5 most popular Arden's Day Instagram pics of 2013

Its fun to look back... But I love looking forward.

Excited for the New Year to arrive!

Arden's Day has been redesigned!

Over the past few months I've been feeling like Arden's Day was looking a little dated... so I changed things up.

For the most part everything is the same, all of the content, pages and links remain (Except for one, I'll talk about that in a second), they are just organized and look a little different.

Now when you log onto ArdensDay.com you will be taken to a home page instead of directly to the blog. I've freshened some of the images, choose some new design elements and generally brought the blog up to today's standards for interactive community blogging. For example, you are now able to 'Like' blog post and user comments - give it a try!

At the present time, this new platform does not support a bulletin board. For that reason the 'Ask Me Anything' portion of the site could not be migrated, I'm hoping that this feature will return soon. Until then, feel free to ask question in blog comments or by using the "Contact" link located at the bottom of each page. Have fun!

Below is a quick video that walks you through some of the changes, I hope you love them!

Arden's Day has a new look! 12-19-13

There is also a new app on the Arden's Day Facebook page that allows you to browse Arden's Day from Facebook. Fancy! You can check it out and follow at this link.

Low Blood Glucose: Then and Now

I always think of anniversaries as a perfect time to reflect about how far we've come. It doesn't matter if you are talking about a wedding anniversary or an amount of time since something has happened, once and a while it is valuable to reflect and take a moment to feel not only what has transpired but what you've learned.

On August seventeenth of 2007, the second day that this blog existed, I was preparing to make a video with my kids when Arden's BG suddenly and significantly, dropped. Since my first inclination about the blog back then was to educate, I made the difficult decision to ask my son to turn on the camera as I was tending to Arden's low BG. More difficult was the task of later editing the footage. The video is not pleasant to watch, it's terrible in fact but if you have ever wondered what it was like to try and get a three year old whose blood glucose is dangerously low and falling to take in carbs, well, this sure does show what that is like.

Before you watch the video, I want you to please take a moment to read another post about low BGs that I wrote in June of 2011. I think that the two juxtaposed like this will leave you with more then enough hope if you are still struggling and if you happened to be past this part of your life, I think these two posts together will allow you the benefit of seeing how far that you've come. Either way, be proud of yourself.

June 1, 2011

Twenty Eight

I hope that this post serves as a source of hope to families that are newly diagnosed or still struggling to find calm... read on, I think it will.

 

Last Friday we were packing up and getting ready to enjoy a sleepover at Adventure Aquarium to celebrate Arden’s birthday. Arden invited two of her girlfriends and one of them arrived at our door as I was testing Arden’s BG.

 

Minutes before, Arden tripped while walking in her room and when I asked her if she was okay, she responded, “I feel dizzy all of the sudden”, we had just changed her DexCom an hour before so it wasn’t reporting BGs. As we made our way to the kitchen where her OmniPod PDM was I went over the afternoon in my mind and I couldn’t imagine that she was low. 

 

Test strip...

 

Knock at the door...

 

Blood drop...

 

“Hello, I’ll be right with you...”

 

Beep... and her blood glucose is 28.

 

So, there is a woman that I barely know in my foyer, sleeping bags and pillows all over the hallway and Arden’s BG is 28. Not just 28 but very unexpectedly 28 and she was still in the middle of a bolus and I expected (no DexCom) that she was falling.

 

This next bit is where you take hope from the story...

 

I didn’t flinch. No elevated heart, no sense of panic, I wasn’t upset and as a matter of fact I maintained a calming conversation with the woman in my house as she considering panicking.

 

I explained the situation to Arden, shut off her basal and she began eating and drinking. 64 grams later all was normal again - except, it never wasn’t normal. A sad statement perhaps that this all could be a normal part of someone’s life but what the hell, it is... When it was over and the mother left, I felt like I was ten feet tall. In the past I did my best to stay calm in situations like this (they don’t happen often thankfully) but I was doing just that, trying to stay calm. That is, in the past I wasn’t calm, I was frightened and I was trying to maintain my composure and stop Arden from having a seizure. I was scrambling to stay ahead of the situation.

 

Last Friday, I was calmer then George Clooney on an old episode of E.R.. Not ‘old’ George Clooney, the one that is starting to look like he doesn’t belong with those young girls... young George Clooney, back when he was bedding down those nurses in the break room. I was all suave like that, except instead of nurses, I was rockin’ the juice box and I’m fairly positive that the bottom of G.C.’s foot is more handsome then I... However, other then those differences, I was exactly like that. ;)

 

I finally have my 10,000 hours of practice and one day you will too. Moments that now may feel like they are happening at 100 miles an hour will slow down to a Matrix like kung fu speed and you’ll just move through the slow motion around you, completely in control. I bent the spoon baby!

 

Okay, I’m out of odd movie and TV reference so I’m going stop.

Now you can watch the video from 2007... Be prepared, it is tough to watch.

Low Blood Glucose Isn't Pretty

In two more days Arden's Day will be six years old and on the 22nd, Arden will be living with diabetes for seven years. These years have at times been nearly impossible to traverse, there have been countless low BGs and moments that I was sure that I couldn't live through... but I did, we all did. Arden is fine, I'm not crazy, Kelly and I are still married and Cole seems pretty normal (as normal as a thirteen year old can be). Diabetes hasn't stopped us, in fact, and I say this with great deference to all the bad that it brings... I think it's made us better. More tired maybe, but stronger and more resilient. Today, as I reflect on all that has happened to us I can see how far we have come. I no longer feel the fear from that video when I watch it, just the triumph of living through it. My advice is simple, reflect today and give yourself the credit that you are due.

Arden's Day is Six Years Old

Let's celebrate... It's the sixth anniversary of Arden's Day!

At exactly 3 AM on August 16, 2007, I posted my first blog entry on the Internet and "Decided to Share" began my online life as a type I diabetes advocate. I had no idea if anyone would ever read my little blog and there were times that I seriously considered closing Arden's Day because I doubted that I was adding a needed voice to the community. Well, it's six years later and I couldn't be happier that I made the decision to keep blogging, because so much has happened since that overwhelmed and exhausted guy first said these words...

I can’t sleep... Haven’t really been able to for about a year now.  On August 22nd Arden will be a Type I diabetic for one year.  I’m going to try and relay to all of you what Arden’s disease is, how it effects her and how it effects our family.  My goal is to give you a glimpse into our life so that you can better understand Type I diabetes... My hope is that the understanding will result in your advocacy.

Starting now I’ll be updating this site as much as is needed to bring you into all of this as completely as possible.  I’ll be taking pictures and video as much as possible.  I think diabetes is one of those things you need to feel to understand, an explanation just doesn’t do it justice.  It’s a much more visceral experience then you may think. That picture (above) is from just now (3:00 am), Arden just called me from her bed.  She wanted to lay down with us.  I checked her Blood Glucose (from here on out known as BG) and it was good.  Well not really good, high actually about 120 - 150 points higher then a non-diabetics would be at 3 AM but good for our purposes. Don’t worry it’ll all start making sense to you soon...  Please use the “Subscribe” button on the ‘Daddy’s Blog’ page to stay up-to-the-minute.  I really think that being updated every-time something happens will help bring you into the process. Please share this link with any and everyone you know.  Off to get some sleep...

Since that day, I've spoken to Congressmen and Senators, raised funds for the JDRF, written a book and met the most wonderful people. I could probably make a list as long as my arm of amazing things that have happened since I began to blog, but if I had to pick a favorite... it would be easy to choose. I am still, to this day, amazed at how much sharing our story helps others. Honestly, when I began six years ago, I never expected that. Moreover, I'm simply stunned by how powerfully you all return the love. That dynamic is, without a doubt, the most rewarding part of all of this. The relationship that we all have is one of the most uniquely human experiences that I've ever been a part of. Starting Arden's Day in 2007 was, without exaggeration, a life changing moment for me and that feels celebration worthy. Plus, six years is quite an accomplishment for a blog and I'm genuinely very proud to be able to lay claim to six years of diabetes blogging.

You are reading the 568th post that I've written for Arden's Day and the wonderful feeling that comes from sharing with you has not diminished one bit since 2007. It's my pleasure to be able to say that I am, in some small way, a part of something as wonderful as the diabetes online community.

You must be wondering why I am posting about an anniversary eight days before it happens. Easy answer... So you can be ready for what's happening next week. Stuff like...

Lauren's Hope is generously giving away some medical ID swagerrificness in celebration of Arden's Day's sixth anniversary!

Spry Publishing has donated a few copies of my book, Life Is Short, Laundry Is Eternal that I'll be signing and giving away. 

I'll be asking for your thoughts on what your JDRF Walk means to you and your family. A few days later, Arden will randomly select one of your comments and my family will make a $50 donation to your walk efforts.

I'll highlight one of my favorite posts from the past every day next week and reflect on them from today's perspective.

...and an announcement that includes giving away multiple copies of the newest Coco book from the Lilly/Disney collaboration, 'Coco's First Sleepover'.

I'm excited for Monday to arrive and hope that you are too! In the meantime, enjoy your weekend and good luck getting that Flintstones song out of your head! 

Video: Diabetes Hands Foundation Interview

It was my very sincere honor to be asked by the Diabetes Hands Foundation to participate in a live interview with their very own Emily Coles... We spoke about many type I diabetes issues, I made some bad jokes, Arden even made a couple of cameo appearances... I hope that you have time to check it out.