The Endo....

DUN DUN DUUNNNN (enter mysterious music here)

I was talking to my friend, NaTasha, on my home from taking the kids to the Endocrinologist yesterday and once she found out where I had been she asked "So was the 'Good Mommy' report ok today?" Let me translate, the only info she really knows about diabetes is what I have taught her. She knows how I feel about the kids A1c and how I automatically relate it to my self esteem. (more on why I do this in a minute) Her little joke about it being my "Good Mommy" report actually made me laugh, mostly because I had good news to report. Not that the appointment wasn't stressful, because it totally was, but their A1c's are not as bad as I had expected.

When I picked the Princess up from school and told her where we were going she almost instantly got grumpy. It came out of left field since she has always loved going to see Dr. Chad and Dr. Swinyard (They really are THE best doctors in the world. I can't say that enough!) She just pouted the entire way there, but when we walked into the office, she flipped out. Need I remind you that she is almost 6? A little too big (in my mind) to be throwing fits like this in public. Problem is though, she has been doing this a lot lately. Imagine this, we where at the bridal store with my sister in law looking at wedding dresses. A 5 year old girl's dream. Something didn't go her way and she ended up on the floor in the middle of the store kicking her feet and screaming and crying. I immediately tested her blood sugar and it was perfectly normal. I was shocked. I tried to deal with it the best I could and put her in a time out and talked to her, but it took her a good 15 - 20 minutes to calm down. Then a few nights later I was trying to get her to drink a glass of milk and she did the same thing. She even headbutted me and made my lip bleed. I went to bed so mad and confused. So in a small way I was happy the Dr. office could witness what was going so I could ask a few questions about it. Problem is though this terrible mood was picked up my my Little Man and he was throwing a fit too. By the time Dr. Chad came in to see us I was sitting in the room crying. We were all a bit of a mess. We talked for a bit and he offered some help. He said that it might be nothing more than her just throwing a fit...being moody. But it could be more (I agree and that is what I was afraid of) nothing major but just stress of life (a hem, is this not all my life consists of?) compounded with 2 kids being diabetic and all of us, including the kids, are in survival mode trying to cope with everything. Our family is just going through a lot right now. So he gave me a few numbers to social workers that deal mainly with families/kids/adolescence/ that have diabetes. He said to see if we can take the family in and find a way to all work through it. This may or may not be needed but I tell you what, I am more that willing to give it a try. I need a little fresh air and this just might be the only way I can find it so I am calling on Monday.

When Dr. Chad and I were talking he said "We all know that even under the stress of life you and your husband are doing a great job. We know this because 'Princess' A1c is 7.4 and 'Little Man's' is at 5.8." I was pretty excited to hear those numbers, but don't get me wrong the first thought that went through my head was "that is why I let the A1c's determine my self esteem because the doctor in a way does." Not that this is bad. For all he knows I could be at home letting my kids eat whatever they want and put on their log sheets whatever I want. The only true test is that darn A1c. Thankfully they are pretty good even after the longest and hardest 2 months of my life.

So we made a few changes with both kids. We all left with smiles mostly because the kids got candy and a toy and I got some help. It was a rough visit, but as NaTasha put it "It seems that it had to happen that way so you could find the answers that you truly needed." She is right!

Little Man is not so little anymore.

We ran out of diapers the night before last night so when my Little Man woke up and needed his diaper changed I thought "I might as well potty train him." He is the same age that I potty trained my other kids so I had thought about doing it sometime soon, but I hadn't planned on doing it yesterday. I wanted to wait a bit. The poor kid has been through a lot in the last few months. First we take away his binky in October (which he was totally attached to) then in November he was diagnosed with Diabetes. I didn't want to change his entire life around in just a few short months. But out of necessity, I kind of did need to do it, or go to the store at 5 in the morning. So I thought I would give it a try.

When I posted on facebook that I was potty training my friend Holly called me a "potty training ninja." (love you Holly!) This comment came right as I was headed out the door to go buy some diapers. LOL! We started and I thought he wasn't ready. I was backing out. Until I read that and thought I can't stop now. That is going against I have ever said about potty training. So I didn't give in and we kept going with it. (thanks Holly!)

I am happy to report that he hasn't had an accident at all in almost 24 hours. He even went potty at the store and the best of all he woke daddy up in the middle of the night to go. No accidents at night even without a diaper or pull up! YAY!

I am super proud of him. I guess he was ready after all!

I am still waiting a few days to see if I can say he was potty trained in one day or not....remember less than one week is my goal. I want to see if he regresses at all today or not. I will give my final thoughts on this in a few days.

Wish us luck!

(Ignore the not so good quality of this picture. Thanks so much)

I over heard her tell her little brother the other day "You're going to grow up to be a really great guy some day! "

As much as I would like to think I "get it" when I talk to other people that are living with diabetes I just can't to it's fullest. But these two can really say to each other that they get it!

That just might be the only reason I would be grateful to have more than one diabetic child.

I had to copy and paste Amy's comment, just because I love it! I did miss some fun things!! Reading this totally makes me laugh! Thanks Amy, I love you!



"Wow!!! What a good recounting of the crazy events!!! You forgot to mention our matching Target hats, the elevator/urinal, NaTasha almost puking from car sickness, signs on EVERY shop door stating "We DO NOT SELL UMBRELLAS OR RAIN BOOTS!",the dead dog story (sniff, poor Waldo), asking every passerby WHERE they got their cute galoshes, are Creme de la Crepe...that smelled like moldy dog! hahaha Obviously I had a SUPER time too!!! I love you so much and I am so glad we got to blow off a little steam! We are DEFINITELY going again!!! <3"

Ahhh...I love these girls!

Dear NaTasha and Amy,

I had the best time in Long Beach with you! We should do it once a week. Ok maybe once a month! Either way, we MUST do it again! I came home feeling refreshed and like me again.

There aren't many people that can say they flew to Long Beach, spent the entire day chatting in the hotel room and watching TV and still loved it! The shopping the next day was awesome too! Even in the pouring rain! Too bad we never did find the golashes, but I think I came home with THE coolest umbrella ever!

I am still thanking the heavens above for my cat like reflexes that saved our lives when I realized I was driving down the street going the wrong way, and for Karen the Computer Wife (aka the GPS) for helping us get back on track when I missed the freeway exit twice in a row.

There are a few things that will never be the same though. Like making waffles. Who knew they were so hard to make? And my elbow. With holding the extra small umbrella and everything else in my hand I swear I didn't see that pole right in front of me. Too bad my face was the last thing to see it.

I can't stop laughing about our miss-booking for our 2 double beds for our 2nd night there! Expedia really needs to be told that the "Dreamcatcher Room" is not suitable for 3 adult, heterosexual woman, and that it infact does NOT have 2 double beds. The owners were really nice and it was cute despite the 2 headless women in the hallway. Honestly, there would have been a better story to tell if we actually did stay there. I think I better keep the "theme rooms" for a stay with just me and my hubby! LOL!

We need to be grateful that this trip was still able to happen. I can't believe that the night before we left the airport was closed down because it had flooded. We made it though and walking through a river to get inside the airport was not really all that bad. The stress of the flight home was a little more than I could bear. Leaving the two of you to sleep in the airport (since you refused to spend the night together in the "lover's lounge") was not what I wanted to do. THANK GOODNESS they packed us all onto that flight like sardines. Well maybe I felt a little more like a sardine because I was strapped to a board at the very back of plane squished next to 2 other strangers, and left to fly backwards. Did I tell you yet that flying jumpseat isn't very fun? Who cares though, because we all made it home together!

Really, let's do this again soon!

Much Love,
Shannon

Wanna know?

Incase you care...

~My laptop doesn't have photoshop on it. I can't post pictures here cuz all I shoot in is RAW and I can't resize them. Hence the lack of "cuteness" on my blog.

~I am happy today. Really happy. And I don't know what makes today any different than any other not so fun day, but I am taking it! It has been awhile.

~My sister in law got engaged and I am SUPER DUPER happy for her! She is marrying a great guy and they will live happily ever after. I am sure of that!

~My trip to Long Beach was FANTASTIC!! I needed to just go away and hang out. We went on a 2 day hunt for golashes and umbrellas. I bought THE last umbrella in all of Southern California and it was a Lightning McQueen one. Little Man was one happy camper when I brought it home! I honestly loved every minute of my little getaway! Next time I am hoping to hop on a plane and getaway with my hubby. Now wouldn't that be awesome?

~My little speech for the JDRF was rescheduled. Someone got word that I was coming and started to 2nd guess the whole thing all together. Ok not really, but I was getting really excited about it. Now I just have more time to polish my lame jokes and find a talent for not crying in public.

~Little Dude has found a series of books that have him totally engrossed in reading lately. Anyone ever read The Adventures of Captain Underpants? I swear they were written for him. I even laugh out loud when reading them. Reading time is quite enjoyable at our house lately.

~I found out why Little Dude has been sneaking so much food lately. First let me tell you that he doesn't know how to tell anyone that he feels low yet. The only thing that I have been able to catch on to is when he says "Mommy, I need you." That means that he is a not well. But I have realized that when he has been getting into the food he is low. This has been hard for me to catch on to, but lately when I test him after he has gotten into the food he hasn't gone "too" high. I think that his breakfast carb ratio is too high. We shall see, a few more days of monitoring really close and I might need to make a few changes.

~I am totally addicted to The Bachelor. I don't even know how it happened. It got recorded on my DVR on accident and now my hubby and I find ourselves on the couch every week. Insane I tell you. But don't worry my heart still belongs to American Idol.

~My kids woke up this morning with some really tough questions that they wanted me to answer while I was still half asleep. Really! Check it out! The VERY first thing my Princess asks me before she is even out of bed all the way "Why do we need belly buttons?"


There now you know just about everything there is to know about my last week. Consider yourself updated by another really lame bullet point post.

your welcome :)

Call me crazy....

It's ok everyone else does.

But I feel I have a few good excuses.

The first being diabetes.

The second is having two kids with diabetes.

Ok I know I use that as an excuse for everything. I find myself telling random people to "Oh just ignore my crazy children. They are a little high right now."

Never do I realize that person doesn't get it.

However, I do enjoy the times when I ask the kids in public if they are high and someone hears it then gives me a nasty look. Do they REALLY TRULY think that my 5 year old and 2 year old are ACTUALLY high on drugs? Come on! These are moments every parent of a diabetic has and enjoys. Call it one of the very few perks.

I have been reading over some of my blog posts lately and I have decided reading my blog isn't any fun anymore. All I do is complain or talk about diabetes. Or complain about diabetes. I do have a life outside of diabetes. And believe it or not, I actually do have another child. You may not remember though, he is the older non-diabetic one. Poor kid has been getting the shaft here on my blog. Lots of things are actually. I kind of miss posting about non diabetic things.

But don't fear, I am leaving diabetes all together for a few days. When I get back I am going to be refreshed and ready to be my old self again. Hopefully anyway. And if not then you can just keep calling me crazy.

A few questions.

Ok I have a few questions for some of my D-moms out there.

#1 We got a blood ketone tester and I am still trying to figure out what the results mean. My tired little brain just can't seem to understand the instructions book.

#2 It seems like my Little Man can not stop eating! I am sure that being 2 and being restricted to when he can eat makes him want to rebel and eat all the time. But how do I know that I am not starving him?

and last but not least

#3 How do we do this everyday and stay sane again?

Love you guys! Thanks in advance for all your help!

Bullet Point Update....because I am to lazy to do anything else.

It is so hard for me to concentrate on anything lately. Which is why I haven't been blogging very much. I felt I needed to at least do an update to keep this blog going. So here you go another bullet point update.

- There was a HUGE weight lifted off my shoulders today. As some of you know as of Jan. 1st our insurance for the kids had to be reviewed. I was afraid that we weren't going to qualify due to income circumstances. Since the care for both of my diabetics alone costs me more than my mortgage payment, this has been something that I have been VERY stressed over. I got a call from them this morning basically telling me we didn't qualify. I cried on the phone...with a guy...a stranger.... I felt pretty pathetic. But he kept asking more questions about our income and such and found out there we do indeed qualify!!! But only for a few more months. I will take it. Then stress about it in April! I can't tell you how happy this made me!

- So since we will now have insurance for a few more months that means that my little man can get a pump next month!!!! He isn't ready for it, but we are still going to get it for when he is ready. Since the insurance covers it 100% we figure now is the time to get it.

- My hubby has been working lots of hours lately. This is great news for us. Last year at this time (and pretty much all year long) hours were a little hard to come by. I am super proud of him handling it the way he does and his willingness to work hard for our family! I love that guy!

-Speaking of my hubby he is training to do a triathlon this summer. He has been running and working out like crazy! He has been loving it! I can't wait to cheer him on!

- I got an email today from the JDRF asking if my Princess, my Little Man and I would be willing to speak at a luncheon for all the Merit Medical employees in a few weeks. I guess they have agreed to sponsor the Walk for a Cure this year and they are having a luncheon to kick off the fundraising and they wanted a family come in and talk about our lives with diabetes and why we want a cure. I am scared and honored to do this! I cried when I got the email. How am I going to stand in front of 100+ people and talk about it without loosing it? Oh well, go for the impact I guess! Princess can't wait for it!

- My new work schedule is in full swing and so far I love it! I get Saturday's off and even better I get to go back to church! I love it!

- My Little Dude is amazing! Super helpful and super smart. I have been finding things all over the house lately of him drawing pictures and writing captions on them. He even started writing a book. I can't tell you how creative he is! I will have to scan the pages in so you can see them! I am so proud of him and the success he has had this year!

- Although he is a good kid, Dude is feeling sort of a minority lately. He keeps saying things like "the diabetics are in the other room, can I have a bowl of ice cream?" Even though he doesn't have diabetes he is still trying to learn a new way of life right now too!

- I have been trying to hold things together here. I don't feel I am doing the greatest job most days and I try to not fall into a pit of depression, but when something wonderful happens there is much celebration! I have been trying to love myself more and not be so hard on myself and each day is a struggle. I am so thankful for friends and family that are supporting me and guiding me each day! I would have fallen hard a long time ago if it weren't for the wonderful people in my life.

- So I think that I might need to go get my thyroid checked again. I have been feeling really sluggish and tired almost all the time. I can't concentrate on anything for too long and I keep forgetting things. Maybe it is my environment, but I have a feeling it is my thyroid giving me problems again. Maybe it is a mixture of both!

- Last Saturday we had a day filled with taking pictures, and it wasn't me taking them this time (which was kind of nice actually) My parents, siblings and all of our kids had a big family picture taken. It was really fun and I can't wait to see them! Then shortly after we ran to Sugarhouse Park and the photographer for the Utah Jazz took our pictures for the JDRF. That was really cool too! They just took pictures of us playing. I can't wait to see those too!

Well ok, that is enough for tonight. Gotta go check blood sugar, make sure homework and reading got done, the get kids ready for bed.

If you made it this far through my long boring post you deserve a cookie! Oh and a thank you! THANKS!

I am so tired.

Diabetes is a beast sometimes.

I wish I could just forget about it sometimes.

I have so much to say but all my mind can muster most of the time is planning when I get to take a nap.

Maybe diabetes isn't the culprit, maybe there is something wrong with me.

I guess going to bed after 12 doesn't help.

Looking for Santa.

I left my computer unattended for just a few minutes.

When I came back I saw my kids all huddled around my computer looking at it. I asked them

what they were up to and this is what I found typed into the google search bar....

"wer is sata"

You know... Where is Santa?

Christmas time is the best don't you think?

Work Hazzard.

One of my favorite parts of my JetBlue training class when I first got my job was when security came in and talked to us about why airports have certain rules and what terrorists have tried to do in the past. I know this sounds crazy but honestly I was appalled by how people would try to blow sometime up, or how they would try to smuggle prohibited items onto the aircraft. All I could think is that there are some CRAZY people in this world.

In part of that training they handed out yellow cards to everyone that had a list of questions on it. Questions like Where is it right now? What does it look like? Did you place it? and my favorite What will cause it to explode? This is a Bomb threat card that is intended to be placed by every computer in case of someone calling in a bomb threat. I got the card and neatly tucked it into my desk and thought "OH I am never going to need this."

Well yesterday when I actually received a bomb threat at work the last thing I was thinking about is that crazy yellow card.

It was my last call of the day and I answer with me same "Thank you for calling JetBlue. This is Shannon how can I help you today?" and the person on the other end of the phone started telling me about JetBlue flight #___ going from ___ to ___ today will have a bomb on it. (I will not put the flight info in here just to be safe but she did say very specific which flight.) Then she repeated it again. My tired little brain was trying to process what she just said "did I really just hear what I thought I heard?" Crap! That is exactly what I heard. I started to say something but she mumbled something to me really fast then hung up. The phone call was exactly 19 seconds long.

I panicked.

I reported it like I was supposed to. Then shut down my computer and went upstairs totally shaken. I figured that most likely it was a hoax, or someone that was really mad, but I kept thinking what if it wasn't? Well, I did what I was supposed to do and that was that.

Or so I thought.

A little while later I got a call from Security saying that they had reviewed the phone call and they are taking it very seriously. (they have to even if it is a hoax) She asked if I was ok. I told her I was shaken, but I was alright. Then she said (as a joke I might add) "how does it feel to have been called a nasty name by a terrorist?" WHAT??? I must have missed that. She said that at the end when she was mumbling something she called me a nasty name. I had no idea I was still trying process what had happened. Kind of funny if you ask me though.

I was a little nervous all day. I kept checking on the flight to see if it was ok. I knew my nerves weren't going to calm down until it landed safely. It looked fine all day right up until it was supposed to depart then it was delayed. It got a little bit more delayed while in the air, but it did arrive safely.

And I was able to go to sleep sound knowing I foiled a terrorist plan.....ok maybe not.

Low

One year ago (almost to the day) we experienced a low blood sugar of 29 and I hoped to never ever see that number again.

Well today I was working when Little Dude came down and without a saying a word (he knows he will get in big trouble if he says anything while I am on the phones) he wrote on my white board next to me that said.....

Princess (well her real name) 29

I put my phone on mute and asked him if that we her blood sugar. He said it was but daddy was taking care of it.

I had a break after that call so I ran upstairs to see what happened. Apparently after her breakfast the Princess got into the bath. When she had gotten out of the bath she yelled to her daddy to come get her dressed. He was in the middle of something so he asked her if she could do it herself. I guess she yelled back to him that she couldn't and she needed him to test her. He said he went into her room and she was laying on the floor naked, still soaking wet, and not really moving. He tested her and she was at 29.

I hate lows like this. They are so scary! It took her a little while to start feeling better, but the image of her laying naked on the floor not able to do anything is haunting my brain. The what ifs won't stop. I have kept a close eye on her all day since her day has been filled with lows.

The little turkey knows it too so guess what she did this evening? We were headed out somewhere and I was trying to round up the kids. I couldn't find her. Her coat and shoes were still out but she was no where to be found. I started to panic that she was passed out somewhere and started to yell her name and looking all over for her. When I walked into the hallway she opened the closet and came out. She thought she was being tricky to play a prank on mommy. I laughed, but I had to tell her how I really was worried about her. Silly girl.

The Circle of Friends Award

Oh, I am so lucky to have been tagged by two friends for the Circle of Friends Award. Thank you Meri and Shamae!

In accepting this award I need to list 5 things that I am grateful for. This list is easy to come by since I have so many things I am grateful for! So in no particular order here is my list.

1~ My Hubby. I am grateful for his sense of humor, and his love of movies, baking, gardening and canning. He picks up the pieces when I feel overwhelmed. He works very hard for this family and everything that we have. He holds me at night and plays with my hair while he trys to fall asleep, and I love it. Everything about him makes me grateful that we will be together for ever.

2~ My kids. I love how creative and fun they are. I love that they still like to cuddle and I love that they are always trying to make each other laugh. They are always on the move, but I am grateful that they would rather be outside playing (even when it is 9 degrees outside) than sitting in the house playing video games. They are helpful and thoughtful too. I have learned a lot from my kids and I am grateful they were sent to our family.

3~ The rest of my family. I can honestly say that I wouldn't be where I am today without them. They have helped me in so many ways. Each one of them are an example to me in some way. I cherish each relationship I have with them.

4~The Gospel. My testimony is what assures me that I am not alone in my trials. There is a greater plan for me and my family and without that knowledge I don't know how I could go on.

5~ The D-mom community. They have shed tears with me when Little Man was diagnosed. They have sent supplies to me when I refused to use the horrible infusion sets. They send me comments and messages of encouragement at the times I most need it. They have offered advice and support beyond measure. And they have laughed with me when it is time to stop crying and look at the joy in life. Diabetes isn't something that I thought would be a part of our family, but I won't change these friendships for the world.

Now it is my turn to award 5 people.

Tristan

Tracie :)

Greg and Angie

and I just checked and all the other D-mom's have been tagged....if I have missed you, please consider this your official tag.

Insurance

Alright so I have some good news and bad news about our insurance issues. I know most of you may not really even care, but I know there are some that will rejoice with me!

First let me start off by saying that we are in the middle of trying to get qualified for insurance again. I woke up half way to a panic attack early this morning. I had been dreaming about insurance issues and stuff so it must have sent my body into fight mode. Crappy thing is that it is real life stuff that I was dreaming about...I wish it were a dream. So really the panic hasn't really gone away yet. I am so paranoid that we won't have insurance again after the end of this month! This is where I need to learn to have more faith! It will work out. I know that it always does.

Anyway back to the good and bad news.

The bad.

We have been trying to get Little Man a pump before the end of the month. Not that he is ready to use it, but just so we will have it in case we don't get qualified for insurance. We thought things would be ok until I got a call saying that they require 3 months of glucose logs showing that we test him more than 3 times a day. Since he was diagnosed in November we have to wait until February to get the pump. This is where I am praying and praying and praying that we have insurance after this month!

So on to the good.

In that same phone call I was telling the lady about the Dr. note that I have stating my Little Princess can not use the infusion sets the insurance will cover. I really just wanted to know where I needed to send it to. She told me that they initially did it to save money but they have since realized that it wasn't saving any money in the long run. The infusion sets only last 2 days so they were needing to pay for more supply and this wasn't saving them money. PLUS (get this!) They had SO MANY COMPLAINTS about the pain, bruising, and bleeding that they were causing that they realized they needed to change back! YAY! They do have a heart! So this means that the insurance will now cover the GOOD infusion sets again! We are so happy! But again... this isn't going to do me any good if I don't have insurance next month! BUT STILL YAY!!!!!

Mommy Going Crazy....a year at one glance.

I was sitting here tonight reading some of my older posts. I love doing that. I love being taken back into my own history. Things get forgotten as time goes by so to step back into that time and place again is refreshing to me. I quickly realize how far we have come, how blessed we are, and how time is so so precious. This is the reason why I blog people! It is my personal history.

So much has happened this year. I still don't quite know how to feel about all of it yet. So many things haven't worked themselves out yet. Then there are those things that I can clearly see why they happened. I see the highs and lows and I am not sure where I stand most of the time. But then I look to my right, then to my left and I see my amazing husband and my adorable kids right there next to me. That is all that matters. Who cares where we are on the path, as long as we are all traveling together right?

As I mentioned before this year has been full of emotion, trials, blessings, and miracles. With the new year right around the corner, and the celebration of the first 10 years of our family coming soon, I felt that we needed to honor 2009 and the lessons learned within it. By doing so I want to share with you my favorite post of the year.

~Impromptu. Posted on Jan. 19, 2009

~When I was a kid... Posted on Feb. 19, 2009

~Never Never Land vs Reality Posted on March 16, 2009

~She can do it. Posted March 24, 2009

~The Office. Posted on April 9, 2009

~I know you were all dying to know. Posted April 10, 2009

~Tis the season for baseball. Posted May 1, 2008

~It broke my heart. Posted May 5, 2009

~Struggle. Posted June 1, 2009

~Weekly Bon Fire. Posted June 25, 2009

~Family Adventure -Deer Valley Picnic. Posted July 6, 2009

~This Girl Has a Story. Posted on Aug. 4, 2009

~Him. Posted Sept. 15, 2009

~Sundays. Posted Sept. 20, 2009

~Simple but true. Posted Oct. 6, 2009

~The Anniversary. Posted Nov. 11, 2009

~The Day Actually Came. Posted Nov. 16, 2009


Each of my posts have a special meaning to me, but each post on this list means so much more.

I am really looking forward to 2010. It might be a little too early still, but I am going to say it anyway....2010 is "THE YEAR". You know THE year for success, for health, for hopefully a little less stress, a little more learning, a lot more loving and tons more giving back. And if not, then I will forever be grateful for what I learn along the way with whatever happens.

The endo went well today. It seemed we were there forever and I kept my cool the entire time.

Here are the stats:

Little Princess
She is always high. Always. So in the last few weeks we have changed everything. Her carb ratios, her basal rates, and her correction amounts. It seems nothing works. Her A1c is now 8.3. Higher, but it could be worse. And like I said before, I totally saw this coming. We just have to keep changing things until we get it right. The doctor assured me that it isn't anything that we are doing wrong. It is just because she is coming out of (or is officially out of) her honeymoon stage.

We talked again about the infusion sets. He said there is another patient of his that is having the same problems. He wrote us a letter to provide to the insurance company stating that we can't use the other ones because it causes bleeding, redness, bruising, and more frequent changes. He said that if that doesn't work he will see what else he can do. This was pretty good news to me!

Little Man
He is still doing good. His A1c is 5.8. Pretty dang good! We caught the diagnosis so early on that he will have a pretty long honeymoon stage. He does get insulin at every meal. It is a super small amount at 1/4 of a unit for every 20 carbs he eats. (and since most doctors don't go into the 1/4 units that would be 1 unit for every 80 carbs. See I told you it was a small amount) He isn't using Lantus or any other long lasting insulin. If we weren't giving him insulin at meals though he would have a much higher A1c. There have been a few times that he has snuck foods and his blood sugar jumps up way high. So if we can just keep things going the way we are for awhile then we can take the stress off his pancreas and hopefully his honeymoon will last a little while longer.

We are ordering him a pump though. We hopefully will have it by the end of the month. He won't be using it just yet, but since we don't know what we are going to be doing about insurance at the end of the month we wanted to get it while it was paid for. That way we will be prepared for when the time comes that he will need it.

He is still learning to be brave. He really doesn't mind the finger pokes too much. But when it comes time to give the insulin shot he kicks and screams. It takes one of us to hold him and the other to give the shot. It hurts to have to do that, but someday he will get used to it. Then way later down the road he will understand that we do it to keep him healthy. He is starting to ask how many carbs are in foods though. It makes me laugh that a 2 year old thinks about that kind of stuff.

So there we have it. Another diabetes related post. Sometime I will be able to write about something else. Hey maybe I will post about Dude's new found talent! That kid is AMAZING! Stay tuned for that one, you will be blown away!

Happy Endo Appointment Day!

With two diabetic kids in our house this might as well be a holiday right? The day where our world of school, work, cleaning and playing stands still while we make the 2.5 mile trip to the Endocrinologist for the afternoon.

When it was just the Princess that was diabetic, going to the Endo caused enough stress for me to last a week. Worried about changes, what the doctor was going to say and then there is the DREADED A1c. OH THE STRESS OF THE A1C! And now there are two! Two A1c's to worry about!

How did I go from worrying about my hair, outfit or makeup to determine my self esteem to that crazy A1c number?

Well I tell you what. I am not going to worry today. Cuz' I know I am doing the best I can. I know November wasn't perfect. I was there when the Princess was so sick because of high glucose numbers with the lovely ketones that followed. I was also there when the Little Man was diagnosed with diabetes. And I even had to install a lock on the pantry door because I saw the effects of what my son's love of Cheerios has on his blood sugar when he sneaks a hand full of them. Our life flipped all around again this month and I just can't be expected to be perfect....right?

So this afternoon when I take the Princess and Little Man to see the Endo I am going to walk in there calmly. I am not going to get after the kids when they start playing with the window coverings, or taking out all the books. I am not going to get grumpy when the A1c's come back and they are higher than expected. I am just going to tell myself with every step out of the office and across the bridge to my car that I AM DOING THE BEST THAT I CAN! And leave it at that!

And maybe, JUST MAYBE we will come home and eat cookies. Just to prove that I am still in control.

As if you really wanted to know this about me.

My computer threatened to die on me the other day. Ok actually it really is on it's way out. (I need to hurry and back everything up while I can) But I didn't have a chance to read anyone's blogs until today. I read that Chasiti tagged me to do this. So now it is my turn for me to tell you a bunch of useless crap about me! Ha Ha!

1. Do you like bleu cheese? No way! Can't stand even the thought. I am really picky about my food and anything that has to do with mold.

2. Have you ever smoked? No. Gross.

3. Do you own a gun? Hubby has one. He wishes he had more.

4. Favorite type of Food? This is easy, by far Mexican...or lettuce wraps from Pei Wei. YUMMY!

5. Favorite type of music? I love music and will pretty much listen to anything.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? I think they are fine. Love to give them to the kids for a low carb lunch.

7. Favorite Christmas movie? Christmas Vacation.

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Water.

9. Can you do push ups? Not many, but some.

10. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? My wedding ring.

11. Favorite hobby? Hummm....blogging, photography, sleeping...oh that isn't a hobby? Ok fine. There are some that I used to do that I totally miss like Mtn. Biking, snowboarding, and playing the guitar.

12. Do you have A. D. D.? Quite the opposite actually. I think that I am a little too laid back. I wish that I could be a little more ADD about some things then maybe they will get done.

13. Do you wear glasses/contacts? Yea, but only when I have to. I hate wearing them. It seems as though I would rather not see then put contacts in or wear my glasses.

14. Middle name? I am actually pretty proud of my middle name....Rae.

15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: 1) that cologne that my 2 year old got into smells like poop when that is all that you can smell. 2) can't wait for our Sunday night Holiday Movie night. 3) I have the best friends and family a girl could ever ask for.....can I add a 4th? This is my thing so I am adding it....4)I really want another piece of pie my hubby made. It is SO YUMMY!

16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink: Dr. Pepper, Crystal Light, water

17. Current worry? Seriously? Do ANY of you have the time for me to list my current worries? If anyone has read my blog in the past 2 years you will know my current worries....or even read it in the last 2 weeks for that matter. I am not listing them....I will totally sound pathetic.

18. Current hate right now? The smell of that NASTY cologne. Why does he have to get into everything? Silly boy.

19. Favorite place to be? Doing anything with my hubby and kids.

20. How did you bring in the new year? Watching movies and eating yummy treats at our house. I loved having my sister in law here from Texas. I hope she can be here again this year!

21. Someplace you’d like to go? Anywhere JetBlue flys to. I want to be able to say I have used my benefits sometime.

22. Name three people who will complete this. I have been away from the blogging world for a few too many days and I have no idea who hasn't done it. I guess if you are one of them, consider yourself tagged. :)

23. Do you own slippers? Do I own slippers? What a funny question actually. Last year when my princess was diagnosed my friend Cari took me shopping. She bought me a cute pair of slippers and said that life is better when you have a cute pair of slippers. A few weeks ago when my little Man was in the hospital she brought me another pair. Now I have two cute pairs to remind me how sweet life is....when you have a pair of slippers.

24. What color shirt are you wearing? Green and white

25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? No. I hate getting in them slipping right back out.

26. Can you whistle? Yes, my princess is the master at it. She will whistle non stop!

27. Where are you now? Home, watching my hubby play Pain on the PlayStation.

28. Would you be a pirate? What a strange question, but I think I would get sea sick.

29. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't sing much in the shower, I do math....Long story.

30. Favorite Girl’s Name? What we named Little Princess.

31. Favorite boy’s name? What we named Little Dude and Little Man....so what if I don't announce their names on my blog.

32. What is in your pocket right now? Don't have pockets in jammies.

33. Last thing that made you laugh? www.peopleofwalmart.com HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

34. What vehicle do you drive? Chrysler 300 or my Jeep Grand Cherokee

35. Worst injury you’ve ever had? Let's see, I knocked out all 4 of my front teeth when I was really little. It took them almost 5 years to come back in. Or there was the time that I dropped the curling iron in my eye and burned the surface of my eye. Or maybe its the fact that I have broken my right arm 3 times....It's gotta be one of those. :)

36. Do you love where you live? Yes, I love it! I don't ever want to move.

37. How many TVs do you have in your house? 3 One in the family room, one in my bedroom then a little tiny one downstairs where we work out.

38. How many computers do you have in your house? 4. My lap top, my hubby's lap top, one in our office, then my work computer.

39. If you changed your job, what would it be? When my kids are all grown up I want to go to school to be a CNA or a Radiology tech.

40. If you were granted three wishes, what would they be? 1) a cure for diabetes so my kids wouldn't have to suffer. 2) that we could never worry about finances again 3) That we could travel more as a family.

The Not So Good Infusion Sets

Interesting picture I know! But I have to post it.

This is to follow up with the "new" infusion sites we have to use. The first time we used it the site got a little infected and we had to change it after 2 days. The second time we used it this is what happened. Do you see the big bruise where the needle sits? I don't even need to explain the blood.

This stinks!

I plan on using these pictures to show the insurance if I have to. I just don't think I should make her be in pain just because the insurance says we have to use these.