You Were Wrong

For all of you saying, “She never blogs anymore” - you were wrong.  Look at me go.

I really don’t know where to start.  Things have been like things tend to be in our big, busy family.  Run, run, run.  Go, go, go.  Someone gets sick.  It spreads.  On and on.  Philip is adjusting well to the pump.  Wayland and I are coming along.  Two weeks ago I was worried that we might not have done the right thing.  Not now.  I feel sure that this is all in Philip’s best interest.  Big congratulations are in order for Philip, by the way.  He tried out and made the All Star team, and it looks like he will be playing QB a bit longer this Fall.  His house league team ended the regular season 5-2.  The playoffs start Saturday and Wayland has been pouring over his playbook the past few days.  Our goal is to get to the Rose Bowl.  We’ll keep you updated. 

Nathanael, who is pretty much solely known as Nate  now, is also having a great season.  His team is 4-0 and he continues to melt my heart each time I watch him as team captain on the 50 yard line with helmet in hand.  He is such a cutie! (He is also playing GREAT – I just decided to focus on the one time he is on the field and not encountering opportunities to walk away black and blue).   Last night at his game, there were a few girls sitting near us who kept giggling as different players ran on and off the field.  I kept hearing, “There’s Nate!” followed by a squeal and a laugh.  I never  acted like that I’m sure, but if I did – I’m sorry to any mom who had to endure it.  It seems to make Wayland’s chest puff up and mine deflate. 

Anna E. stole the show last night at the football game.  Sporting her precious hot pink fleece ruffle car coat with matching hat (thanks Granny and Granddad), she made sure every spectator got at least one good look at her.  She has made that big transition into putting much more thought into the fashion end of her wardrobe.  Some dear friends of ours in Albuquerque generously save and send Anna things they outgrow, and when we switched over her closet the other day, Anna actually wanted to try on every single piece of clothing.  Over and over she kept saying, “I just look so cute in this.”  Poor girl; doesn’t have a bit of confidence. 

For our friends and family down south reading this blog, you did read that previous paragraph correctly.  Anna E. was wearing a coat.  And hat.  It’s cold here, y’all.  Plum cold.  (I think just typing the words “down south” made my vernacular change…Yee-haw!)  It was perfect football weather, and made me love Fall in Indiana even more.  Luke came home and put on his fleece snowman pj’s and immediately told me he needed some new slippers because his toes were “vewy, vewy, cold!!!”  I worried a bit about having him out in the cold after him being sick last week, but it didn’t seem to faze him a bit.  He ran around playing Star Wars and pretend lightsaber fighting onlooking fans.  He thinks he is Luke Skywalker and I know he has a crush on Princess Leia.  I don’t have the heart to tell him she’s old enough to be his grandma.  Every day at 2:40 Luke runs to the window to see if the bus is here.  As much as he loves going to the library, Bible study, and Costco with me, I just don’t play “car family” as well as Anna Elizabeth.  Really, “car family” is an enigma to me.  He is probably the only three year old boy who separates the boy cars from the girls.  Today I had to be the grandma car.  Quite the ego booster. 

Well, between all the interruptions and a lunch break, it has taken me far too long to type this post.  (I’m better at 1:00am when the house is quiet).  We’re off to gymnastics.  Guess what Anna E. is wearing? 

Lucky 13

Happy Anniversary to my beautiful wife.  Sometimes you have anniversaries in the midst of sheer bliss and sometimes they happen when you feel like you have been beaten with a 2X4.  This year has been one of the latter.  Our family has been tested in a number of ways - and our marriage has been a casualty to all of these external pressures from time to time (kind of like two sparrows in a hurricane – eh?).  At times it has felt like we are barely keeping our heads above water individually, much less collectively.  But…  I am a big believer in the old wise saying that “what does not kill us makes us stronger”.  And I know that I could not have made it through the past year without you.  I need you more than I ever have – and look forward to all of  the adventures we have yet to experience together.  Thanks for always having a life preserver at the ready.  And thanks for giving me a quick dunk when I need it.   Be patient with me – I am a work in progress.  I love you.

Major events from 1996:

Susan Sarandon is awarded the Oscar for Best Actress in Dead Man Walking

Dolly, the first cloned sheep, is born

militant leaders of a little known group called the Taliban take over Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan 

Wayland Thompson marries Kaleesha Eddings in quite possibly the longest wedding ceremony the world has ever seen

Bob Dole sweeps the Republican primaries

Dallas beats Pittsburg for their 3rd Super Bowl win in 3 years

Wayland plans exciting year of travel for he and his new bride

George Burns, celebrated actor, dies at age 100

Wayland’s plans of exotic travel are dashed when Kaleesha gets pregnant 3 weeks after they get married

The USA hosts the summer Olympics in Atlanta

Wayland and Kaleesha turn 20 in November, and busily prepare for the arrival of Nathanael Jamison Thompson

President Bill Clinton wins re-election in part due to a booming economy that will later be referred to as the dot.com era

Football Update and Deep Dark Secrets Revealed

I know many of you are wondering how Philip is doing.  In many ways, things have gone smoother than I thought they would.  In some ways, however, it has been much more difficult than I could have imagined.  I’m actually blogging today to find some release from the stress and hurt of it all, so I’m not going to say much.  For those of you praying for Philip (and us), please keep it up.  I know each day is going to get easier.

First off, Wayland and Philip were invited to watch the season opener of the Indianapolis Colts as they take on their opponents, the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium.  I know they are going to have a blast, and although it really should be me going to this game (since I truly am a Colts fan), I am not harboring ill will toward my two guys, and will be looking for them on TV in a few short hours.  I gave them strict orders to not root against the Colts (which Wayland sometimes does) for fear that they will burn all our bridges with Colts season ticket holders and I will never see them play in person.  I also forbade Philip from wearing Dallas Cowboys gear to the game.  I just didn’t think it seemed particularly gracious to his hosts. 

Speaking of football, Nathanael played on Thursday night and his team came away with another win.  They played their cross-town middle school rivals (which really means some of his best buds) – a team Nathanael’s middle school has not beaten in seven years.  It was a great game, full of hard tackles followed by sincere back slaps or “knuckles” between the guys on the field.   The parents were playfully jesting with one another about the opposing teams, but cheered for each boy’s individual achievement – regardless of the colors they were wearing.  It was a blast!   He plays again on Tuesday and we are looking forward to it!

Philip’s team played yesterday morning at 8am.  (That means we had to be at the field at 7:15, which means we had to get up at a pretty indecent hour for a Saturday morning.  We might as well have been playing hockey, for Pete’s sake!)  If you remember, the Fighting Irish were 4-0, having given up only 12 points to their opponents during the season.  Yesterday, that changed.  We lost 20-14.  Philip scored one TD (a QB sneak) and had some great passes, but our defense (which also included Philip) really fell short.  Wayland feels like it might not be such a bad thing to go into playoffs in a few weeks with a loss under our belts.  With the game over so early, we still had our entire Saturday ahead of us, which was a nice consolation considering the circumstances.

 Little Miss invited a friend over for a play-date yesterday afternoon.  It was a little girl who was in her class last year, and goes to a different school this year.  They had fun catching up over tea-parties, house, horses, and playing outside in the backyard.  Last night, Anna came to me visibly upset – her face, a pale green hue.  She proceeded to tell me that she and her friend “had a secret and that I could never know or I would be really upset and she would get in lots of trouble.”  Immediately, my imagination went wild and my anxiety level shot up.  I tried to remain calm and reassure Anna that there wasn’t anything she could do that would make me stop loving her, or a situation where she wouldn’t receive forgiveness from her parents, or more importantly from God.  She cried and toiled for quite a while until she worked up the nerve to tell me her deepest, darkest secret. 

“Mama, _______ and I found something in the creek.  We picked it up, well really, she picked it up.  And it was a dead mouse.  And it had a hole in it’s tummy and we could see it’s bones.  And I think it’s toe was bleeding.  And it made me so sad, because I love animals.  And don’t worry, there weren’t flies on it or anything.  So _______ and I decided to bury it.  So we dug it a grave and we put rocks and a leaf on it.  And an “L.”  For love.  And I said those words that preachers say when people die.  And Mama, I’m so sorry.  Please don’t be mad at me.” 

To say I was a bit dumbfounded would be an understatement.  I don’t know if she thought I was going to be mad at her because just a week ago (the morning after the boys had their sleepover and left the door open to the kitchen from the garage) we saw a mouse run across the floor.  After squealing and hoisting myself atop of the kitchen counter, Wayland proceeded to be my knight in shining armour and rescue me from my arch nemesis.  He chased that little rodent across the kitchen, hitting it with a broom (and evidently injuring it).  It took refuge behind our washing machine, so Wayland brought out the big guns (literally) and finished it off with one of the boy’s BB guns.  Our guests (the boy’s three friends who had spent the night) got quite a show that morning.  Poor them.  It’s a wonder they are allowed to associate with us.  Anyway, I made Wayland set up traps and put out D-con all over and around the house. Every day since then I’ve been asking, “Did we catch any mice?  Oh, I hate mice!  Hate ‘em!”   I guess Anna Elizabeth thought I was going to be mad at her for giving my hated enemy a decent burial.  Regardless of how many questions I had racing through my mind like, “DID YOU TOUCH IT WITH YOUR BARE HANDS???”  (which I found out she did not) I simply told her I thought she was very sweet and thoughtful to be so caring to one of God’s creatures.

"L" is for Love

They also gathered walnuts for the squirrels and chipmunks. "They shouldn't have to work too hard, because winter is coming soon!"

And look who just lost another tooth! She's making that tooth fairy work pretty hard!

As for Luke, he does his best to keep up with all the craziness going on.  Sometimes, it’s just too much though. 

Sleeping Luker

Poor Baby!

The Bionic Man

Praise God – Philip is connected.  We just completed our training today and Philip is officially receiving insulin via the pump. 

Holy Hardware, Batman

As you can see, the pump is actually external and the insulin is pumped into the insertion site through tubing.  A needle inserts a small tube that stays under the skin at a 45 degree angle.  Once the tube is inserted, the needle is removed.  The infusion set stays adhered to the body, while the tubing and pump can be disconnected for showering, swimming, football, etc.  We have to insert a new infusion set every 3 days, but that sure beats at least 4 shots per day.  The most anxious moment was the first time Philip had to insert the set.  The nurse helped guide the angle, but he provided all the power.  He said it hurt a little more than a shot – and actually hurt more than he expected, but no big deal overall.  Mom and dad were shocked when the nurse/trainer let Philip enter all the settings on the pump.  We were allowed to look on from behind, but Philip was the star of the show and caught on very quickly.  There is a ton to learn, but we will be checking in with our trainer every day for the next couple of weeks to make the adjustments necessary. 

 Benefits of the Pump

Many of you have been asking what the advantages to the pump are and how this will improve Philip’s life.  The main thing Philip will look forward to is not having to get at least 4 shots per day – and being able to eat foods with carbs any time he wants to.  In theory, he can eat whatever he wants, whenever he wants – and just get a dose of insulin to compensate for it.  Before, if he craved something with carbs, he had to decide if it was worth the trouble of counting the carbs and getting a shot for it (the pain in that was not the shot, but all the work that goes into it).   The main advantage to having the pump is that he will get his doses of insulin delivered to his body in much the same way his pancreas would have delivered it if it still worked right.  The challenge over the next couple of weeks is to figure out how best to adjust the doses and time of delivery to meet his body’s needs.  There are countless variables that come into play including type of food, activity levels, time of day, growth hormone, etc. 

Before the pump, Philip received insulin in two ways:  a slow release type of insulin called Lantus (released gradually over 24 hours), and then the fast acting insulin he received after each meal that peaked in about 2 hours.  The 4+ shots per day were the result of those 2 delivery types.  Now, he will still get a dose of insulin for any carbs that he eats – but without a shot, which means he will be more likely to eat and gain weight.  More importantly, he will now receive a steady dosage of insulin throughout the day to replace the long-acting insulin.  Before, the long-acting insulin was delivered with one shot every night.  It tends to pool up under the skin and release sporadically throughout the next 24 hours.  With the pump, that dosage is divided out over 24 hours to spread it more evenly and keep his blood sugar numbers much more level.  Eventually, we will adjust that dosage to give more or less at certain times of day to compensate for different needs.  For example, Philip tends to run high during the night when his body is naturally releasing growth hormone as he sleeps.  With the pump, we can program it to increase the dosage say between 1:00 and 6:00am to compensate for this. 

Overall, when the learning curve is complete, the pump will be acting more like the pancreas and we have the ability to deliver smaller increments making the treatment much more precise vs. the very general delivery method of shots a few times daily.  He still has to prick his finger multiple times a day to get an accurate blood sugar reading, but we are thankful that the pump will restore a little normalcy.  Of course, by the time we seem to get all of this figured out, puberty (we are told) will change everything and we will have to start over…  darn hormones.   Imagine having to go through each day thinking about all of this.  Oh, and add to that the fact that if we are managing this well – he WILL have low blood sugars which means that he will feel lousy and have to take time out of his day to treat and get his numbers up.  

Our Philip is so brave - he never complains and takes this on with the same focused determination that he approaches everything with.  As for Kaleesha and I, all it takes is a stroll through Riley Children’s Hospital to realize just how fortunate we are to have such healthy children.  Next time you see a commercial for a children’s hospital, stop as offer a prayer of thanks for your healthy kids. 

Thanks for all of your prayers – they are felt, and very appreciated.  

WT

Weekend in Review

Lots to report this weekend.  We started out the weekend by catching the Carmel / Center Grove high school game on Friday night.  For those of you who follow the boy’s youth football, you might recall the utter disgust these two schools share (think Permian / Midland Lee).   Last year, Carmel played CG in the state championship game going for their second consecutive state title – but lost the game in true choke fashion by giving up 22 points in the last 6 minutes.  It was a difficult loss made tragic by the fact that it was to what some refer to as “the Carmel of the South” (a name I don’t think Center Grove appreciates too much).  The good news is that we won the game and got some nice revenge.  CG was ranked #1 in the state and we were #4.  On the way to the game, with the car full of the boy’s friends, Anna had a major milestone event (see below).

Now she and Luke are both missing a tooth

She is so proud – she has had a huge, open mouth grin all weekend to show off her new gap.  By the way, anybody notice the Fall colored leaves out the window in the background.  That’s right, Fall is in the air in central Indiana.  So on Saturday, we continued the football weekend by attending the Carmel Freshman game.  Several older brothers of Nate and Phil’s friends play for that team.  They dominated Center Grove’s freshman team allowing less than 50 yards of total offense.  The son of our church life group leaders plays QB for that team and had a great game passing for 2 TDs.  He is a 6′6″ freshman with a ton of potential – it will be fun to watch him over the next few years.  We finished up Saturday with the Pup’s game, hanging out with great friends and watching them dominate their opponent as well.  On the Thompson front, we have a big week as Nate’s Clay Middle School team takes on Carmel Middle School (big rivalry with lots of friends on both sides of the ball) and Philip adjusts to football with an insulin pump.  Philip will also be evaluated for All Stars this weekend and has tryouts next Tuesday.

On Sunday, both older boys invited a friend to go with us to Turkey run State Park.  Any readers of this blog know our love for the outdoors and yesterday did not disappoint.  There are some really beautiful places here in Indiana.  This particular park is a little over an hour away.

We had a blast!  The older boys were determined to hike trail #3 which was rated as “Very Rugged” and came with the disclaimer, “Do not attempt with pets or small children”.  Well, I am happy to report that our “very rugged” Luke and Anna did just fine.  In fact, they were both complaining in the early legs of the 1.7 mile trail, but by the time we hit the most difficult parts, they were in full stride and having a blast.  This trail included many gorges and narrow passageways through the rocks.  There were also areas that required climbing ladders that were in some cases 25 feet tall and nearly vertical.  The older kids usually chose to climb the rocks to get out – Philip continues to show a real talent at rock climbing and has some extreme endurance (even though he was developing a cold).  The scariest moment came when Anna came running down a hill only to stop about 1 foot from going over a rock ledge with about a 20 foot drop below it.  Mom and dad had the “perfect” view from the bottom of the ledge (where the above picture was taken from) as our stomachs were in our throats and I was running to catch her if she came over the ledge.  That constituted the end of Anna climbing without a parent.   After hiking, the boys found some unsuspecting victims to pound in a spirited game of touch football.  We were dirty, we were tired – but we were about as happy as could be.  My favorite picture from the day is below and is a good representation of the beauty we were surrounded by. 

 

 

On the way home, the boys conspired to plan a sleepover for that night.  We dropped everyone off so they could clean up and met back at the house later that evening.  We did nacho night and the boys had a NCAA Football video game tournament (that I ended up winning!).   This morning, after everyone had been picked up, we decided to actually rest a little before our big week.  At some point, I really need to go blow leaves (already?!?) and get my lawn back to order after the big sewer dig a few weeks ago.  Maybe I’ll get to it.

Please remember to pray for us this Wednesday as we head downtown to Riley Children’s Hospital for our pump training.  When we come home, it will be a new world for us.  Please also be praying that Philip adjust quickly considering he has football practice and a game (and All Star evaluations) this week.  I hope everyone elses weekend was as great as ours.  

WT

I Am Not Intoxicated

Look what came in the mail today…

The device above the pump is a Sil-serter and is used to insert the infusion set into the body to deliver the insulin from the pump.  I got a kick out of the “Warning” section of the pamphlet that came with it.  It said “pain or minor injury may occur.”  Ya think?  The pump itself is just a bit larger than a pager.  The way kids are constantly attached to their technological devices these days, I think Philip will fit right in.  Of course, his “pager” cost over 6 grand (not so much with health insurance – thank goodness), so he better not drop it in a pool or anything! 

We received a 15 Chapter, 230 page “Quick Reference Guide”  that I’m sure will be my bedside reading for the next several weeks.  Also included in our box of goodies was this handy-dandy wallet card for Philip to carry. 

I know it’s not a laughing matter, but this totally cracked me up.  I think it was worth ordering the pump for this card alone!  (Wayland thinks we should laminate it and have him wear it on a lanyard around his neck…I’m sure he’d love that!) 

Giving it to God

A little over two weeks ago I scheduled Philip’s pump “installation” at Riley Children’s Hospital.  Ever since then, I have been operating on high levels of anxiety mixed with bouts of extreme worry and fear.  I know, I know, I am the perfect picture of a Christ-follower, huh?  Last night, after receiving an email explaining that one of the students at a youth retreat Nathanael went to over the weekend had just been diagnosed with H1N1, I almost lost it. 

I hate worry.  I hate stress, and fear, and anxiety.  Unfortunately, there is hardly a day that goes by that one of these things doesn’t try to raise it’s ugly head and sneak into my life.  I do believe God builds something into mothers that causes them to be concerned for their children.  That’s healthy.  What I end up doing is not. 

I have been walking around with a baseball in my throat and a cannonball in my stomach the past few weeks.  How are we going to adjust to Philip being on the insulin pump?  How are we going to afford it all?  What if one of my kids gets swine flu?  What if Philip gets it (much more severe in people with asthma and diabetes)?  What if we give them the vaccination and there are crazy side effects from it?

After taking all I could, I finally just gave up.  Or had a slight mental break – not sure which.  I put myself in my room, opened the Bible and read ’till I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer.  When I woke up at 2:00 am to do the blood sugar check and I couldn’t fall back to sleep, I prayed.  I prayed and I praised.  This morning I woke up with a substantial amount of peace.  (Thank you, Jesus).

I took Luke to the doctor this morning (cough, runny nose – scared he had swine flu) and came away with him on another round of antibiotics, steroid, and breathing treatments…but no H1N1.  Yea!  We discussed how to approach flu season with Philip, and the doctor suggested an early flu vaccine and immediate treatment at any sign of fever over 100 degrees. 

Oh, by the way…because I know I really didn’t make it clear…the exciting news about Philip is the pump.  September 9th.  Six days and counting.  (Just a slight feeling of nausea when I typed it that time).  I know this will be good for him.  I think it will be good for all of us.  I am prepared for a few bumps in the road, and am praying that God would give us clarity of mind so that we can learn an entirely new way of caring for our son.  I’ll be sure and take the camera and get lots of pics of Philip and his new machinery. 

And now, for a quick sports update, let me just tell you that this momma could hardly contain herself at her oldest son’s first football game of the season.  Named one of the team captains for the year (voted for by fellow players and his coaches), Nathanael started at center on offense, and started on the d-line as defensive tackle or noseguard.  With a win of 32-14, it was quite a victory, but way too long of a day in my book.  I put my baby  son on the bus at a little after 7:00 this morning, and he didn’t walk in the door tonight until around 9:30.  Thank goodness all the homework was done, because all he could do was shovel some food in his mouth, crawl up to the shower, and then roll into bed.  He was done!  His arms look like someone has been pounding on him with a hammer, and he has several new cuts and scrapes that bled throughout the game, but I’ll tell you what - you’d never know it when he’s out there on the field.  He plays with such heart.  I love to watch him. 

Just like I love to watch Philip.  He plays with finesse.  And with a little bit of attitude.  I like it though. 

I also had the opportunity to see Anna E. at gymnastics today.  She did a one-handed cartwheel.  That about knocked my socks off.  Every once in a while, when I’m watching her do seven cartwheels in a row, followed by a handstand into a forward roll, followed by a backbend, I think I want to try it.  Then I raise my hands in the air, point my right foot out (no, not to do the hokey pokey) and muster up all the strength I have to try a cartwheel again.  I always chicken out though.  I’ve decided that this mother of four needs all her bones in the right places to keep this family moving.  I think I’ll save cartwheels for heaven.