One last trip to the pool!

Our neighborhood pool finally closed last week. I was glad that on one of our last visits to the pool, we found it was completely empty- just like the good old days. When we first moved in, we frequently had the pool all to ourselves. This was a fun afternoon with my boys.

I have to remind myself that Tyler is a big boy now and doesn't need me following him around the pool. He loves to jump off the ledge and swim in the deep parts.

Robby, on the other hand, is completely content playing with toys in the little pool or on the stairs of the big pool. He keeps quite busy filling up these two buckets.

Here are a couple vids of the kids at the pool. I couldn't get Tyler to actually swim instead of dog paddle for the camera...oh well. And he still yells, "Candy Bar!" instead of "Cannon Ball!" Love it.

Robby has come up with his own variation of swimming. It's the cutest thing ever. He just scoots along the step of the kiddie pool.

And one last story that must be documented because in my book it's a pretty big deal. While we were at the pool, Robby was able to, in his own way, communicate a low blood sugar. You see, as a parent of a diabetic, one of my jobs is to teach Robby to recognize and communicate if he's feeling high or low, but especially low due to the dangerous nature of a low blood sugar. Some of the signs or symptoms of a low blood sugar are fatigue, sleepiness, hunger, confusion, and shakiness. The brain is highly glycemic, but doesn't store any glycogen, so when blood sugars drop low, it's essential to treat it quickly. Many kids typically feel it in their weak legs. They'll notice that they can't walk or feel like they just want to sit. Robby's had a few lows that made him irritable and shaky, but the other symptoms are hard to read.

On this particular trip to the pool, we were just about to leave when I remembered I didn't have the diabetes bag (a bag full of the essentials- needles, test strips, BG meter, and lots of sugar snacks to treat an emergency low). For a split second I thought, "Nah, we won't need that today. We'll only be gone for 45 minutes and we literally live a 30 second walk from the pool. If anything goes wrong, we'll just run home."

Uh. Hello? No. That's when the voices in my head reminded me that I have a child with diabetes and we don't go ANYWHERE without that bag, especially not the pool. Miracle #1.

When we got to the pool, I checked Robby's continuous glucose monitor one last time. The monitor isn't waterproof, so we fly blind when we're at the pool. It read that he was at 138 (great number), but was indicating he was in the middle of a slow, gentle drop. So for good measure, I game him half a small box of raisins to be on the safe side.

30 minutes later, Robby said, "I unt nack" (I want snack). This was actually the first time I had ever heard him use these new words. At first I just brushed it off, and thought it was kind of cute. But then he said it like three more times. The thought came that maybe he was low. But I discounted that because he was acting completely normal, and I had just given him a little snack before we got in the water. But then those little voices returned: check his blood sugar now. Miracle #2

I reluctantly pulled him out of the pool and did a quick poke and the meter read...

52

52!?! What??? I ran and got the bag, glad that I had brought it and wishing it had a fast acting sugar like a juice box (why it didn't have a juice box, I don't know). I gave him an entire box of raisins, which he gladly downed and several more yogos for good measure (and then of course gave the rest to a patiently waiting big brother...he knows Robby gets a treat first in cases like this. Good little boy). Immediately Robby was begging to get back in the pool. Uhhh...sorry buddy, they'll be no passing out in the pool today. We gave him a few minutes, re-checked his blood sugar, and then got back in the pool. I hate to think of what that mad dash home would have been like if I had left the bag.

I was grateful for the little voices that whisper in my ear and help me know what my little boy needs and the instant at which he needs them. I rely on that gift and pray for it daily. I am grateful that Robby is starting to recognize what his body needs, and I am confident that as he grows, the spirit will be a strong, guiding influence in his life.

...and one other thing is for sure...when Robby wants a snack, Robby gets a snack.