Soccer, Sun, Fun and Feeling Normal

We had a family soccer day today. It started at 8am for Sam and ended at 11:30am with Kailyn.
It may seem like a pretty typical day, but WE are not a typical family. It has taken a long time for us to get to this day. A day without constantly thinking about issues going on with any of the kids.
I can say that I thought about Diabetes, Epilepsy and
Autism for a nano second here and there. (Keira had a seizure during her bottle and Kailyn looked like she might be low once) However, it was NOTHING like it was two years ago when Kailyn was first dx'd with Type 1 D and we were waiting for the sky to fall at any second. We tried to get right back into her normal activities, one of which was soccer, but going to a soccer game was NOT care free then. I can say that today it was and it was FUN!!! We ended up having to cease all extra curricular activities right after Type 1 D Diagnosis. Everything was routine and felt......well.... normal today.

We enjoyed watching our Kindergartner on his first official team. He was out there playing with great confidence and was even instructing some of the other children about the "rules". Something he is a stickler for. He may knowingly break them sometimes, but he calls people out if he sees they are breaking them all the time. A habit we are trying to break. ;) Three years ago at this time he was diagnosed with Autism. He could barely talk then and we had just started to use the PECS communication system to try and figure out his wants and needs. We hoped he would be able to function in society at some level, but thoughts about being on a team, let alone instructing other children, were far from our minds.

Our Third Grader bravely tried soccer again even though it was causing her to have anxiety stomach aches once we got there. We recognized those stomach aches for a brief moment and she got right back out there. Joining a soccer team may seem pretty normal and mundane for most third graders, but for Kailyn it is a huge milestone. Before her diagnosis we were into all the activities and she enjoyed them with ease. Once she was dx'd, anxiety about everything set in and she did not want to do any group activities. She turned a corner this summer in regards to this when I gave her a cellphone so she could attend vacation bible school. I decided that she needed to take the next step and join a team of some sort. We (meaning I) picked soccer. I did bribe her, but I am proud of her nonetheless. She had fun and was showing self confidence by the end of the practice AND she wants to go back!! I am pretty sure that soccer won't be a major part of her life in the future (You never know though), but we made that HUGE step and that is all that counts.

PS: We do have one problem. She does not like how her mouth guard feels. I told her to not wear it and she said that she has to because she wants to be a goalie! ;)