For those who didn’t receive a Christmas Card from us (sorry, we just can’t afford to send them out to everyone), I’ve finally posted our little letter here on the site under the docs section. I’ve posted both the 2009 Christmas ‘Epistle’ as well as our update from 2008.
It’s been forever since I’ve really blogged, but I couldn’t help but add to the opinions on the latest proposed health care reform bill(s). There’s not much to say that hasn’t already been side by one side or another, but still, I have to speak up as a parent of a child with type 1 diabetes.
Many have implied that we’d be so much better off with a “government option”. There is no doubt in my mind, based on the penalties and structure that has been presented in the bills so far, that the “government options” presented so far would only lead to an eventual single-payer system (i.e. fully socialized medical care). If you think that socialized medicine is a good idea, then clearly you’ve been only watching Michael Moore films for your opinion. The brutal reality of socialized medicine in most countries that have it is a harsh environment filled with waiting lists and red tape the likes of which we can only imagine.
I had a hernia operation this year. I was able to schedule the operation around the times I wanted, and probably could have had it fixed within a week or so of my doctor discovering the problem. Based on the experiences I’m reading on the net, if I had been in the UK for instance, it would have likely been months and to speed things up I’d have been referred to the hospital that had the lowest waiting list at the time. Here, I had the operation performed at the nearest hospital to my home, on my schedule with Vanderbilt University affiliated surgeons. It wasn’t a perfect experience, there were some delayed paperwork issues, a wasted pre-op appointment, but as a whole it was pretty good.
Currently, if I don’t like the insurance my company offers, I at least have the opportunity to buy my own, or change jobs. If we end up on a single-payer system, we won’t have that freedom. It’s not a perfect system, but ultimately, I still have choices. That’s one of the reasons we live where we live now and why I work for the company I work for. I wanted different insurance. And if I don’t like the insurance company’s answer about something I can fight with them (and if it’s company self-funded with the company itself since it’s ultimately their money). Once the government takes over, you’ll have a select group of government elites making decisions about what’s covered and what’s not. You’ll also have a new political issue with candidates promising to get “different” or “better” coverage for this or that trying woo voters’ support. But what you won’t have is a serious voice in determining the outcome of things. Good luck suing the government if you don’t like it.
I can’t believe that government-run health care can lead anywhere but disaster for us. Meanwhile, I’ve heard very little about the kind of reforms that help make the health insurance business a thriving market where free markets can be leveraged to get us where we really want to go. Because when we talk about broad playing fields with real choices and markets where companies can compete and consumers can choose… freedom wins. That’s the American way of doing things! It’s the right way.
Why does the government need to step in do something that private enterprise is already willing to do. When has the government stepping in and providing a service (instead) resulted in greater efficiency, cost savings, and more choices? You think that the same government that has paid hundreds of dollars for a hammer is going to somehow cut the cost of health care?
How is this going to be paid for? So far, I’ve heard of taxes on “nicer” insurance plans, taxing medical devices (i.e. insulin pumps, pace makers, wheel chairs, etc…), and limiting contributions to flexible medical spending plans to $2500 instead of the more traditional $5000 per year. All of these cost me money. It’s quantifiable and it’s significant. So our goal was for more people to be insured? To drive costs down for most Americans? All of these ideas are horrible when trying to keep those goals in mind. Instead, I’d get punished for having the insurance I’ve worked hard to get in order to help my child with type 1 diabetes. But hey, it’s just my opinion.
H1N1 image
I really didn’t want to start out posting after this long with something so negative, but what can I say. We just got back from the doctor’s office where they confirmed he has the flu and based on the other cases they’ve tested recently, they are fairly positive it’s H1N1. We’re hoping that Becky and I don’t get it and of course, hoping that Grayson manages to fight through this quickly. He’s been subscribed the anti-viral med and some phenergan to help his stomach. And for him, that’s the worst part is the nausea without throwing up. On top of that, we’re trying to pump him full of ibuprofen and acetaminophen trying to control his fever. So far, blood sugars have been pretty well under control and no problems with ketones.
I feel bad because yesterday I got onto him about tiring out at the baseball assessments. He was feeling really tired and I thought it was just the Saturday moping around funk… but instead it was the start of the flu.
Update (9/1/2009): Grayson is back to full speed now. His fever only lasted a day and a half… the rest of recovery was just getting over the fatigue he felt and some occassional stomach pain. He never threw up and he never developed a cough or any other symptoms… just fever for a day and half and stomach pain and then of course fatigue. We’re very grateful that that’s all it turned out to be for him. We were able to deal with it all at home (i.e. no trips to the ER). I think the other bad part, really, was him getting picked on at school once he got back with kids saying he had the Swine Flu (which may be true, but was never confirmed).
So we’ve managed to go entirely too long without an update on our site. Post mid-year / start of school resolution is to start blogging again. It’s insane that I’ve not done a better job posting stuff on here. Why bother having a web-site if you don’t post? Rhetorical question… Grayson finished out the regular baseball season a little after school let out. It was my third season to coach but I’m still feeling a little new at it all… especially since this is the third set of rules to play under. This season was machine pitch. Basically, we finished at right around .500, which was pretty respectable. Obviously, everyone would like to win it all, get the big championship trophy, but we had some amazing games nonetheless and it was great to see kids really begin to “get it”. 
After Grayson managed to secure his spot on the 2nd all-star team from our town, we left for a quick vacation before we joined in with the all-star practices and tournaments. First, we headed to Dauphin Island, where Becky’s parents totally hooked us up for a week at a great condo that was large enough for our neighbor’s, the Fox’s, to join us. A week at the beach and out on the boat was seriously much needed to shake off the final hints of pneumonia that I was still struggling with. I think the kids and the adults all had a great time as we really got to kick back and deal with only a few simple questions like which movie we would watch that night or how many packages of peanut M&M’s the adults would eat or how long we’d stay out in the sun that day. Grayson’s blood sugar’s were amazingly good considering the chaotic conditions (swimming and salt water and strange eating schedules) and we only had one difficult high Bg episode to deal with. 
Once we left the beach we headed over to Gainesville to see my parents for a few days. While we were there, we took the trek down to St. Pete to see a Tampa Bay Rays game. This was Grayson’s first MLB game plus his first time to see the inside of a domed baseball stadium. At the end of the game, all the kids were able to run the bases so again, he’s done something I’ve never done… run the bases on a MLB field. At the end of the visit, Becky and I celebrated our 13th anniversary. 
Once we were all back, it was time for all-star team baseball (or travel baseball). Fortunately, our first tournament (for Grayson at least) was in Bethesda (just a few miles from here). Our basic schedule was the same throughout the summer — 2 – 3 hours of practice every night of the week with a few days off here and there and then essentially one tournament a month. The July and August tournaments for us were both in Kentucky. Unfortunately, our team never won a tournament game, but there certainly some nice highlights. And as a whole, Grayson did well. He really wanted to play and he tried extremely hard. He was one of the youngest on the team (and smallest) so it was just hard because he had plenty of work to do to try to play at the higher level of travel baseball. And while I’d say his hitting somewhat declined over the summer, his throwing and catching have continued to improve. And the best part is that he’s still excited about playing more baseball coming up in a few weeks when we start our Fall rec league season. For that, he’s going to be one of the older, more experienced players and I think he’s anxious to get to step up and help lead the team. 
Mixed in with all this baseball stuff, Grayson’s managed to make trips to at least 3 different water parks in the area where he managed to prove just how daring he was willing to be on some of the slides that in past years he’d have never been able to do both because of swimming skill and also height. This only partly makes up for the lack of the “slide pool” back in Georgia that he so dearly loved. Fortunately, his memory of that is fading. But speaking of memories, we managed a quick trip to Georgia as well where we were able to meet up with the Maxwell’s, or almost all of them. I think we were all shocked to see how much Julia and Lauren had grown up. It had been too long since we’d last seen them. We’re sure hoping it won’t be that long again before seeing them next. Also while in the ATL, we went to a Brave’s game where I managed to get us some seriously vertigo inducing seats. We were so high up that I couldn’t judge a homer from an infield popup and worse was that I did experience about 5 minutes where I was completely dizzy and couldn’t have left the place unless someone had carried me out. Fortunately, that passed and we had a good enough time that Grayson asked if we could go to a Brave’s game again someday. I said “yes” but also reminded him that there were 28 other MLB parks left to go to. At a rate of 2 per year, we’re only(wink) 14 years away from seeing them all. After our last tournament in Kentucky, Becky’s parents and our nephew, Nick, came to visit and to celebrate Becky’s birthday. We all had a nice time and it really was a great way to cap off the summer or at least the end of the summer-break. I say that because the severe heat will likely come back for a few more weeks this year. Fortunately, this has been rather mild compared to last summer. Whew! That was a mini-newletter. From now on, I’ve got to do better about posting regularly!
It was bound to happen sometime, and for my intrepid team, it was last night amid the sleet, cutting wind, and unusually cold temperatures. I was unusually effective in my pre-game speech as well, invoking the challenge of the weather and the game as a defining moment kind of question, “Are you tough enough? Do you have what it takes?” Okay, so I’ve read too much John Eldredge… but the kids responded and played some exceptional defense to really help secure the win, 2 to 1.
It was one of those rare moments where position assignments and placement all seemed to work together really well. Of course, I could continue on about how perfect it was. It wasn’t. There were some flaws, some coaching mistakes, some kids not listening, all that, but as a whole, they really played well, I am really proud of them as a team because that’s what it looked like — a team. I’ll admit, I’m a little less stressed now that I have the one win out of the way. I’d also be lying if I didn’t tell you that I’d like to have a winning record. I don’t think that’s going to happen without more hits. If we can start hitting, I think we’ll stay in games, otherwise, our defense is only going to get us so far.
The new season is about to kick off with our first game either Saturday or Monday (depending on the weather), speaking of weather, just back in early March, we had a real treat as you can you see from the picture. It was the first time in my life (especially growing up in Florida) that I’ve had a baseball practice snowed out. Oddly enough, we were able to practice on that once snow-covered field a little over a day later because it melted so fast.
The updates have been, well, obviously long overdue. Work has been absolutely crazy lately, and we’ve all just stayed so busy. I’ve just been dreading writing this first post for the longest time. It’s pretty sad. So I’ve got a list of things to blog about. Now it’s up to me to get them written and posted. For now, I’ve got an email to send out to parents about today’s baseball practice getting cancelled tonight (this time due to rain).
We really did have a Merry Christmas. Santa did great… bringing Grayson his beloved Nintendo DS and we had a house full of family to share the holiday with as Becky’s parents, our niece and nephew and Becky’s brother all joined in for the fun and much feasting on some seriously good food. I mention the food, because Becky’s dad (Dee) grilled us a Turkey as one of many excellent dishes.
As for the New Year, it would have been a lot better had the Gators managed to win their bowl game, but I’ll just have to live with that. Other than that, it’s been awesome spending time with our neighbors again, and getting so off schedule that it’s been hard to go to work again this week. Keep watching for more updates soon. Until then, you can enjoy our entire Christmas Photo Album. Thanks to David Hobby at Strobist.com for the Christmas Day gameplan for my strobe setup for taking pictures. The pictures from the morning are with the popup flash (yuck) but most of the others are with the dual strobe setup recommended by David. Again, lovin’ the strobes.
Okay, I’ve now got the site a bit more updated. There are pictures in the pictures section and the docs section now has every Christmas newsletter (except 1997’s until I manage to find it). Eventually, I’ll get the official picture(s) that went with each year’s letter on there as well. And of course the other news is the seriously updated theme/style that is nearing the point of being complete. I still have the “about” stuff to get filled back in but that will come in the next week or so.
So the posts have been far and few between. I have a list of things to post about and I continue to not post. The only thing I can point out is that I did manage to tweak the look and feel of the site just a bit to make it a little more personal.
Thanksgiving was great. Becky’s parents and our nephew Nicholas came up for the week. And while we didn’t do a ton of stuff, I think everyone had a good time along with the normal “feast” activities. Grayson was thrilled to have Nicholas around and once again we’re so thankful that Nick isn’t too bummed to spend time with his 6-year old cousin. There’s almost exactly 6 and half years difference so right now it’s a pretty big difference. It’s awesome that for a few weeks a year, Grayson gets a big-brother who really treats him even better than a brother probably would.
I’m totally slammed at work right now because it’s the holidays and I’m specifically responsible for software that runs in our retail stores. Once work calms down a bit and I get some things straightened out, I need to post about the end of Grayson’s fall league baseball, Halloween, photography, Vandy’s Diabetes Family Day event and a few other odds and ends.
This past Saturday our team executed a play that I wasn’t too sure that our group of 6 year olds (and one or two 7’s) would manage to pull off — a thrown put out at 1st base. But it happened. A sharp ground ball to Grayson at short (6) and he threw the ball almost perfectly to our 1st basement (3). And for that one moment, it was
Funny thing is that while I felt like doing that would make my season, I suddenly find myself wanting more, which is good, because I want the kids to keep improving, but it’s interesting how reaching a goal quickly turns in to more goals. Some how I don’t think a 4-6-3 double play is going to happen though. But ya never know.