My Big Weekend
"What if Evan wanders away while you're coaching on the field? Or Joseph's pump gets left behind in the dugout-- you know, that almost happened at the last game. He'd picked up his glove and bats and was leaving when I saw his bag was still there. And he was still disconnected. If we lose that pump, they won't replace it."
The panic behind these words was palpable.
"Stop. STOP!" Ryan said, taking firm hold of my shoulders. "Now listen-- I am a responsible person. And I love my children. They're gonna be just fine. I won't lose Evan. And I won't lose Joseph's pump. His blood sugars will go up and down-- but they always do that. He will be fine.
"Just, please go and relax. Enjoy being with your sisters. And HAVE FUN! Okay?"
I nodded my head. Still stunned at the very idea of leaving my husband and kids for three days.
You see, I've never been away from Evan for more than a few hours. In fact, the only time I'd ever gone on an overnight without Joseph was when he was three. And even then, it was just one night.
And of course, it was before he became diabetic.
Three. Days.
As the weekend grew closer, fears about leaving put my stomach in knots-- until I sort of spewed them all over Ryan just before I left.
Astoundingly (to me anyway) his calm reassurances were incredibly effective-- I drove to Chicago on Friday and spent three wonderful days and nights exploring that city with my two younger sisters.
We walked, talked, laughed and just plain hung out.
It was more grand than I could ever describe here.
So how did things go back home?
Well, Ryan and the kids played mini golf, saw Over the Hedge, and went out for ice cream. At night, they watched old movies (Dr. No, The Crimson Pirate). They even had lunch at McDonald's-- a rarity here -- resulting in major points for dad. (By the way, Evan lobbied hard for lunch at McDonald's today... uh no.)
Of course Ryan was right about everything he'd said before I left-- he didn't lose the kids or the pump. And yes, Joseph's bgs were all over the place.
And we were all just fine.
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16 comments:
Sandra,
I just love reading your blog. It just makes me feel so much better so much closer to "normal" - what a weird word that is! But for now this is what I need to hear - that life with diabetes can be a "new" kind of normal.
Thanks again.
Great post - thanks for sharing.
And how great for you to get away for a bit!! Super nice!
Sandra,
That's great that you were able to visit with your sisters. I'm sure it's really hard to be away from your children, but you need time for yourself too! :) Hopefully you'll have more getaways like this one in the future!
Laura
I'm glad you took this time for yourself. I totally understand how hard it was for you to do, but also how much you needed to do it.
Haha. That's awesome. Your husband sounds just like my dad... Trust me, on this occassion, that's a good thing. :-)
Yay! I'm glad you had such a good time. Everyone deserves a holiday.
I'm so happy you had an enjoyable weekend away. It's so important to get away once in a blue moon so that you can be rejuvenated to face daily life fresh.
You deserve a break.
I see you found the bean (or 'Cloud Gate' as it's officially called).
Glad to hear you were able to enjoy Chicago with your sisters!
tek
Sandra,
So glad you had a break -- it looks like you had fun too!
N
Thanks everyone-
This was definitely a much-needed break.
Rejuvenating is exactly the right word for it.
Allison-
I will certainly take your comment as a very good thing :-)
And T-
Yes, we did find "the bean" (that's exactly what it looked like too :-)
I'd never been to Millenium Park-- it was completed just after we moved. Totally cool. Joseph and Evan would have loved The Crown Fountain.
We also had some fine dinners-- one at an old favorite (Penny's Noodle Shop); walked the old neighborhood (Clark, Diversey, Broadway... ); sat in outdoor cafes talking and people watching; did just a little resale shopping; saw a show at Second City; and even took a horse and carriage ride downtown (something I'd never done in the 13 years I lived there!).
Oh, and we spent an afternoon visiting one of my favorite old haunts-- the Lincoln Park Zoo.
Later that night, we met two sisters who'd spent the day shopping on Michigan Avenue. When we told them we'd gone to the zoo, the two women looked incredulous:
"You went to the zoo? Without kids? When you didn't have to??"
I guess my sisters and I are just three big kids. ;-)
That's great that you got to have some "me time" with your sisters for a couple of days. I will be the same way this upcoming october when I head out on my "chicks weekend". I haven't left the kids for one night, let alone two - with their Dad lol - I'm sure I'll have my moment of panic, then I'll go and have some fun.
Sounds like you had a wonderful weekend. Maybe you can do it once or twice a year with your sisters ?
Great pictures! I'm so glad you and your sisters had a well-deserved and relaxing trip to Chicago.
What is "The Bean?" I'm completely in the dark on that one.
Sandra, glad you got some much deserved rest. You can fully insure your pump by adding a clause on to your house insurance. If it is lost, damaged and Animas won't replace for any reason, the pump will then be covered. That is one of the first things we did. Call Animas, because they are the ones who told us how to do it.
Good for you for taking some Me time with little worries .. ok I am sure there was alot of worries but glad you had some fun and just time to regroup yourself you need that to keep being the best mom I have ever read about ..
Anon-
Thanks for the tip-- I'll call Animas this afternoon for more info. I'd read in the past that insurance for the pump was VERY expensive... we'll see what our insurer has to say.
Kerri-
"The Bean" is a really cool sculpture "inspired by liquid mercury" called "Cloud Gate" located at the center of Millenium Park (shown in my first snap)-- more info can be found here.
And J-
Keep writing things like that and my head is gonna be about as big as that "Bean" :-)
Great post, you make me wish I had sisters.
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