Bye, Bye pump???

It was around this time last year that we began pestering our Endocrinologist for an insulin pump for Little Lady.  We had fumbled through months of poking our girl with needles filled with archaic insulin that forced us to feed her by the clock an already determined 45 carbs.  Anyone who has lived with a toddler knows that schedules and force feedings do not sit well with a spirited youngester.  We were tired and research led us to the Animas 2020 insulin pump.  After many months of waiting and a lot of phone calls we were blessed with a home visit from our nurse educator who sat with us as we learned how to manage Lady's diabetes with this new technology.  Little did we know that we would be dealing with a whole new set of "pump" problems and our miracle treatment plan fell a little short of what we had expected.  It took about a month and a half and a few dozen infusion sites (we call them "stickers"), but we finally conquered the beast and our pump became the needed break in Lady's treatment.  We all began to breathe a little easier at meal times and get better rest at night. 

Now, having given a little of our back story I fast forward to today.  It is almost 100 degrees here (again!) and we will be venturing out to the pool (again!).  To anyone else this may seem like an afternoon well spent, an easy cool down remedy for such a hot day.  Well, to us (or me at least) it means careful planning and preparation.  I am constantly worried about Lady's "sticker" or the part of her pump that sticks to her body and actually delivers the insulin she needs.  How long has it been on?  When is she due for a new one (in a perfect world-every three days)?  Will it come off?  Did I bring extra syringes and insulin if it does?  Will I need to come home early to put the numbing cream on in enough time to actually numb her little booty for a new sticker?  Will that delay nap time?  Can she go without it for a while?  All of these questions race through my mind on a daily basis and now entering our first summer with the pump those questions seem to be reaching warp speed and many more are following suit.  Today is the first day that we are "trying" it without the pump.  That means we're back to three shots a day.  SHOTS-and three a day!  We have been able to take a break from them for almost a year and I think that Lady has forgotten that she has ever had them!  It may take a while for her to get used to them again.  This morning I asked if it would help her to give me a shot first to which she answered,"Yes!".  When it came down to it, she would not even touch the syringe and I had to do it myself.  I'm not sure if watching mom poke herself with a needle helped at all but I'm not above trying anything to help her overcome this fear.  It would be nice to not have to plan our summer days around the pump/sticker, but I have yet to decide if it's worth it.  I'm not sure which is the lesser of two evils but I think that Lady will not be shy about letting me know what she wants.  We shall see...

Whoa!

Now, I realized that it has been a while.  A long while.  It's been over a month since my last update and I was feeling a little bad about not writing until I stepped back and looked at what has happened over this last month or two.  OK folks, hold on to your hats because here comes one heck of an update!

April brought us:

An adult only night out!  Babe and I were able to attend a fundraising gala for a summer camp that I have worked with over the last ten years.  We had the grandparents come down to spend the evening with the girls and we got all dressed up and hit the town!  We had a wonderful evening with good friends and great food and not to mention got to support a great cause!

Just a week later we celebrated Little Lady's third birthday!  Man she is growing up so fast.  It doesn't seem that long ago that we were marking every milestone and counting her age in weeks!  She had a very fun "Princess" party at the park and got to invite all of her friends (including a few of her "Princes" as she likes to call them!)  We also were able to take Lady to Disneyland for her birthday.  We made it a special day for her and left little sister with a sitter so we could dote on her all we could!  We made some wonderful memories!  

                                                                 

My man and I also celebrated our sixth wedding anniversary!  Six years!  That almost seems impossible (not in a bad way!) that time has flown by and it only seems to fly faster the older I get!  We celebrated with a nice quiet evening at home after the kids went to bed.  The weather was so nice that we were able to have an amazing dinner (sans kids) outside and have a whole conversation start to finish without getting interrupted.  I think our days of fancy celebrations will have to be put on hold just for a while until life gets a little less hectic.  We are choosing to grab the accessible moments and really make them count!

On to May!

Little Mama got two new teeth, starting crawling, pulling up on everything, and not sleeping through the night again!  This seemed to happen all at the same time.  I think I just about used up all of my reserve rest and energy and ran on fumes for a little while!  With the help of good friends we were able to get everyone well rested and Little Mama back on her sleep regimen with only a few minor upsets in between.

We had a small scare with Little Mama this month.  While shopping with a friend (who is a nurse) Little Mama began to fuss and I noticed that she seemed a little hot.  We quickly noticed that she was losing her color and becoming lethargic.  The graveness of the situation progressed quickly and we had to call 911.  To the other children's delight a fire truck and ambulance arrived and took Mama and I away.  I thank God for my friend every time I remember this event because without her it would have had an entirely different outcome.  She knew what to do and kept us all calm and even took Lady home with her.  Little Mama simply had a fever that spiked too quickly and was probably minutes from having a seizure.  We later found out that the fever was caused be a case of Roseola (which Lady had the week before!).  By the time we left the hospital she was back to her normal self.  Little Lady was pretty excited that she got to ride in my friends new van and really seemed unfazed by the whole episode.  Although, every time we visit the store where it all took place she tells me, "This is where the ambulance took you and sister for a ride!" or she'll say, "This is where we saw sister change color!"  Both my girls like to keep life exciting for us!

                                                         

I think that I may have covered all of the big ones-there were quite a few so I'll just give you these to chew on.  Hopefully my blogging days are not over, just interrupted (kinda like the conversations Babe and I have over dinner or in the car!)  Here's to an uneventful June.....Ya, right!

This one's for you Dad

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do no be afraid."

John 14:27

We love you, we're living life and most importantly we're praying.....

My budding artist

I came upon Little Lady the other day in the garage where she was keeping her daddy company. We have an easel in the garage stocked with paper, crayons, markers, paints, AKA the "works". Lady loves to use the paints but until recently it was mainly to paint whatever was closest to her. I one time caught her painting her face so that she could make a face print, or how about the time she painted Little Mama a picture (mama was actually still in the womb).

                        

I think her creativity is  ingenious and encourage it in whatever form it comes in (what's a little mess anyway, right?)

What is truly special about yesterday is that when I came upon her this time at the easel she was actually drawing a traditional picture.  I could see her creation taking shape and when I asked her about it this is the conversation ensued:

Me:  That is so beautiful Lady, can you tell me about your drawing?

Lady:  This is Kirstin (a close friend) and here is her hair.  It is beautiful.

Me:  You're right it is very beautiful.  Tell me about this right here (I pointed to a circle she was         drawing on Kirstin's midsection).

Lady:  That is her BABY! 

Cleaning up all of her creative messes didn't seem like such a hassle in that moment.  "Kirstin" had arms, legs, hair, a face with eyes, and even a baby!  Just for the record Kirstin is not actually pregnant, but maybe Lady is somewhat of  a prophet???  Who knows, time will tell!

                        

This is just a phase

I have almost gotten through most of what has been thrown my way on those four little words, "This is Just a Phase". I remember the time Little Lady was just a newborn and she would have these fits of uncontrollable crying. A friend with an older baby told me that it was going to get better, that it was just a phase. I grabbed onto that statement and it became my moto. I would fall back on those words during every difficult stage we encountered as a new couple. Teething, eating, "NO!", potty training... you know the drill- and every time we would come out on the other side of said phase feeling relieved that we had successfully conquered one beast or another.

Fast forward to today, or more accurately last night. Little Mama has decided that sleep is not that important anymore. It's the anymore part that has left me frustrated with this phase. I have decided that it is just not that fun to think that your days of sleeping through the night are finally here and then to be awaken multiple times, repeatedly, over and over again, did I say multiple . Now, don't get me wrong, I know many other parents have had it worse. I am thankful that we did not have to deal with colic, reflux, or anything along those lines, just a few sleepless nights strung together in a seemingly endless phase.

So, if you happen to see me around, please remind me, "This is just a phase" you can even throw in a, "This too shall pass". I know there will come a time when we are dealing with boys, make-up, friend fights and all that comes with teenage girls and I will look back on these days with extreme nostalgia (probably with a tear in my eyes). I guess it doesn't seem that bad, what's a few sleepless nights anyway...

Aaahhh Friends....

They can be like a nice long drink of cool water on a hot day, or a warm cup of hot coco on a chilly night.  Today, for me, they were both.  I have come to the realization that friends can just about get you through anything.  One "pow wow" and just like that things can change.  

When I think back to the day of Little Lady's diagnosis, what sticks out in my mind is the phone call to my friend.  I cannot tell you what was said, but I can tell you that she cried with me and that is it.  Or, when we came home from the hospital to a clean home, our cabinets stocked with diabetic friendly food, and a freshly mowed lawn.  I will never forget looking out at their faces for encouragement when Little Mama was born and how they would stop by bringing a constant stream of meals.

When I look into my "Bowl of Cherries" I come out feeling truly lucky and blessed beyond belief with good, good friends.  Girls to laugh with, cry with, dance with and play with.   Without them who knows where this Mama would be.  Thanks girls!

Here goes nothin'...

I have toyed with the idea of blogging for quite some time.  To add one more thing to my "bowl of cherries" seemed to be too much and I have dismissed the idea many times.  The other night I was franticly searching the internet to find an answer to one of my many diabetes questions and I came across a blog from a guy who had gone through what we were knee deep in.  His words were so encouraging and helpful that I figured if he could do that for me, maybe I could pass on the favor to some other mom (or dad) who might need a little strength every now and then.  I'm still not quite sure if this blog will be about diabetes or more about our life as we navigate through diabetes.  Either way, it should be enjoyable if not eventful!

I have been happily married for six years to a wonderful man (who I will refer to as Babe). Who would have thought six years would fly by so fast!  He keeps me sane and grounded, especially when life gets hectic and I get a little to wrapped up in it all.  Love him so much...

 My oldest daughter (we'll call her Little Lady), who will be three at the end of next month, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes just before her second birthday.  I was three months pregnant with our second baby at the time and had no idea how we would ever manage all that we had just been given.  We have just celebrated the one year mark since our diagnosis and I am pleased to say that diabetes does not run our life like I had initially thought.  We are managing diabetes with an Animas 2020 pump and we love it!  I'm not sure how we'll do it but I'm hoping to upgrade to a pink one soon.  We definitely have our high and low moments (literally) but we are making it and having fun along the way!

My youngest (Little Mama), and last, daughter is six months of pure joy!  I can not believe that God made something so wonderful.  Actually I can when I look around at His creations, but the crazy part is that He gave it to me.  She is the perfect balance to our young family and I love the moments when I can just sit and stare.

Well, to wrap up what has become a lengthy introduction I would like to say, "Hi, blogging world!"  I am hoping that this blog will be a place for me process my thoughts and share my joys and frustrations.  In other words, hopefully this will become a heaping helping of Sugar-Free Cherries for us all!