Who is SugarMama?

Tonight while watching him scarf down a slice of pizza, a bowl of pasta, an entire banana(!), salad, a glass of goat's milk, and some fruit cocktail, I thought, "Shit, have I been feeding him enough?"

Granted, my son is a lean 39 pound, 5 and three-quarters year old who is petite like his folks -- but I really had a moment where I thought that maybe I'd been depriving him of food in order to keep his glucose levels within range. Of course, in the two years since his diagnosis of type 1 (or juvenile) diabetes I haven't made it a practice of withholding healthy food -- however, cookies, candies, juice boxes (my cultural nemisis!), ice cream as well as bananas, honey, maple sugar and generally any high carb/high sugar food is scrutinized, weighed, and carbs calculated before Toby indulges. My skills are sharply honed at caluculating the carbs in both processed and unprocessed foods....one banana? "30 CARBS!" a slice of bread? "15 CARBS!" a glass of plain soy milk? "8 carbs!" a glass of goat's milk? "11 CARBS!" It's as if I'm storing up this knowledge base of sugar calculations in order to be a contestant on Jeopardy where I can slam my fist down on the buzzer and shout out my answer under hot studio lights in the hopes that I might win a trip for two to Acapulco. Of course this knowledge is invaluable everyday with Toby as it helps to keep my little boy alive and healthy. And that is why, I am the SugarMama...bravely challenging CapriSuns given out for school snack and quickly stashing away lollipops administered by well-meaning bank tellers. It's a bird...it's a plane...no, it is SugarMama. :-)

Hmmm...maybe I'll have t-shirts made. Or better yet, a cape. I've always wanted a cape.