2008 In Review

This past year has certainly been a roller coaster ride. Much like day to day life with diabetes. I'll try to re-cap as best as I can :)

January~
I was suffering from a bad round of bronchitis and a sinus infection. I'd been coughing for weeks and waiting way too long before going to the doc. I was put on Augmentin...within 2 days I broke out in hives. Not just a small patch either...these were all over the body, scratch your back against the wall, feel like your skin is crawling hives! I ended up on Prednisone for a week! *grumbles* Not starting off the new year too great!

My Mom's 55th birthday.

Kayleigh starts her period...yikes!

My brother's 10th Anniversary (way to go bro!)

Kacey cuts her hair....8 inches gone!

We take the girls to see the Monster Trucks and Arena Motorcross

February~

Kacey starts her bowling league again

Kayleigh plays indoor field hockey

I suffer thru a teeth cleaning at the dentist (OMG I hate the dentist!)

Start to plan the surprise party for Frankie

March~

Kacey turns 8 years old!

Frankie turns 40 years old!

Throw a surprise 40th birthday party for Frankie. He thought he was coming to Kacey's birthday and it was his own! Kacey played a huge part in keeping the secret :) and she gave up having a party so we could give him a party...something he's never had!

Both girls get their teeth cleaned

Leave the girls overnight to go to The Funny Bone (a comedy club) and spend some time with friends we haven't been out with in a while.

Busch Gardens opens :)

Kacey takes a class trip to Norfolk Zoo. The first fieldtrip Frankie has been able to get off work and go on. It happened to be the same day as his birthday so he spent it at the zoo with her!

We took the girls to see Bull Riding

April~

SPRING BREAK!!

Kayleigh starts conditioning with the high school field hockey team. Tryouts are in Aug!

Having more "female" problems. I'm really starting to think more is wrong than they think.

More Busch Gardens

May~

More ultrasounds on those female parts that don't work anyway!

Mother's Day

Kacey's bowling tournament

My brother gets promoted to chief in the USCG (congrats bro!)

Kayleigh's hockey season banquet

More Busch Gardens

Water Country opens

My brother and his family come to visit before traveling across the USA to Hawaii where they will be stationed for 3yrs *cry*

Kayleigh starts the Wilton cake classes

Kacey finishes up her bowling season

June~

Kacey starts softball

Kayleigh starts summer outdoor field hockey

Kayleigh's Academic Excellence awards ceremony

Kayleigh's first formal dance

Pre-op for my surgery- Endometrial Ablation

Surgery

Spend some time laying on the beach recovering :)

SUMMER BREAK starts

July~

Kacey still playing softball

Kayleigh still playing field hockey

More time on the beach

Kayleigh starts 2nd cake class

DIABETES DIAGNOSIS- 3 days in the Pediatric ICU

Kayleigh to eye doctor for contacts

Diabetes Sweeties team starts to form

Diabetes Sweeties blog starts

August~

My 33rd Birthday (although I will always be 32! heehee!)

I cut 7 inches off my hair!

Kayleigh starts tryouts for the JV hockey team

CHKD Diabetes Carnival

Open house for school- Kayleigh 9th grade and Kacey 3rd grade

Meet with Kacey's school nurse to discuss her care

Meet with Kacey's new teachers to discuss her care

More Busch Gardens

September~

BACK TO SCHOOL- One of the scariest days of my life! This was the first time since diagnosis that I let Kacey be away from me at all. Nervous. Scared. Sick. And yes I cried....ALOT!

Josh Gracin in concert

Kacey starts bowling again

Kayleigh makes the JV high school field hockey team!

Kacey goes back for her first Endo check up since diagnosis

Kayleigh starts her 3rd cake class

I attend the volunteer meeting/orientation at Kaceys school

Howl-O-Scream starts at Busch Gardens

Kayleigh turns 14 years old

Kayleigh gets asked to Homecoming Dance

Kayleigh gets her first boyfriend

October~

Homecoming parade/football game

Homecoming Dance

Bale sale/Jewelry sale to raise money for the JDRF Walk

Our first JDRF Walk to a Cure- 45 walkers came to support our team

Pumpkin carving

Halloween

JV field hockey season ends and Kayleigh gets her JV letter. The team went UNDEFEATED this year! (Go Dukes!)

November~

I start to volunteer almost full time at Kacey's school

Fall Festival

This month 12 years ago I met Frankie

Happy Thanksgiving

December~

Frankie's sister comes to visit. We haven't seen her in 7 years!

I attend substitute training to be a sub in Kacey's school

Kacey takes her first fieldtrip without me since diagnosis (scary day!)

CHRISTMAS BREAK

First Secret Santa exchange in the Diabetes OC (and a great one it was!) I had just as much fun giving as I did receiving. What a special group we have here!

Our family gets into the Wii rollercoaster! I found muscles I didn't know I had (haha!)

Kayleigh celebrates her 3 month anniversary with her boyfriend (yikes...haha I remember when I celebrated "months")

Kacey gets her first real cold since diagnosis and it kicks her out of her honeymoon

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year!

Just wanted to wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year! I'll be back later on with my reflections and hopes for 2009!

Much love!

Day With My Girls

I took my girls down to the beach today. I had been waiting on a friend of mine who is an amateur photographer to take pics of them and since we didn't get them taken in time for Christmas cards, I decided to take them down there today. It was only in the high 50's here but there wasn't a wind blowing so it wasn't too chilly down on the water. I've always wanted to have a family portrait done outside and either the photographer wasn't available when we were, they backed out on us or they were too busy. After taking the pics down on the beach today, I really wanna do the family one! Kayleigh is dating a boy whose Dad is a photographer and I am going to ask him this week about doing a family sitting outdoors. There's lots of perfect places around this area to take them! It should be fun :)

Kacey's CDE from her Endo's office called today and wanted to make more dose changes. The breakfast and dinner carb ratio is now 1:12 instead of 1:15 and the lunch is still 1:10 and any snacks she has are 1:12. I can really tell they are starting to tweak this and get tighter control...which I'm thankful! I know she's through her honeymoon now. I also asked about dosing her before/after meals. Her suggestion was...if it's a meal that we know she is going to eat all of then do her dose before the meal. If it's a dinner that we don't usually have or a holiday meal that she will possibly be having 2nd's with then she said to wait til after the meal and dose her all at once. She went on to explain how it takes insulin 30 min to work and then if shes taking 20-30 min to eat her meal then you've lost all that time the insulin could be doing it's job and keeping her from the spike. So with meals we know she likes and we know she will finish then she suggested giving her the insulin about 15 min before she eats so it will kick in the same time her body will spike and then it reduces the risk of her hitting those high numbers. Makes sense! So I feel better after getting all the feedback from the prior post (thanks D-OC) and then talking to her CDE...each meal will be handled seperately as to how we dose her! :)

Diabetes In Style

I think Kacey will be following in her sisters footsteps with the Vera Bradley addiction! For Christmas, a family member gave her her first Vera Bradley bag. It was a small over the shoulder purse that she could carry her kit and insulin pens in when shes by herself. We ended up going shopping this past weekend and this is what she ended up with!!It's a Vera Bradley backpack and "diabetes kit". She nearly did cartwheels in the store because when we found the "diabetes kit" she kept saying "It was made just for all my diabetes stuff!" I think it's really a make-up bag but I didnt have the heart to tell her that!

The kit comfortably holds her meter, lancet, test strips, both insulin pens, diabetes card with all her info, 2 extra syringes and in the 2 zippered pouches.... lancets and pen needles! Everything right in one little bag :) The backpack holds that kit, extra snacks, a juice box in a baggie (after that low yesterday), odds & ends like bandaids & handi-wipes, on-the-go Crystal Light packs, glucose tabs, glucose gel, skittles & smarties (thanks Lynnea), $5 for those "just in case" moments (you never know when you wont have cash on you to grab a snack!) and ohhhhh we can't forget the Nintendo DS! LOL! She's only had the backpack for 3 days but she's wanted to carry it! I think it makes a huge difference if you're forced to carry all these things that you be able to carry them in style! *wink* (BTW, I still don't own a Vera yet!)

When she first came home from the hospital, they sent us home with what they called a "Camo Pack". It was pink, blue and white camoflauge (Yuk!) but it was like an insulated lunchbox. It had a long strap and was sorta awkward looking. She carried that for about a month and then we tried switching things over to a bigger bag that I carried as my purse. Well that didn't last long because the first time she wanted to go somewhere with Daddy, I had to empty my crap and give her the bag. So then we switched to a purse with hearts all over it. It was flimsy and had a short shoulder strap that she couldnt keep up on her shoulder. So then she went to a mini backpack. That seemed to work the best! The backpack was one her sister had in her closet and never used. She's carried that for about the last 3 months. Its been nice because we are able to toss it from one car to the next...she can strap it to her back and not have to worry about losing it...and she can keep up with it instead of us always having to drag it. Since she's done so well with it....why not get her the Vera Bradley? ;) Now she's in-style! LOL!

Insulin Question?

So...this is what happens when you get insulin before a meal...then your child decides she's not as hungry as she thought she was! Kacey tested for lunch.... 257....but she'd just come in from riding her bike. So we tallied up the carbs she was gonna eat and gave her a correction. She sat down to eat and then decided she didn't want her mashed potatoes... ummmmm can you say... UH-OH! Thats about 2 units of insulin and we can't take it back! So I figured I'd just wait and see what happened.....WELL......

Two and a half hours later.... she comes to me and says "I think I need to test!" YIKES! I always know that it's bad when she asks to test because she's feeling that low come on. She tested.... 53! Yowsaaaaa! We were at Frankie's grandmas house and we had her diabetes pack but she turned her nose up at glucose tabs. Hmmmm.... gatorade? NO! juice? NO! Kacey you HAVE to drink juice or eat the glucose tabs. The last time she was low and we did the glucose tabs she went from a 60 to a 495 and it made her sick. Ok...so last time it was 4 tabs... lets try 2 and see what happens? I managed to get her to eat 2 of them and the result.....

A perfect number! She immediately started to feel more perky and smile. So thats good :) and we managed to bring her up without making her high again!

The reason for this post....

I've always had issues with giving her the insulin before her meal. I know the doc told us that we have to give it before the meal and I did raise the question...What if she doesn't eat what we bolus for? and the response was... give her juice to make up for the difference. But what scares me if there may not always be juice at our fingertips...and we end up having to treat with the glucose tabs. Is there a way to avoid this all together? Does the insulin HAVE to be given before the meal or can we do it as soon as shes done? I'm guessing to gain better control it has to be given before so it keeps the blood sugars from rising so fast but it's times like this when she doesn't eat everything we bolused for that I wonder if we should have waited?

Any suggestions or advice?

Kayleigh's Cakes

After reading Cara's blog about cake decorating, I thought I'd share some of Kayleigh's cakes. She's only 14 and she has taken the Wilton cake classes to learn how to do all of whats shown. She has a true passion for this and plans to persue this goal and open her own bakery one day. She's made several cakes for friends and family. Here are just a few of the ones she's made....

Wii or Right Dose?

It's now a little after 7pm and the girls have played the Wii on and off all day. I had to make them stop playing to eat lunch and dinner. I made Kacey test while playing...LOL you know she's hooked when she's fishing with one hand and sticking a finger out to be tested with the other...haha! Anyway, it's hard to say if it's the Wii giving her these good numbers or if it's just that we've finally got a pretty good dose going on here!

Since she played the Wii til 10pm last night, I knew I'd have to do that 2am check to make sure she didn't drop since she was a 273 at 10pm. I knew that was adreneline that was kicked in and I was worried that she'd crash. The 2am check she was 201...great...I can sleep in! At 8am she was a 193...a little high for morning. She ate...bolused...and 2 hours later 146! She played the Wii from 10am to 1pm...checked at 1pm and she was a 134....Wowww! Waited 2 hours...check... 149! She started playing the Wii again at 3pm and she was doing one of the really active games...broke a sweat...I checked her at 5pm and she was a 201 (uhoh! adreneline again?) 6pm...136! Time to eat :) I'm really thrilled that she's been nearly in range all day!

On a side note: I've got a bit of the "worried Mommy syndrome" again. Kayleigh was watching a movie and she told me she didn't feel too well and she asked if she could test her blood sugar just to see what it was? Hmmmmm! So I gave her that "puzzled Mommy look" and changed out the lancet and wiped down the test kit and tested her... she was a 151! Yikes! So whats that mean for a person without diabetes? I get so worked up over nothing sometimes but I don't want to brush it off as "nothing". I waited til after she ate and she was a 99. So I guess I shouldn't get bent out of shape!

The Day After...

What a great Christmas! At 7am, I was shaken by one very excited 8 year old! Frankie had gotten up to do Kacey's morning blood sugar check and instead of doing it quietly, he woke her up because he was the excited one! I stumbled out to the living room...and with no coffee (I usually wake up and put coffee on before I wake the girls on Christmas morning) I got my camera as they began to open things. This year instead of letting them tear into everything and then not really knowing what they got, we did something a bit different. They each took a turn opening a present of their choice. All of those presents they opened were from "Santa" and then we had a "special" present for them! Once they opened the presents from Santa then they exchanged the gift they bought for one another. Kayleigh got Kacey a Hannah Montana barbie and some Skittles lipglosses. Kacey got Kayleigh the "Hello, Cupcake!" book she wanted. It's a very neat book with how-to for cupcake art. They'd forgotten about the gift from us and so they cleaned up the paper on the floor and I asked them if they were happy with all their presents? Which they were! Santa brought Kacey a bike, Kayleigh a new chef jacket and all sorts of other stuff! So Frankie says "Mumma, I think theres a few more presents we forgot!" ***grin*** Yep! So I brought out the wrapped box. I made them both open it together and if you could have seen the looks on their faces when they read... Wii!!! They both screamed and were jumping all around the room. We also got them the extra Wii remote, nunchuk, Wii Play, Wii gun and colored remote covers. The excitement was thru the roof by then! Frankie opened his gifts from the girls and then it was my turn.

My birthday was in August and I got my first Pandora bracelet with one heart charm. I haven't really had the extra money to throw away on more charms for it and so its been a lonely heart since August. Well, I opened up my present and it was another charm!! Two little girls on one charm...SISTERS. I got all teary eyed because I didn't even know they made one like that! It was my two girls :) Then I opened the envelope.... a $50 gift certificate...to take the girls to each pick out another charm for my bracelet. I was thrilled!!! I got a catalog with the charm and so the girls immediately started skipping thru the book to see which charm they wanted to choose for me. I took them down to the shop today and they each immediately chose a charm. Kacey chose the sneaker with a pink stone....a sneaker? I asked her why a sneaker? She replied, "Mommy, it's a JDRF sneaker!" I seriously thought I was gonna lose it right there! My eyes welled up with tears. OK! a sneaker it is! So then Kayleigh took a little more time to be selective. And then she chose! The hand with the sign for "I Love You" in sign language. Her reason, "This one is because I love you so much!" ***sigh*** So then I had $40 to spend from my mother-in-law and Frankie's aunt & Granny....so I got the locking beads to keep the4 charms in one section on my bracelet. It's soooooo pretty :) and most of all....each charm has a meaning which makes it very special!

Here is what it looks like now....
Lock bead, Heart, 2 Girls, JDRF sneaker, ILY sign, & Lock bead



It was a great day! The girls got tons of presents and were spoiled rotten (as usual!). I took them to GameStop this morning to spend their Christmas money and they got 3 new Wii games. They've been totally occupied for 2 hours now...and NO FUSSING! Imagine that! I just knew that they'd be fussing with one another within 20 minutes and they're actually playing together :) Good times!

I hope you all had a very Happy Holiday!

Thankful

I just wanted to take a moment to say "Thank You" to the entire Diabetes OC. You all have been my rock the last 5 months. I've been able to come here and vent, cry, and ask for advice. In some of my lowest times, you all were here. Here to offer a shoulder...offer an ear...and some to just sit silent and read. For that, I'm thankful! All of you understood the pain and frustration I was feeling. The pain of feeling totally helpless and the frustration of not being able to do a thing to control the whacked blood sugars that Kacey was having. Many of you have not only become friends on the OC but you've become real life friends as well! Even though I've never met you all, I feel like I've known you forever and we have a common bond...the diabetes bond...that will last a lifetime!

I just bought my husband Josh Groban's CD for Christmas (the one thing he asked for) and to complete the surprise I decided to upload it to the computer first so I could just put it on play and not tell him and wait for him to notice. Well, I was flipping thru the songs and there was one song on there that litterally brought me to tears. His voice is so pure and I feel such peace when I listen to him. The song that touched me is called "Thankful". Yes....thats me.... thankful! Thankful for my family...Thankful that we are healthy (healthy to the point that Kacey could be so much worse but we have the blood sugars under as much "control" as we can)...Thankful for the new substitute job I will be starting...and my list goes on! Below are the lyrics and if you have the time to listen to the song....you should! :)

So...it's Christmas Eve...I'm in my regular "reflecting" mood...thinking back to Christmases past...some of the happiest times of my life! My wish for all of you....have a wonderful holiday!

Merry Christmas!
Happy Hannakuh!
Happy Kwanzaa!
Happy Holidays!

How ever you say it.... Love to you all!


"Thankful" by Josh Groban

Somedays we forget
To look around us
Somedays we can't see
The joy that surrounds us
So caught up inside ourselves
We take when we should give.

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be.
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see.
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.

Look beyond ourselves
There's so much sorrow
It's way too late to say
I'll cry tomorrow
Each of us must find our truth
It's so long overdue

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And every day we hope for
What we still can't see
It's up to us to be the change
And even though we all can still do more
There's so much to be thankful for.

Even with our differences
There is a place we're all connected
Each of us can find each other's light

So for tonight we pray for
What we know can be
And on this day we hope for
What we still can't see
It's up to us to be the change
And even though this world needs so much more

There's so much to be thankful for

Secret Santa Spoils Us!!

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Who in the world could that be in the middle of the day? **gives a shocked look** THE MAIL LADY!! And in her hands was a box...SECRET SANTA!!! I yelled for the girls as we took the box into the living room. They sat down with their eyes twinkling as we opened up the box. I was NOT expecting to find that my Secret Santa had not only shopped for me....but for my girls as well! The screams they let out were such joy :)

Our Secret Santa is.... Melissa aka Amalas

So we each took a turn and opened our gifts and as you can see from the slideshow....it was VERY exciting! Kayleigh went first....she got a Dorothy pendant for a necklace. She was Dorothy from Wizard of Oz for Halloween and she was thrilled! Next Kacey opened her gift. She got a "Scoodie" ...its a scarf and hoodie in one! It was made with Tigger material too :) She let out a scream and immediately wrapped herself in it (which she's worn all evening) Then the gift that was for me and Kacey, I let her open. A book....OMGGGGGGGGGG the book that was on my Christmas list.... "Pumping Insulin"......THANK YOU!!! Then it was my turn. I had 3 packages and one pin. The pin says "Cure Diabetes" and will be worn proudly! The first one I opened was a very cool clay bead bracelet in "SuperMom" colors! The second was a Hawaiian handmade bag which will be perfect for me to take on my Hawaii trip next summer! The third was a handmade knitted pair of gloves in the same pattern that Bella from Twilight wears in the movie!! I still havent been able to see the movie yet....but Im thrilled to wear these gloves! I always have issues with that little part of my wrist being exposed when I wear regular gloves with my coat....not anymore :D they are perfect!!!

Melissa....THANK YOU so much :) You certainly brought smiles to our 3 faces and we're very thankful to have such a giving Secret Santa! I'm thrilled about starting the book (which I will do after dinner) You're the best!!!

You Know....

I got quite a giggle when I read this on Sheri's blog and had to share it here! This is hilarious but the sad thing is....I've done most of them! LOL! Enjoy :) and THANKS Sheri for the laugh!

YOU KNOW YOU'RE THE PARENT OF A DIABETIC WHEN.....

In conversation, your husband describes his personality as Type 1 instead of Type A.

You ask your child how her day at school was, and she answers with a number.

The microwave beeps and your d-child shouts “that wasn’t me!”

Everyone in the family says they are "low" instead of hungry!

When your parents answer the phone, the first thing they say is "What's wrong?"

You have no problem asking your child if they are "high" in a middle of a public place.

You make sure your child has candy in bed with them

You ask your child what they had for lunch and they reply 45 carbs!

Your daughter wakes you up in the middle of the night and says, "Mommy, I'm beeping."

Your child says "I'm tired" and you ALWAYS have to wonder if she's low, high, or just plain tired.

You travel with as much food as you do baggage!

You hear another parent wish that kids would come with instructions and your diabetic child pipes in and says, "I do, and I don't leave home with out them."

Your first grader calls you from school to tell you that his teachers, nurse, and health aide are all absent so you decide to go to first grade for the day.

Your child refers to sequel movies as "Type 2".

You automatically wake up at 2:00 a.m.

Every meal turns into a math equation.

Your child falls and before you ask if they're okay you ask, "How's your pump site?"

You base your entire self-worth on your kid's last A1C!

You know what glucagon is and what it does.

You wake up the entire house because you accidentally finger poke your daughter's best friend for the middle of the night check - they look way too much alike.

Your daughter has a sleep over and her friends line up for blood sugar check, and none of them have diabetes.

Your daughter begins to miss the school nurse over summer break.

Your child refers to having a cold as being 'real people sick'.

You laugh out loud reading this list.

Another Dose Change!

I really saw this dose change coming and I predicted it a week before the call. The CDE just called me and said that Dr. R wanted to change Kacey's lunch carb ratio again. Instead of 1:12 they want to make it 1:10...wowwwww! I know she was still bouncing up in the high 200's to low 300's two hours after she ate lunch. They also want her to test after breakfast to watch the morning dose and see what happens. So now she will be testing three times while she's at school. So before she eats that morning snack at 10am then she needs to test. This won't need to be in effect until she goes back from her Christmas break since tomorrow is her last day til Jan 5th. So for now, her breakfast and dinner carbs will stay 1:15 and lunch is 1:10. Weeeeeeeee! It's a good thing I have the ability to keep all these numbers straight! I sit and think sometimes what if I was one of those mothers who was too busy with a social life to worry about numbers? Or what if I was one of those mothers who really didn't give a shit about her child? Yikes! Thats a pretty scary thought :( I know at times it's very stressful to remember I:C ratios, test times, figuring carbs (gotta have a calculator at all times), making sure you give Humalog and not Lantus... and I wonder how a child manages with a mother that isn't on top of all of that? I'm just pleased with myself that I am comfortable enough to make those dose changes or at least notice when I think one should be made and make note of it when I fax her blood sugars in. I knew she needed that carb change but I didn't want to make it until they called me because I know they are keeping close eye on the changes now. Wahooooo! We're almost a month away from her BIG 6 month appointment! I'm excited for 2 reasons.... 1) I finally get to see what her A1c is since she was diagnosed and 2) we get to discuss the pump!!!! I told Kacey that we knew she wouldn't be pumping by Christmas....but we're gonna push hard so she is pumping by her birthday in March!!

Secret Santa In The Mail

~does a little happy elf dance~

I just mailed off my Secret Santa stuff!! I sure hope she likes what I chose for her :) I pushed it til the last minute because I was choosing a few things with some meaning behind them. I sure hope I did good! Sometimes it's hard to choose for someone you don't know personally. I knew some of the things she liked and didn't like and that made it a bit easier :) So hopefully she'll like everything!

Training

Today was a milestone day for me. Today is the first day I left Kacey with anyone other than school or my Mom. I had to be at the training at 8am and school doesnt start until 8:40am. I took her to Frankie's cousin's house (who happens to be a very good friend of mine and her daughter is the same age as Kacey) I knew I could trust Bev with Kacey. I showed her Kacey's bag yesterday and showed her how to work the glucagon (just in case!). I dropped Kacey off at 7:45am and headed to my training. I got a break at lunch and I called the school to check on her and she was doing fine :) But I did get a bit of a "monkey wrench" thrown into my plans. I was originally told that it was going to be Tues & Thurs from 8am-4:30pm and now it's going to be on Friday! Well that means it's the last day of school before winter break. That also means I miss Kacey's school party. But most important...she has a fieldtrip that day!!! Shes going to the movies and I am VERY nervous now. It will be the first fieldtrip that I've not gone on since her diagnosis. I sat there brainstorming about what I needed to do. I can't miss my training on Friday because they aren't offering it again until next August. Sooooo....I am going to have her test before she leaves for the movie at 9:30am....eat a snack at the movie....then test when she gets back at 12pm. Hopefully this will eliminate any lows while she's out and then we can deal with the high once she gets back to school. OMG...I feel like I'm panicing over nothing but I'm scared to let her go. I know she will be ok and she can sit with the teacher during the movie. I am hoping that Bev (Frankie's cousin) will be able to go. Kacey & Whitney are in the same class and they were only allowing a certain number of chaperones to go. If they let her go then she can sit with her and she will know what to do (just in case!)

OK....Im gonna shut up and stop rambling!

LOL....so yeah it was a long day today. Lots of stuff about policies and procedures that I already knew from being in the classroom already.

Wish List

Dear Santa,

It's not very often that I ask for something for Christmas or even my Birthday. I like getting surprises because it means someone took the time to shop for me :) But this year I've put a couple things on my wish list.

I've been a very good Mommy this year! I've spent late nights awake with Kacey having nightmares and high blood sugars. Wiped snotty noses and been puked on. Been coughed on too many times to count. Sat on the bleachers in 100F+ degree weather while Kayleigh practiced for field hockey. Stood in the pouring rain to watch her play (just so she knew I was out there). Listened to high school drama unfold through the eyes of my 14 year old. I've fed, cleaned up after and cuddled them both when needed (and when not!). I've sat in the doctor's office more times in the last 6 months than I have in the last 6 years! I've spent more time volunteering at Kacey's school in the last 4 months than I have since Kayleigh started at that school 10 years ago! I make sure dinner is made, the dishes are washed and the floors are cleaned. I've washed more loads of laundry than I care to remember and even took the time to pair up that laundry basket of socks and tossed out the ones that somehow the washer ate! I've used my manners ALOT this year. "Please don't argue with your sister!" "Thank you for not throwing a fit!" "Would you be kind enough to put your dirty clothes in the hamper instead of spread across your floor?" ....just to show a few examples! I've also held down many jobs this year, to include, taxi driver, cook, maid, nurse, teacher, coach, team mom....as well as being the best Mommy and wife I could be! None of those jobs were paid in spendable funds but the things I learned and gained were priceless.

I'm not wishing for expensive things this year. I don't want diamonds or a new car. I don't want a trip around the world or fancy clothes. Those things are nice but I'd rather have a few inexpensive things.

The first thing I ask for is "One hour of peace". Since that's something that doesn't cost anything but it's very hard to find, I'm guessing that won't be something I get...LOL! So since I can't have that then maybe you can bring me a "Pause Button". You know, something like that remote control from Click. If I use it wisely, then it could be a very handy tool.

The second thing I ask for is the 4th Twilight book. My Mom already bought that for me and I'm very anxious to read to the end and see what happens! So you can cross that off my list.

The third thing I ask for is another book called "Think Like A Pancreas". During all the hours of reading online, this book always pops up in mention and I tried to find it at the library and all of the diabetes related books there look like they are from the 70's! My daughter was born in the year 2000 and those books are 30 years out of date! I really want to learn how to think like a pancreas. I think I've done a pretty good job so far but there is always room to improve.

The fourth thing I ask for is another book (yes, even though I am a busy Mommy, I still make time to read. It's better than playing computer games that fry my brain cells) So yes, another book called "Pumping Insulin". We go back to the Endocrinologist on January 22, 2009 and I want to be prepared for the pump classes. I've read all about the different pumps and now I want to read more about the process.

The fifth thing I'd like is some new beads for my Pandora bracelet that I got back in August. I have one lonely heart bead on it so far. I'd like to have 2 of the little girl beads. One for Kayleigh and one for Kacey. Whatever other beads you choose for me are fine :) Once again, I like surprises!

Santa, I think thats all I can ask for right now. If you don't think I was good enough to get any of these gifts then I understand :) I'd really just settle for the first thing on my list which was the hour of peace.

I'll be sure to leave the milk and cookies!

Love,

Mommy

Do Your Ears Hang "Low"?

LOL! This pic made me giggle hysterically! This is Kacey's first low in a long time! She woke up from a nap and told me she felt "funny". I grabbed the kit and this is what we got! Yikes! I caught up on several blogs this morning and it seems like many of you are suffering with lows! It's funny when you think about it because when Kacey is having all the unexplained highs then it seems like everyone is running high and then I read about all the lows and damn if she doesnt go low! Haha...its almost like having a bunch of women in the same house...when one gets PMS then it seems like they all do and end up getting on the same "monthly" schedule!

BELIEVE

I'll never forget the first time my oldest daughter, Kayleigh, asked me the dreaded question, "Mommy, Is Santa Clause real?" As a parent, you want your children to believe in the magic of Christmas as long as possible. She was only 8 years old at the time and I wasn't ready to give in and tell her the whole truth. So my response was "Well, what do YOU believe?" and she went on to tell me that some kids on the bus were teasing her because she still believed in Santa and she really did! I replied with a few simple words.... "As long as you believe, the magic will always live in your heart!" It wasnt until 2 years later that she would really understand that! By the time she was 10, she was really being teased about it and a few weeks before Christmas that year I ended up buying her the book called "Santa Are You For Real". It's about a little boy who was being teased and he went and asked his father the same question. His father sits down with him and starts telling him the story of Jesus and then goes on to tell him the story of Saint Nicholas. Then it explains all about how people across the world call Saint Nicholas different names. Saint Nicholas gave gifts because Jesus came on the first Christmas to give himself for us. So this little boy gets this idea in his head that he's going to give gifts and not be found out like Nicholas did. Anyway...I had her read this story to me and then afterward she sorta smiled at me and said "So there WAS a real Santa!" With a sigh, I said yes and that we carry on his tradition by giving gifts. At the time, Kacey was only 4 and that year we did some "special" Christmas shopping. I let her be "Santa" for Kacey and she chose Kacey's presents and wrapped them all that year! I've done that every year since then. It's something Kayleigh looks forward to and she knows she plays a very special part in the "magic" of Christmas. It was also one of those moments where you have a reality smack and you know you won't have too many more years before you're asked again "Mommy, Is Santa real?" and I was right.... last year was Kacey's first time to question it. My response was the same as it was when Kayleigh asked me. She replied with "Mommy I DO believe!" and again my reply was what I had told Kayleigh several years earlier. This year I thought that she would ask again and instead she just came out with "Mommy, I believe in Santa Clause but those ones in the mall aren't real because they have fake beards!" I giggled and knew I could get out of this one really easy! I replied with "They might have fake beards but I know they are Santa's helpers and you never know when the real one is watching!" I actually saw a twinkle in her eyes.

This morning when she woke up her blood sugar was a 224 and she was grumpy....very grumpy! We were meeting my Mom for breakfast and we were already running behind. As she is sitting on my bed waiting for me to finish fixing my hair, she has this grumpy face and is holding Rufus. I looked up at her and said "You better go back to your room and leave the "grumpies" in there before we leave! You never know when Santa is watching and if he sees that you're in a bad mood then he's gonna make note of it!" She went to her room and came back out and shouted "I left the grumpies in there and I'm hungry!" (hahaha!) So we meet my Mom for breakfast and after Kacey gets something to eat, she finally has a smile on her face. I needed to pick up a few things at Walmart so we went on in. As we're standing in the card aisle, slowly a face peeks around the corner. It was one of those moments that made me gasp...gasp because what I had said to Kacey this morning....gasp because he looked so real.....gasp because it was....SANTA! A very REAL looking one....complete with a real white (not yellow-ishy) beard....white eyebrows...a real plush red suit....real black boots....real (not stuffed) plump belly....THE REAL SANTA! Kacey just stood there with her mouth open and then I tapped her as he started walking down the aisle and I whispered "I told you that you never know when he's watching!" Thankfully I had my camera and I nicely asked him if we could take a picture? He replied with "Absolutely!" He knelt down and embraced both my girls. The look of shock was still on Kacey's face as she looked at him. My Mom asked for a picture as well :) (She swears her name isn't Christine, it's ChrisKringle...haha! Christmas is her favorite day!) So Mom helped Santa to his feet and within seconds he was gone! Kacey turned to look at me and with wide eyes she says "Mommy he was the REAL Santa!" and once again I reminded her "You never know when he's watching!" As we walked through Walmart, we never saw him again. When we were walking to the car, she says to me "Mommy? Do you think Santa just came in Walmart to see me because he wasn't walking around talking to other kids?" I just smiled and said "We'll never know!" A complete stranger....dressed as the real Santa....embraced my daughter and took the time to pause for a picture....renewed her belief in Santa...and for that I say "THANK YOU, kind stranger!" Looks like we will be blessed with another year to enjoy the "magic"! My Mom with Santa

Wii, Wii, Wii ...All The Way Home

The girls have no clue yet....but they are the proud owners of a Wii! I called Walmart this morning and they were sold out. I'm sure you can imagine the knot I got in my throat and I was praying that I wouldn't be one of those parents driving all over town like Arnold in Jingle All The Way...haha! So I called GameStop and the guy said the truck was due to arrive in 30 minutes and asked me to call back because they didn't know how many were coming in. I waited 20 minutes and called....the Wii's arrived! Since I was at Kacey's school...only about 8 minutes from the shop...I ran out really fast to get it. I got there and there were 15 people in line already and they all had numbers. I asked the lady at the end of the line what the numbers were for and she said it's the order in which they are called to purchase their Wii. She then proceeded to tell me that she got the last number! DAMMIT! Ok...so I calmly walk out and sit in my car. Something told me to call back and ask the guy what was going on since there was clearly too much chaos for me to ask in the store. Ring....Ring.... "Thank you for calling GameStop, we have Wii's in stock!" ****PAUSE**** This man just told me they had them in stock! So I ask him what was going on and he informs me that the 15 numbers were for the Wii Fit and they were sold out but he had 7 more Wii's in stock. So I hang up and run back in! Thankfully there was a really nice boy there that was a "GamingNut" and he was able to fill me in on what all I needed to get this setup for 2 kids. So.... $335 later....I walk out with a smile on my face and I can't stop squealing "Wii Wii Wii alllllll the wayyyyy home!" Haha! So thats it...we're done shopping for the girls...with the exception of getting some stocking stuffer odds & ends! YAYYYYYYY!

Nightmares!

I had a horrible nightmare last night that kept me up most of the night! I was reading one of the blogs yesterday about waking up and finding your child dead. Thats ALWAYS been a fear of mine! Since Kacey's diagnosis, it's gotten worse. When I wake up every morning, I tiptoe to Kacey's room and I ease my hand to touch her sound sleeping body....just to feel that she's warm! Then I test her blood sugar while she is asleep. I hold my breath until I see the number and most of the time it's high anyway but I can't shake that feeling of her waking up really low.

So...my brain must have been in overload after I read the post....

(keep in mind this is a DREAM)
In my dream, it was bedtime and I gave Kacey her insulin and put her to bed. I woke up to do a middle of the night check and her meter said 64. Wow! So I looked at the clock and it said 1:11 and I knew if I didn't give her anything to bring it back up then she would continue to go low and she had nearly 5 hours before it was time to wake up. I had her drink some juice and I went back to bed. On my way back to my room, I passed the dining room table where Kaceys supplies were laying and it was then that one of my worst fears had happened! The Humalog pen was laying out with the lid off. I gave her 13 units of Humalog instead of Lantus!!!! I started freaking out and went into a panic state and it was then that my husband felt that I was having a nightmare and woke me up!

It took me a long time to get back to a restful state. I'm always so afraid that I am going to give Kacey the wrong insulin. The Humalog and Lantus are both in the pens and even though one is blue and one is gray...I still use a sharpie marker and write DAY and NIGHT on them. Its for my own peace of mind to make sure when I get the pen that I see it written. I also write the date we opened it so I know 30 days from then we have to trash whatever is left.

Anyway...amazing what your imagination can do to you!

Dear Santa

(in Kaceys words to Santa...spelled how she wrote it)

Dear Santa,

I love you so much. I wish I could ask you for a pump but I can't get one yet because hopefully I will get one in Janurary. I hope you have a Merry Christmas. This is my Christmas list:

Clothes
A bike
A Wii with the controlers
Wii games
a purce
Barbies
A doll
couculater (I giggled at this one...only a child figuring blood sugars would ask for that!)
Jonas brothers magizen
colored pincels
shoes
Judy Moody books
Goosebumps books
candels (why in the world does she want those? LOL!)
Gameboy games
blanket
ruler
sheets
new coat
Subway card
pillow

Thank you Santa.

Love,
Kacey West


OK...so the main thing that choked me up was asking for the pump. I had to explain to her that she couldn't ask Santa for a pump because Dr. R had to write us a prescription for it and then we had to go to all the pump classes to choose one. She understood then! There are a few things on there that I didn't know she wanted! The "couculater" is one thing I will definately make sure we pick up! Too funny! I'm going to pick up the Wii for them today. They're gonna be SOOOO surprised!

Blast From The Past

Cara....

I took these pics to give you a chuckle. These are the New Kids ornaments that have been on my tree every year since I was 15!! Yikes... 18 years and Donnie has still managed to survive *giggles hysterically* The ball has NKOTB on it in glitter and it's getting pretty shabby but I don't have the heart to toss it *sniff sniff* Did you see them perform on the music awards? I really loved New Kids...but they should have stayed in retirement...haha! They sounded horrible and when Jordan tried to hit those high notes, it was a sure sign that they just aren't cut out for the music they USED to sing! I seriously can't believe I'm blogging about New Kids...haha! I really am glad that I didn't buy tickets for their new tour!

Update....

Kayleigh & Kacey (feeling MUCH better)

Wow! What a rough few days. Kacey is finally getting back to normal..as normal as she can get. It's nice to finally see some better blood sugar numbers although they aren't back in range completely because of the cough syrup. She's still waking up high every morning and I am still waiting for the CDE to call me back about that. The school nurse got a new Health Care Plan faxed to her today with changes on it. Since it's a school plan then it doesn't include the Lantus changes so I have no idea what they want us to do about those. The breakfast carbs are staying the same 1:15 but they are changing her lunch carbs to 1:12. I think that is going to help tremendously with the spikes after lunch. That seems to be the only meal she does that with. She doesn't eat anything that would make her spike like that but for example, today she was an 84 for lunch (wowwww! we havent seen numbers like that in a while and I had to make her repeat it because I thought I didn't hear her right!) but then when she tested 2 hours later she was a 332! So that 1:12 should really help!

A bit of good news for me...I will be in class on Tuesday and Thursday of next week from 8:00am-4:30pm for official substitute training! After I go through that then I may or may not have to go through an internship (most likely not because of my experience) and I will get my ID badge and I will officially be back in the working world :) I really am excited about it! It's sorta bitter-sweet. A part of me is a bit sad because it's a sign that my babies are growing up and it's time for me to find something to do that makes me happy and makes me money....but on the other hand I am really happy and VERY thankful that I've been able to be a stay (work) at home mom for the last 9 years! Not many Mommies get the chance to raise their kids and be there for them when they really need them. The nice part about just being a substitute is that if Kacey is sick or needs me then I don't have to work that day. If there is something I have to do outside of school then I have the schedule that can be flexible for that. Not to mention, I will be working at Kacey's school so I will be right there if she happens to need me! I think it's going to be a great career move for me :)


Also... THANK YOU again Sticky Jewelry! Kacey got her new strap to her diabetes bracelet in the mail today and she was one VERY happy little girl! I didn't tell her what the package was and when she ripped into it she was thrilled to see what it was! As much as she liked her trusty beaded bracelet that I made her when she came home from the hospital, she was just very glad to have her "real" diabetes bracelet back on.


Kayleigh got her new glasses over the weekend. She went from the wire frames back to the plastic frames. These are really cute on her and I like the color! She's growing up way to fast!! *sigh*


More soon.....

Manners Shmanners!

The one manner *sniffle* that I taught my children that I really wish they'd be more careful with....*cough*

SHARE!

Grrr! *cough* Kacey decided she was going to be nice and share with Mommy and I am not battling the same cold she is! *sniffle...sniffle....blow* I knew it....I knew it....I knew that once I'd stayed up for nearly 48 hours that my immune system was gonna crash and I was gonna end up with it. So... *sniffle* I started taking some OTC stuff in hopes that this doesn't go to my chest because once that happens *blows nose* then it goes to bronchitis pretty fast! *sprays Lysol*

Kacey is starting to see some relief so thats a good thing. She's still coughing but not as bad. I made that adjustment to her Lantus when she got sick and went up one unit to see if it would help....looks like I managed to keep her blood sugars in the 200's while she has been sick! I think I made the right decision because last time she was sick she shot up to the 300-400 range! She's still waking up high...this morning a 242... but since shes still sick, I expected it! She wants to go to school today so I'm gonna let her go and see what happens.

Update on Sticky Jewelry

Wowwwwww! It's amazing how just one person can make your day!

I got a response back from Customer Service within 2 hours of sending it. They located the order that was placed in October. She said normally they only offer a 30-day money back guarentee but just this one they are going to replace the strap for NOTHING and they are sending it out TODAY first class! YAYYYYYYYYY!!!!! I told her she not only made my day but she made one sick little 8yr old very happy!

So....all that being said.... I still love the style of her bracelet and I plan on ordering more straps for it after Christmas!

***smiles***

Sticky Jewelry Disappointment

Lack of sleep...the start of a cold....and a nice vent.... Look Out! LOL!

Kacey's diabetes bracelet broke!

I'm so disappointed! I raved over how well this bracelet was made and how I thought it would be sturdy enough to withstand her everyday activities. Apparently I was wrong! The stitching came loose after only about 6 weeks and she nearly lost the entire bracelet. As you can see in the pic above, it's hanging on by a thread! This morning I sent an email to Customer Sevice of Sticky Jewelry to see if they would replace the defect. I'll keep you all posted as to what they do for us! In the meantime, she's wearing the bracelet that I beaded for her when she first came home from the hospital. I know for sure that one is made sturdy! LOL!

Damn Diabetes!

It's mornings like this that I say "Damn Diabetes!"

Kacey was up coughing again last night. The cough med with codiene seemed to calm her for about 2-3 hours and then she'd start coughing really hard til she gagged. I brought her out to the couch so I could hear her and be closer if she needed me. Her blood sugars still bounced in the 200's through the night and she's just feeling miserable. So this has robbed her of another day of school. Her morning blood sugar was a 199 and she's gone back to sleep. She's had such a hard time shaking these colds and when I spoke to the nurse yesterday she explained to me that from now on it would be very hard for her to get rid of a cold like this because it takes such a toll on her immune system and the diabetes is already doing that. Dammit! I feel so helpless somedays! I hope that antibiotic kicks in soon!

I am now starting with the stuffy nose and sinus pressure...grrrrr! Whenever the girls get sick, I spent sleepless nights taking care of them and then I end up not getting my rest and then ....BAM! I get the cold that I've been desperately helping them fight. I give up! I went on and took some cold meds and hopefully since its at the beginning I will catch it before I get hit hard with it.

Other news... we will be missing the annual Christmas parade tomorrow. The high temperature is only going to be 42F (if it gets that high) with chance of snow flurries and wintery mix (yuk!) and the wind is a northeast wind so its gonna be COLDDDDD and I can't take the girls out in weather like that with Kacey being so sick and me starting with a cold. So we're going to pass this year.

At 4:30pm we will get to see Frankie's sister, who we havent seen in almost 7 years! She is flying in today and tomorrow we are going to a family party. I'm hoping Kacey feels well enough to go!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Tree & Ornaments

Here are a few pics of the tree and my ornaments....keep in mind that my tree is decorated by my girls each year so thats why the ornaments look jumbled. I love watching them get excited as we get the ornaments out. They have the same reactions as I did when I was little...

... "Oh Mommy! I remember this one!"
...."Awww I remember why we bought this one"
..."Look how old this one is!"
..."Mommy do you STILL want to hang that New Kids On The Block ornament on the tree?"
...."Ohhh this is one from when I was born!"

~sigh~
My new ornament this year is the one about my brother...LOL! My mom gave me that one and she bought my brother one that is the exact opposite. I still get a new ornament each year from my Mom and she also gives the girls each new ornaments. I got them each a new ornament but I havent given them to them yet. Kayleigh's says "First Born (Mom's favorite)" and Kacey's says "Youngest Child (Mom's favorite)" ...hahaha notice the pattern of "sibling rivalry" here? *giggles*

More Meds

I ended up calling the doctor this morning for Kacey. She was up all night coughing and feeling pretty miserable with blood sugars in the 300's. When she got up this morning she was still a 264 and was feverish. I took her temp and she was running a low grade 99.1 and her nose was running so bad. The CNP that we saw the other day wasnt working today and I explained to the receptionist that we were instructed to call back if Kacey got worse and she IS worse! She talked to the doctor and they pulled Kaceys chart and within an hour they'd faxed over the prescriptions to the pharmacy....another round of Zithromax and some cough med with codiene (to help her rest and quiet that nasty cough) ~sigh~ Kacey spent most of the day laying around and taking cat naps. She ate very little for breakfast...a little more for lunch....and NOTHING for dinner! Now the panic Mommy part of me was worried that she wasnt eating but the common sense Mommy part of me said its ok because her blood sugar was a 204! She did ask for some sugar free hot chocolate and nilla wafers for bedtime snack. So she got a little of her appetite back and her sugar was a 184...so at least we're down out of the 300's.

I sure hope she kicks this cold soon! I dont know if she'll be home from school again tomorrow? I dont want her to miss class...but then again her poor body needs the rest too and I think another day at home might do her some good since she's struggling so hard to fight this cold! We'll see how she does through the night.

Christmas MeMe

Christmas meme....Thank you Cara!!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
I love doing both...it depends on the present and how easy it is to wrap

2. Real tree or artificial?
Artificial...but next year I think we're going to buy a real one. I wanna have the experience of going to cut our own and I want the girls to have that memory too :)

3. When do you put up the tree?
The day after Thanksgiving when everyone is out fighting the crowds for Black Friday

4. When do you take the tree down?
The day after New Years

5. Do you like eggnog?
I do :) but I usually have one or two cups and that does me for another year! I only like drinking it at Christmas...with cookies!

6. Favorite gift received as a child?
My little red wagon...I was 3 and I remember it like it was yesterday! I got in it as soon as I saw it and I wouldnt get out til I opened all of my presents while I was sitting in it.

7. Hardest person to buy for?
My Mom...mostly because she gets what she wants for herself all year long and then when I ask her what she wants she says "Nothing!"....yeah right!

8. Easiest person to buy for?
Frankie ... because he's completely satisfied with new tshirts and christmas boxers HAHA!

9. Do you have a nativity scene?
I do...and it has alot of sentimental value because its the Nativity that we had under the tree when I was growing up for as long as I can remember. When it was time for me to move out, my Mom gave me a ton of my ornaments that I made when I was little and the nativity that she swore needed to be thrown out because it was so old. I think she bought it when her and my Dad got married in 1973!!

10. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? MAIL!!! I love mailing cards and I usually do a Christmas letter to let everyone know what we've been up to but this year Im torn on doing it because I dont want to go into the whole saga about the hell our lives have been for the last 5 months. Id rather everyone just be happy for the card!

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Ummm...I dont know? Im very easy to please and Im never rude about gifts (even if they arent the best in the world)

12. Favorite Christmas movie?
Christmas Shoes .... along with the classics Rudolph, Frosty, etc.

13. When do you start shopping?
Usually Im done a few weeks before Christmas but since things are a little different this year its going to be the week of Christmas LOL!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
*hangs head* LOL!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
fresh baked Christmaas cookies

16. Lights on the tree?
Colored AND twinkle!!!

17. Favorite Christmas song?
O' Holy Night

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
We stay home...the girls open presents Christmas morning and then we go visit our family but they are all local.

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph :) For sure!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
This year we have a new star :) My angel quit lighting and moving so it was time to retire her :(

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
On Christmas Eve my Mom and Brian come to my house and they open their presents from us and they bring the girl's stockings full of goodies. The girls get to open ONE present from us and it is always new Christmas jammies. Up until this year they've always matched but since Kayleigh likes 2 piece and Kacey likes gowns, its hard to find them to match now. My reason for new jammies....well on Christmas morning we take tons of pics and I dont want the girls looking like ragamuffins in the pics when they look back years later (LOL how sad is that?!?! Haha!)

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Black Friday! I hate that day! I think its silly to have a 4 hour sale to watch people push, shove and act like animals.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
My tree is an old fashioned Christmas tree. I have colored lights that blink. All the ornaments have some sort of meaning. Many of them are from my childhood, ones the girls made and of course we have balls that have the year and something special that happened during that year. We each also have our own ball with our name on it.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Homemade mashed potatoes!

25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
Honestly...I really dont want for anything. It will be nice to get the 4th book to my Twilight series (which I know my Mom bought me already). I also have a Pandora bracelet that I'd like a new charm for. Really...Im not picky and Im very thankful for any gift Im given! I like gifts from the heart....gifts that thought were put into....homemade things! The girls have made me so many things over the years and they are priceless and mean so much. Also my brother made me a lighthouse clock and put a digital frame in it and then loaded the card for the frame with pics of our life growing up and it was something that cant be replaced!

Awww this meme made me all mushy! I love thinking back to past Christmas fun!

3rd Round...Any Advice?

Kacey now has the cough and stuffy nose....for the 3rd time! It seems like we get it cleared up and she has about one week with nothing and then she's back to being stuffy again. Any advice? These are her first colds since being diagnosed and I was wondering if it's harder to shake a cold with diabetes? I know she's feeling pretty crappy with the cough and stuffy nose...and then having to do all the diabetes stuff on top of that just sucks! Any of the veterans out there able to give me suggestions as to what we can do to shake this cold til spring?

Relax...NOT!

Just when I thought it was safe to relax....all hell broke loose!

(Warning....not for weak stomachs)

Sunday was a nice day even though it rained. We were inside for the day and I noticed that nasty cough Kacey had is creeping back. I gave her some Children's Tylenol Cold (multi-symptom) and she seemed to be feeling great! Bedtime was at 8pm since she had school in the morning. She said her goodnights and gave her kisses and before long the house was silent and only the sound of the TV that I was watching could be heard. At 11:30pm, I was in the middle of watching a program when I heard a cough then a gasp...then another gasp that sent me flying into Kaceys room. She was trying to suck in air and cough and all she was doing was gasping!!! Then she started gagging and throwing up mucus and foamy stuff. I was shouting at her asking her if she could breath and she kept gasping and shaking her head no! Then all of a sudden she puked really hard and she caught her breath. WTF?!?! I was so scared and shaking by this point and I got her to the bathroom to change her and noticed her pupils were nearly as big as the color of her eyes. She was still breathing weird and she could barely talk because she said her throat hurt and her chest was tight and hurt. Yikes! I thought it was best to go on and take her to the ER because I wasn't sure what just happened. Driving to the ER I checked her blood sugar so I would have an accurate number to give them...333!! So we walk into the ER at 12am...register her in...explain what happened and they see she is holding her chest...tell them she's diabetic (not that this was diabetes related but I wasn't sure) and the lady tells us to have a seat and a nurse will be out to get her shortly. Wait....wait....wait....an hour goes by....no nurse! So finally after nearly and hour and a half, I went back up to the counter and asked her how much longer it would be? She told me that every room in the ER was full, they had 3 ambulances show up with patients and there was about 6 patients ahead of us in the waiting room and it was probably a 6-8 hour wait....WHAT?!?! Ummmm ok my response was "Does she have to pass out for someone to assess her and tell me whats going on?" Geezus!! By this point, Kacey's breathing was back to normal and her pupils were going down. She still had some chest pain and I asked her if she felt better to which she replied "A little." So now....do I wait all night in the hospital with her...Frankie misses work....Kayleigh misses school....only to be told she is fine now OR do I take her home....stay up all night...let Frankie go to work...Kayleigh go to school....and then I take her into her doc in the morning? Hmmmmm I guess I will go with the 2nd choice! So I went back up to the registration window and got our insurance card and told her I was taking her home. She says "Well if she gets worse you can always call the ambulance." I felt my blood boil by then and my reply was "Yes Mam, I will call the ambulance and she WILL NOT be transported back here!" We left and I ended up staying up all night *cry* Frankie got up at 5am to go to work...Kay got up at 5:30am to get ready for school...I called the doc at 8am and told them what we went through at the ER and they asked me if I could have her there by 9:30am!! YES!! Take her in...we got to see the CNP that I really like....and she tells me she wants me to take her back in for an x-ray and she has a 99.9% accurate diagnosis but she wants to see how bad it was. OK...so whats the diagnosis? Apparently, while Kacey was asleep on her back, she vomitted and when she sat up....the gasp I heard was her sucking it back in and the choking was her actually choking on her own vomit and then she finally threw it back up. GEESH!! The pupil size was from the "flight or fright" reaction you get when your scared. She woke up from a sound sleep...choking! So her natural reaction was to panic and thats what happened. So...back to the hospital for x-rays. Kacey gets chatty with the x-ray tech and tells her that she wants to be a nurse too and so the x-ray tech did her x-rays and then took Kacey in the back to show her how they are developed and then showed her that her chest looks like on the screen. How cool is that? Talk about a positive experience!! Kacey was so happy about being able to see what her lungs, heart, ribs, stomach and spine look like. We got a call about 4 hours later to tell us that it was confirmed that she did aspirate some vomit but it wasn't severe enough to be put on any antibiotics but if she got worse in the next few days for us to call back to the office and they would call her something in. Perfect! Whew! Talk about a whirlwind! LOL...just when I thought it was safe to relax...ugh! She spent the afternoon relaxing and watching movies. Last night, I finally crashed around 9pm....40+ hours with no sleep...thank goodness for "mid-afternoon caffiene fixes"!

This morning she woke up with a blood sugar of 200 but she said she wants to go to school and she is feeling fine.

Until later....