Over the weekend, Kay celebrated her friend Grayson’s birthday. I’m so thankful for the incredible community that Kay has brought me into and for all the wonderful friends she’s meeting along the way. We celebrated Grayson’s special day at our favorite place, GiGi’s Playhouse! Next up on the birthday list to be celebrated there is Kay’s, and we can’t wait!
Celebrating birthdays with friends is always so much fun! I was especially excited to celebrate Grayson, knowing I had found gifts that he would absolutely love. There’s something so satisfying about knowing someone well enough to pick out a gift that’s just perfect for them.
During the party, we enjoyed pizza, chips, cake, and juice. With Kay being a Type 1 Diabetic, parties can sometimes feel stressful. In fact, any event involving food and drinks can bring a lot of challenges. But I never want Kay to miss out because of her diabetes. I do my best to plan and manage her needs during these events so she can fully participate. Some days are better than others when it comes to her blood sugar, but this is something we’re learning to navigate for the rest of our lives.
I still want Kay to enjoy sweets occasionally—to eat the cake, the cookies, and even the ice cream. Even before her diagnosis, I rarely gave her a lot of sweets or juice. She’d have juice with lunch or dinner, but the rest of the time, it was water. As for sweets, they’d mostly be an occasional treat after dinner. Thankfully, that’s helped her not feel like she’s missing out now. I’m committed to not restricting foods entirely because it’s important that Kay develops a healthy relationship with food, even as we work to manage her diabetes. Of course, we’ll set healthy boundaries and find ways to balance her needs with what she enjoys.
For Kay’s upcoming birthday party, I’m leaning toward cupcakes. That way, she and her friends can enjoy a sweet treat while I can more easily calculate the carbs she’ll be eating. Hopefully, that will help keep her blood sugar in a good range. It’s funny how life throws curveballs—for someone who’s never been great at math, I sure find myself doing it a lot these days. Hah!