Sunday, November 28, 2010

Special Sibling of a D-Kid Day!!




I made the mistake of peeking over at a few other blog posts today -- writing about my non-d girls is just as emotional to me as writing about my little d-boy.  After reading Candy Hearts, The Superhero and the Princess and Justice's Misbehaving Pancreas I am already in tears.  How am I going to get through this post without full on sobbing?  I have no idea but here we go . . .

On diagnosis day our lives and our family changed forever.  Diabetes is a family disease and it takes it toll on everyone in our family.  I've blogged many times about how it has changed me, my marriage and my body. I've touched on how it has changed Jim and in his post he talk about his feelings about diabetes.

I'm not sure that I have ever written about how diabetes has changed my two beautiful girls, Emma and Sophie.


Emma was five and Sophie three when Nate was diagnosed.  It amazes me everyday how much these sweet girls love their brother.  There is no anger, no resentment and no jealousy -- they understand that Nate sometimes has to come first and they completely understand.  The girls have learned how to check his sugar (with assistance), they help with pod changes and Dex site changes.  They like to sing to Nate when he is having his sites changed.  It is the sweetest thing you have ever seen/heard.  They are very aware of the different DexCom beeps and they will both come running to tell me if he is high or low.  They know where we keep the juice, fruit snacks and bananas and are happy to help me with anything diabetes related. Both girls are learning to count carbs and make better food choices for themselves and for their brother. 

As a mom it is heartbreaking to not be able to be there for one of your children.  Heartbreaking.  The wants or needs of the girls are often put on the back burner because Nate is high, low, needs a pod change, needs a juice box, a bg check, a ketone check . . . the list goes on and on.  The girls never complain but it is so hard for me to make them wait while I care for Nate. 



Nate gets a lot of attention . . . he is our little Super Hero . . . Super Nate!!  The girls LOVE it.  I worried that they would resent all of the attention that he gets but so far they think it is absolutely wonderful.  It is our new normal and they have embraced it.



My sweet Emma loves her baby brother so much and is often so afraid that something bad is going to happen to him.  She is so protective and loving that it both makes be so proud and breaks my heart.  She wishes daily for a cure and was devastated when there wasn't a "cure" at the JDRF Walk for a Cure.  In her mind we were raising money to go 'get' the 'cure' at the walk.  Sweet Angel!  I have seen her mature over the past year in so many ways.  I love to hear her tell people about her brother's diabetes and she will happily explain to anyone she hears ask about his pod.  Emma is the sweetest girl I have ever met -- she has so much love, compassion, empathy, generosity, faith and trust that I hope she never changes --- not even 1 little bit. 
I know she will always look after both Sophie and Nate and she will always be Nate's biggest advocate and supporter.  Emma makes her mommy so proud each and every day. 




I think the above picture is appropriate as we move on to Ms. Sophie . . .

My beautiful, sweet and very precocious Sophia Elizabeth is so much more than just my middle child.  She is smart, funny, beautiful, loving, compassionate, and a little bit naughty.  She is both my sugar and my spice!  She can certainly be a handful but I wouldn't trade her for the world.  She, like Emma is so in love with her little brother that it makes my heart overflow with pure joy.  Where Emma will always be there to educate and help others learn about diabetes I see Sophie being there too but heaven help the person that ever crosses her.  I have this image in my mind where some little stinker says something mean or hurtful to Nate about his diabetes and Sophie punches them right in the nose!!  She does everything 100% --- the girl does not know how to do anything 1/2 way.  Sophie, sweet, sweet Sophie loves to rub Nate's back when he is low, sing "you are my sunshine" when he is not feeling well and is always there with a great big hug for Nate whenever he needs it.  Sophie makes me the happiest mommy in all of the world.



These sweet girls deserve their own special day!! 


Thank you to Sherry and Lexi for putting this special day together and recognizing the need to acknowledge the Special Siblings of D-Kids!!

13 comments:

Tracy said...

Great post about your adorable girls! Emma's eyes and Sophie's smile always get to me! Thanks for the cry. :-)

Joanne said...

Elise thinks that Emma and Sophie are the BOMB! She was just talking to Mattias about them today (she kept asking him to say "Emma" and "Sophie").

I love your girls too and think they are pretty amazing.

oi! Tears!!! Beautiful post my love. They are gorgeous and i see some of you in both of them. Nate is so blessed!

Oh I really wish we could raise money and go to the walk and come home with a cure. That sound so very reasonable to me. I want that too!

Lovely getting to know your girls more Laura. :)

Heather said...

Tears in my eyes too reading about all these wonderful siblings. Your girls are beautiful! It's been wonderful getting to know them a little better. :)

Lora said...

They are beautiful. Leighanna worries too. I wish she didn't feel the need.

Cindy said...

Oh man! Tears! Seriously, Laura, ever since I first came across your blog, that photo on the left of Sophie playing peek-a-boo has gotten a smile from me every single time. Your girls are just gorgeous and it's so obvious in your posts how much they love their brother!

I love this post and think you did an amazing job of telling their story! I am in love with their pictures!!!

Unknown said...

Dear Emma and Sophie,
What amazing sisters you are. And so BEAUTIFUL too! I know it's hard to watch Nate deal with some of the hard stuff, but you have been so helpful to your Mommy and Daddy by jumping in to help whenever you can. Never forget how special you, sweet girls. Always hold those beautiful heads high.
Much Love,
The Rose Family

Meri said...

Your love for them jumps off the page Laura. They are beautiful loving angel girls! I'm so happy to get to know their amazing personalities better. What blessings!

I just want to give them a big hug for being such good big sisters!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful post, and family!!! ((hugs))

Sherry said...

Aw, so lovely! Your family is just beautiful.

My Jenna had a misunderstanding regarding a cure once. We were in the pharmacy awaiting a big order of D supplies. It was about a year ago during the week of World Diabetes Day and there was a display set up. The word ‘CURE’ was cut out of blue paper and placed on a table. Jenna asked me what it said (she was 3 at the time) and I told her it said CURE. Her eyes widened and she became very excited. “Mommy! I found a CURE!!” I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I decided a long, loving embrace.
Sad that such a terrible disease affects such innocent little beings.

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Just a Mom

I am NOT a doctor, nor do I play one on this blog.

I AM a wife.
I AM the mom of 3 wonderful children.
I AM my son's pancreas.

The information provided on this blog is from our personal experiences with Type 1 diabetes. Because something works for us does not mean it will work for you.

Please consult your doctor if you have any questions or concerns about your health care options.

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