Where to start...

I have finally, officially started my blog. This is something that I have sat down and started and re-started, only to eventually shelve the whole idea. I didn't know where to start, what to say or if anyone would actually be interested in hearing my story at all. So, once I gathered up the nerve to actually begin this blog, I decided that my first post should be about me.


I am a Wife. My husband and I have been married 10 years this coming August.

I am a Mother. Our first son Joseph was born in 2009 and on January 11, 2013 at the age of 3 1/2 he was diagnosed with the autoimmune disease Type 1 Diabetes. This diagnosis forever changed our family and has led me into the life of advocacy and awareness, but I will save that story for another post. Joseph is your typical (almost) 5 year old, despite living with T1D and he is truly the most amazing and inspiring kid I know. Our second son Ethan was born in 2012 and is currently living "D" free and is your normal 2 year old, keeping us busy and on our toes. He is an amazing little brother and completely full of life, curiosity and determination.

I am a Stay at Home Mom. Since having Joseph, I have been a stay at home mother to our sons. If you are not a stay at home Mom and or don't know of the work that this requires then I assure you, you're in for a big surprise. It is the most rewarding "job" there is but it is also the most demanding of your time and patience. I wouldn't trade this time with my children for anything, no matter how much sanity I lose or social interaction that I lack. These are the most precious, impressionable years that I will one day look at and long to do over, and over again (or so I'm told).

I am a Service Dog "Trainer". Shortly after J's Diagnosis, we decided to get him a Diabetic Alert Dog. Again, I will go more into detail on this aspect of our life in a later post but just know that the route we went in getting a Service Dog requires us to do all of the training that is required for the 2 year program.

I am a Lover of my Family. My immediate and extended family are my everything. They are the people who are there to pick me up when I am down, and the ones to put me in my place when I am wrong. I am very protective of my family as they are of me and I would do anything for them.

I am a Creative Junky. I am always trying to come up with new fun ways of doing Holiday's, Birthday's and Family Tradition's. This also carries over into my Decorating addiction. I am always decorating and re-decorating our house and finding new projects to be done.

I am 100% a Type A Personality. I am an organizational freak, I need things to be done in the most efficient and timely manner possible, compulsive checklist writer, calendar planner, binder making fool. All of these things and the ones that I am forgetting, I am sure will come shining through my future posts and speak for themselves.

I love to Travel. We are always taking trips and creating new experiences for our family and children. They say "Traveling is the only thing you buy that makes you richer" We want our kids to grow up well rounded and experiencing everything this world has to offer. We thought that once J was diagnosed that our travelling would be dampened, but we have just learned the extra steps and precautions that are needed to travel safely. It is important for us to teach him that with a few extra steps, diabetes will never hold him back from anything he wants to do or see in life.

Lastly, I am a die hard Type 1 Diabetes Advocate which is why I am here. This disease is so complex and steals away so many aspects of life that you and I take for granted. It is so rarely brought to the attention of people and I am doing my part to change that. Before T1D entering our world we had no idea what those three little words meant and now, we wished that we never did. If you are a family impacted by T1D then I hope that me sharing our story will help you know that you're never alone and that the struggles that we face are normal and OK to share with the world. I never want my son to hide his diabetes or be ashamed to be a diabetic. He is just a normal kid, who also happens to have Type 1 Diabetes.

Through my blog you will learn what it is like to raise a child living with and battling Type 1 Diabetes. You will see that despite T1D we are still a normal family with normal issues and dilemmas. You will also see how hilariously funny and crazy our life really is, and how together as a family we can face anything life throws at us and get through it together with our undying love and support for each other. I hope you enjoy my story and I am always open to comments and feedback, so please feel free to ask away, I will do my best to respond to you in a timely manner.