Letter Writing Day - Tuesday
Dear Elise,
Tonight was a special night. Your first dance recital. You looked adorable. Your smile lit up the stage. And you danced... well, you danced like a 3 year old at her first dance recital.
It was tough, I'm not going to lie to you. Your BG was sky high before your tap number, but plummeted a mere 45 minutes later to 107, right before you were supposed to go on for the ballet portion. 10g and 15 minutes later, you were 84. Some smarties brought you up to 93, and I was literally checking your sugar as you and your friends were about to take the stage.
As I look back and reflect on tonight, I wonder what you'll remember. Will it be crashing blood sugars or tap shoes marching to the beat of "Animal Crackers"?
Will you think of your hovering Mom, checking your monitor every 2 minutes, or how at the end of one of your dances you came to the edge of the stage, and yelled, "Mom! Where are you?" Causing the audience to chuckle.
Will you look back fondly at the flowers you received, or the extra carbs you had to ingest?
I hope diabetes doesn't figure into these memories at all. I hope all you remember is shaking your feathered tu-tu up on stage and having fun. I hope you remember how proud we all were of you.
And I hope that you never let diabetes stop you from dancing.
You are amazing and I love you so very much.
Love always,
Your Mom
She ROCKED the TUTU!!!! OMG...love the pix. AND you wanna know what? I think she is gonna remember the fun, the pride, the flowers, the "adventure" of it all. You are a wonderful mom and pancreas Jo.
ReplyDeleteShe'll remember - the dance, the dress, the flowers.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great memory for all of you.
She's sooo cute!
She looks stinkin' adorable!!!! I am positive that she is going to remember the fun...the dress, the audience, the flowers and that she was/is a star!!!
ReplyDeleteShe is so sweet.
ReplyDeleteWe've been there so many times. Cursing that diabetes makes the special moments difficult - creeping in and giving us added complexity and just stealing the show. Although Caleb does remember some of the D stuff, I think he remembers it as a separate distinct thing from the event. He'll remember the field trip, the baseball game, etc. for what they were, and "remember that time you had to give me 9,000 carbs when..." seems to be separate.
FWIW - it does seem to get a little (dare I say it because I know the next bball game will now suck) easier as they grow and as you get more experience with the "special" events.
Anyhoo - she's a cutie patootie and that's what I'll remember! :)
Yellow is Elise's color. Write that down because with all the crap you have going on in the next couple of weeks you are going to forget . . . then you will go to dress Elise for some formal event and be all like "Huh, I think I should know what color she looks best in. Some smart, beautiful lady told me some time but eh, I didn't write it down." Yep. Mark my words.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! And she is SO stinkin' cute in her tutu! I was a diabetic dancer for most of my childhood, and the only time the two memories collide is when I think about all the Smarties I'd keep in my pink ballet bag. :)
ReplyDeleteBeautifully said. Gorgeous girl in yellow. I LOVED every pic. Jo, you are a great mom, never forget and I believe that's what E will remember. How mom made it all good. (((HUGS)))
ReplyDeleteLoved this. You are doing a wonderful job, it is visible all over her face. ; )
ReplyDeleteAwww. She'll remember the dancing, the flowers, and she'll smile every time she hears "Animal Crackers". I realized a few weeks ago how little diabetes has played into my memories.
ReplyDeleteShe will for sure remember the night. The dancing. And the flowers.
ReplyDeleteShe looked super cute!!
Oh, how sweet! I'm sure she will remember you doing all you could to protect her and make sure she's OK, and ALWAYS for encouraging her and helping her continue dancing.
ReplyDeleteShe looks so grown up! What a beautiful letter Joanne..I bet she will remember the fun first AND how great her mama was!
ReplyDeleteShe is so beautiful! How fun. I am sorry it was a plummeting BG kind of night, but look at that girl! YEAH for tap shoes and tutus!
ReplyDeleteLOVE this! You are such a great Momma and I totally can relate to the hovering on the sidelines D-Mom thing...lol..I think our kiddos will definitely just remember the fun of what they are doing though...diabetes is and should be an afterthough to them. :o) Elise looked ADORABLE!!
ReplyDeleteShe is such a doll in her dance costume!
ReplyDeleteShe will remember the costume, the dancing and her wonderful mom making sure she was ok. :)
She is wonderful and so are you! Nothing will stop her, she will be a determined young woman who is just like her Mama!
ReplyDeleteShe will rememeber the mom who loved her and cared for her to check her blood sugar and the fact that she shook that stage loose LOL !!!
ReplyDeleteOMG! How cute is this?!?!?! Loved this. So beautiful. She will remember and I promise one day she will thank you.
ReplyDeleteShe will look back and remember what a wonderful mom you are :-) (maybe not in her teen years, but later for sure). Beautiful entry..and pix.
ReplyDeleteSuch gorgeous pictures. Elise is such a cutie. I really believe that she will remember the good stuff and you will remember the other stuff a bit. As the adult in this scenario you have an idea and (if you are anything like me) will still have an image in your heart of what it might have all been like, without the D. This leads to that bitter-sweet stuff we deal with every bloody day.
ReplyDeleteElise is just seeing normal and loving her tutu!
Omg, she is ADORABLE!!!! Love the tutu!!
ReplyDeleteHow stinkin' cute is she?!?!
ReplyDeleteSo with you on this one...I was doing the same thing when Bean had a performance last week. Then when she was done and could go to the audience the usher told her she had to put her snack away. Even after I told the usher Bean has diabetes and has to eat her snack, she still muttered that she really should leave the auditorium to finish it. Needless to day, we didn't leave and Bean happily munched on her snack!!
Cute seems like an understatement. :)
ReplyDeletewhat a beautiful written letter and an even more beautiful little dancer!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a precious girl! I know that dance recital and T1 chaos all too well...and am not looking forward to that part when we have Charlotte's in another 2 weeks. Charlotte seems to just focus on the positive though, so hopefully Elise will feel the same...just the good memories of the dance, flowers, costume, and all the fun that was had!
ReplyDeleteLove your letter. Love the pics. Love how serious she looks. Love how she asked for you at the edge of the stage. Thanks for sharing. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm sure when she looks back, she'll remember all of the fun of her first recital and none of the diabetes stuff!! She looks so cute in her costume - she looks just like the real dancer she is!!
ReplyDeleteAHHHH!!!! You made me tear up again! She is so adorable! Love it! :)
ReplyDelete