand more attention than Mary Beth.  Jada has always been a mama's girl and Mary Beth has always been more independent and much more daddy's girl.  Diabetes has just seemed to made those differences more distinct.  I have noticed lately, though, that Mary Beth is definitely working harder to get my attention- wanting to sit on my lap, fix my hair, etc..   Yesterday, she asked me if just she and I could go to the mall together.  And so we are.  Honestly, I can't wait.   We won't do much shopping.  Probably the Disney store, the play area and get some cookies or a pretzel or something.  And I won't have to worry about whether or not Jada can have a cookie.  Mary Beth won't have to wait for me to take Jada's blood sugar before a snack.  It's gonna be a nice break!  The best part is that Mary Beth will have all of me- 100%  of the best of me.