#paraunting

There's something demanding UP UP UP at my feet but I'm too tired to look down. All the capable adults are renovating and cleaning the house for a 50 person first birthday bash tomorrow. Bring me, I was on #babywhisperer duty with a fever of unknown origin. We had so much fun and now I'm going to bed at 7pm. #parAUNTing #thatsicklife (at The Corner of Genetically Mutated and Diabetic)

My niece, Sadie, is three and a half, which is a thrilling time in terms of language and development. Unfortunately, since her birth overlapped with my becoming the sickest I've ever been, I've been interested to see how she processes my illness. She's always understood that I was sick, and when she was younger she would kiss my boo boos. At 2 years old, she started mimicking testing my blood sugar with her dolls, and she's ask me to check her too. She'd even make beeping noises like the glucose meter does when it's done processing the sample. Now that she's a big kid, she understands what it means when I'm in the hospital. When I was inpatient at rehab last summer, she decorated my room with luau girls and printed heart duct tape. It was over 8 months ago but Sadie still brings up "that time you were in the hospital for a long long time and we played Doctor!" She had her own doctor kit and scrubs in my hospital room. Doctor has always been her favorite game to play. Her stories about how her dolls got hurt or why her imaginary friend, Baby, got hurt, are hilarious. "Baby's in the hospital because he hurt her head when we were apple picking and a cherry fell on him head and there was blood!" This is a gif of her pretending to give her baby sister insulin in the tummy because "that's where Auntie gives her medicine!" She is so funny and smart and while I wish she didn't have to know so much about illness, I'm confident we are talking about it in appropriate ways and I'm glad she is expressing her feelings about it through play. The human mind is quite the trip.

the terrible twos? they are a blast. the tantrums are infrequent; yes, they're operatic, but we're learning deep breaths and the power of the bribe. ("you can watch a video on my phone later if you nap now!") (oops. help?) in my opinion, the joy we get in exchange for the strains of emotional and mental growth is so worth it. I had no idea the fun it would be to watch her begin to really talk and listen and "get" jokes. today at target, she laughed so hard at a crazy dress I picked out, shoppers turned and smile. in between laughs, I asked her if she liked it. "nope, auntie. nope," she cackled. I just love this kid.

Sadie said "(d) ocTOR!" today when I asked her what she wanted to be when she grows up. The doctor set has been her favorite toy for a year and I recently upgraded her set after we lost the stethoscope, favorite part. After she gave her baby Max Bloom a shot in the eye (the toy eye is broken and she thinks she can fix it), she lifted up her shirt and gave herself a shot in the belly. I do this multiple times a day because I have type one diabetes. She loves when I check my blood sugar. She watches me draw the blood and waits to see the number. Then she runs away. It's wild to me, the things she understands at 22 months old. I can't wait until she's 3–she'll probably be administering me insulin by then.

My dad was watching coverage of the Malaysia Airlines victims being returned to the Netherlands today, and a somber service was about to begin. Sadie and I were playing Mr. Potato Head, not really paying attention until suddenly, Sadie stood up and went toward the TV. A trumpet began to blare, and Sadie stared and listened, not making a move, until he stopped. She didn't say a word, or even smile, just watched and then sat back down. MY BABY'S AN EMOTIONAL GENIUS!

These are just a few things that have crossed my mind. I’ll have an update tomorrow. If I can still see by then.