Updates...

Hi all!

Some updates regarding the fam:

Noah is doing really well. He's making attempts at crawling (by scooting backwards), has figured out the pincer grasp concept, screams for his "da-da" when mommy doesn't appear to cave upon demand, eats big boy food, and flirts shamlessly with every female within a five yard radius. The head tilt and cheesy grin are his favorite moves...it has a 99.5% success rate with the ladies. For those of you guys who are still single...take notes from the kid!

Chris is finishing up his Master's, with just a few more classes to go, while simultaneously completing Naval War College JPME (Joint Professional Military Education) Phase I certification. By February, both should be complete. He's managed to pull this off despite working 10-12 hour days, making frequent trips away from home, while still finding time to spend with me and Noah. It's amazing how he manages his time!

I have just started my next to last semester of graduate school....VERY EXCITING! The plan is to have my Master's completed by December so that I can begin working towards a financial counseling certification that I have applied for. It's an 18 month fellowship that should take me well into our time in Hawaii. I've also contacted several non-profits and look forward to collaborating with them on grant proposals in the near future.

For those of you who have gotten word regarding my hospitalization last week, I'm out and doing well. We were devastated, at first, with some pretty hard news, but we're coping well and taking positive steps towards conquering "the enemy."

Last Thursday, I was admitted overnight for extremely high glucose levels--my glucometer wasn't even registering they were so high (the nurse said most people like that don't walk in with numbers that high. They come in on a stretcher. Someone is definitely watching over me!). It unfortunately appears to be the result of Type 2 diabetes. We won't know for sure until the tests come back and rule out Type 1. Either way, I will have to carefully monitor my blood sugars and maintain a strict diet and exercise regiment for the rest of my life. The good news is that I'm otherwise healthy--very slender, low blood pressure, kidney/liver/heart functions are normal--so if I can get my blood sugars under control, it shouldn't be too much of an uphill battle. Chris and I already eat fairly healthy, so my only problem area is finding time to work out seven days a week while managing both school and Noah. Otherwise, things are good and the doctor hopes we can avoid any insulin dependency. My weight is still dropping, but I'm hoping to prevent any further weight loss by correcting my glucose levels. I'm at a perfect size for my height and I really don't want to get any smaller. Maybe more buff, though! A six-pack would be awesome! ;)

Just wanted to update you all as I'm sure you've heard rumors and wanted to be more aware of what was going on. We still don't have any solid confirmation yet, but the internal medicine doc answered a lot of our concerns. This is definitely a scary time for us, but as always, Chris and I rely heavily upon our faith to pull us through. It's worked thus far and we pray that every day will only reveal good news and positive results. We're very blessed to have caught this in time and without any permanent damage to speak of. For that, we're extremely thankful!

Your prayers and thoughts are welcome. Please don't hestitate to touch base with us if you have any questions, thoughts, or concerns as well. We'll keep you posted as more information is made available.

Love to all,

Amanda (and Chris and Noah)