VA Air & Space Center

Today I had the chance to go with Kacey and her 3rd grade class to the VA Air & Space Center. I've lived in VA for almost my entire life and I've never been there. I must say I was a bit overwhelmed at first because there is SO much to see. We got there a little after 10am and we had to leave by 1pm so we didn't even get to see 1/4 of the museum and so I am going to have to take time to take the girls back when we can go through the whole place. We did have a chance to watch an IMAX movie (which Kacey loved!) It was about walking on the moon and actually showed first steps on the moon.

Kacey sporting the IMAX 3D movie glasses...and a snack since she was dropping!

Kacey learning how to land the space shuttle...LOL she's laughing because she crashed!

After the movie we went into a room where the kids got a chance to break up into groups and "build" a space community. They had so much fun being creative and it was great to see them so excited about what they had learned. We did battle another low today. When we arrived at the museum at 10am, Kacey was a 165...not bad for having pizza for breakfast (LOL! Yep I thought we'd avoid the low on a fieldtrip with pizza...Didn't work!) By 11am, we were watching the IMAX and Kacey tested at a 112 but said she felt like she was going lower. I quietly pulled out a snack during the movie so we could avoid the low. I knew lunch wasn't going to be til 1pm and by then I knew she'd be low at the rate she was falling. Well, at 12:45pm, Kacey came over to me and asked me when we were eating? I hugged her and told her she had a few more minutes and she said "I don't think I can wait that long cuz I'm really hungry and I feel low again." .... "You had the snack so I'm sure you are fine and we only have 15min and we're leaving and you can eat." ...."But Mommy...." I shot her one of those "You can wait!" glances and we waited quietly for the lady to finish talking. As we walked out to the bus, Kacey looks at me and says "I know I'm low and you'll see!" Her teacher giggled and we got on the bus. She immediately sat down and tested......70!!! She gave me a grumble and said "I TOLD YOU I WAS LOW!" as she proceeded to show her meter around to everyone within arms reach. LOL! OK....so maybe I was wrong...maybe she couldn't wait! Her teacher looked at me and laughed and said "Guess we better feed her when she says shes low." Haha! She ate and finished reading her Goosebumps book on the way back to school. Sometimes I really do think she knows her body :)

Nuggets of Wisdom- FREE E-book

A few weeks ago, there was a contest over at DiabetesMine and some fantastic prizes were given out. The entries were judged carefully by Amy Tenderich, Allison Blass and Scott Johnson. The winners were awarded. The best part of this contest was the entries submitted about surviving the holidays. There were so many great ideas and some of them were chosen for an e-book called "NUGGETS of Wisdom". The Diabetes Online Community (D-OC) was also asked to submit pictures that helped go along with the topics. Although we didn't have much experience with surviving the holidays because this was our first holiday with diabetes present and I didn't have much to offer as far as suggestions, I was able to submit several pictures for the book. One of them was chosen!! The picture of Kacey is on page 8 and it is of her finishing out her softball season just a week after coming home from the hospital after diagnosis. Diabetes didn't stop her from being herself and doing what she loved doing. Please take a moment to look at the book FREE by clicking HERE.

Thank you Amy, Allison & Scott! It was a great contest and I am running off a copy of this book to save for Kacey in her scrapbook for years to come.

CDE Pump Talk

I really really REALLY love our CDE Kristen. When Kacey was first diagnosed we had a couple different ones calling each week and I felt so confused because we never got to talk to the same one two weeks in a row. Then Kristen started calling us more and for about the last 4 months, she's been the one to call us every week and let us know what changes need to be made from the faxed blood sugars we send in. This past week when she called, she said "I wanted to tell you that your name came up in conversation this past weekend." Wow! Mine? In her conversation? She went on to tell me that my friend's son that was admitted was now a patient of theirs!! I went on to tell her how upset I was about hearing about his diagnosis and she explained it was "normal" to feel that. (Imagine that....normal? LOL!) So we spoke a little bit more about it and then she said she had heard our exciting news about Pump Class and the great A1c. I felt like I was beaming! She will be at Pump Class next Thursday so we get to see her :) She went on to explain to me how things will work with this process.

Next Thursday, we will go to the class. When we get there, they provide a dinner for us (complete with carb amounts written on the board...YAY!) Then there are 3 different companies that will talk to us...MiniMed, Cozmo and Animas. Once we hear about all the different pumps, then we will look at different sites. Kacey will then get a site put in to try. Nothing will be hooked to it but she can wear it for 3 days and see how it feels. After we choose the pump we want (which we are 99% sure which one we're going with), then the doctor's office will submit the papers for the pump and the letter of Medical Necessity to our insurance company. She said from that point it is a waiting game. (Ugh!) She said she's seen approval in as little as 4 weeks and as long as 8 weeks. (Grumbles!) Once we get the approval, then the pump will be sent to the doctor's office. An appointment will be scheduled for us and we will go in for Pump Training. The training is a 3 hour class like what we got in the hospital but a little easier because this time we know the "medical terms" like bolus, basal, correction and all that stuff. She said since we've already been looking at pump info and I've read Pumping Insulin then we should do just fine :) Once we get the training then Kacey will be hooked up for a "Saline Trial" for a whole week. During this week, we will do everything like we would with the pump and dose her but instead of insulin, she will get the saline. She will take the insulin by injection. We will do 2 site changes this week as well. Then we will go back after that week and show that we are capable of doing everything with the pump and she will be switched from saline to insulin....and be pumping for real! YAYYYYY!

I'm so excited but at the same time very nervous as well. I'm worried about insurance crap. What do we do if they don't approve it? How long will it take to approve? How much will we end up having to pay for it? How much will all the supplies be a month? Will it be more than the $160 a month we pay already? Will she get alot more insulin than she is getting already? So much is swirling around in my head and I know I need to gather my thoughts! My other big issue is school and the school nurses training for the pump....but thats an entire topic in itself that I will address later ;)

So thats where we stand right now...class, approval, more training and then hookup for real!

Wednesday Funny (a day late)

We had a really bad storm roll through our part of the area and we lost power last night til around 9:30pm. Of course, during that time we battled lows but it all worked out and I'm posting the Wednesday Funny a day late ;) so since it's late I'm sharing two of them :)

Here goes....

Are You Ready for Children?

Mess Test: Smear peanut butter on the sofa and curtains. Now rub your hands in the wet flowerbed and rub on the walls. Cover the stains with crayons. Place a fish stick behind the couch and leave it there all summer.

Toy Test: Obtain a 55-gallon box of Lego's. (If Lego's are not available, you may substitute roofing tacks or broken bottles.) Have a friend spread them all over the house. Put on a blindfold. Try to walk to the bathroom or kitchen. Do not scream. (This could wake a child at night.)

Grocery Store Test: Borrow one or two small animals (goats are best) and take them with you as you shop at the grocery store. Always keep them in sight and pay for anything they eat or damage.

Dressing Test: Obtain one large, unhappy, live octopus. Stuff into a small net bag making sure that all arms stay inside.

Feeding Test: Obtain a large plastic milk jug. Fill halfway with water. Suspend from the ceiling with a stout cord. Start the jug swinging. Try to insert spoonfuls of soggy cereal (such as Fruit Loops or Cheerios) into the mouth of the jug, while pretending to be an airplane. Now dump the contents of the jug on the floor.

Night Test: Prepare by obtaining a small cloth bag and fill it with 8 - 12 pounds of sand. Soak it thoroughly in water. At 8:00 PM begin to waltz and hum with the bag until 9:00 PM. Lay down your bag and set your alarm for 10:00 PM. Get up, pick up your bag, and sing every song you have ever heard. Make up about a dozen more and sing these too until 4:00 AM. Set alarm for 5:00 AM. Get up and make breakfast. Keep this up for 5 years. Look cheerful.

Physical Test (Women): Obtain a large beanbag chair and attach it to the front of your clothes. Leave it there for 9 months. Now remove 10 of the beans.

Physical Test (Men): Go to the nearest drug store. Set your wallet on the counter. Ask the clerk to help himself. Now proceed to the nearest food store. Go to the head office and arrange for your paycheck to be directly deposited to the store. Purchase a newspaper. Go home and read it quietly for the last time.

Final Assignment: Find a couple who already has a small child. Lecture them on how they can improve their discipline, patience, tolerance, toilet training, and child's table manners. Suggest many ways they can improve. Emphasize to them that they should never allow their children to run riot. Enjoy this experience. It will be the last time you will have all the answers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One day my mother was out and my dad was in charge of me. I was maybe 2 1/2 years old and had just recovered from an accident. Someone had given me a little 'tea set' as a get-well gift and it wasone of my favorite toys. Daddy was in the living room engrossed in the evening news when Ibrought Daddy a little cup of 'tea', which was just water. After severalcups of tea and lots of praise for such yummy tea, my Mom came home.My Dad made her wait in the living room to watch me bring him a cup oftea, because it was 'just the cutest thing!' My Mom waited, and sureenough, here I come down the hall with a cup of tea for Daddy and shewatches him drink it up. Then she says, (as only a mother would know.. :) Did it ever occur to you that the only place she can reach to get wateris the toilet?

50+ Questions

I stole this survey from Penny :)

1. What do you add to your coffee?
I love flavored creamer (anything except vanilla) and Splenda :)
2. What are you reading now?
This survery...LOL! Acutally I just read Pumping Insulin again to refresh my memory and make my list of questions for Pump Class next Thurs.
3. Do you own a gun?
No I don't, but my husband owns 7 of them.
4. Are you registered to vote?
Absolutely! And I DO :)
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
Gosh yes! Not only before my appts but before the girls doc appts as well. It's just something about a doctor that makes me nervous to start with.
6. What do you think of hot dogs?
Ewwwwwwww! (I'm a vergetarian!)
7. Favorite Christmas Song?
O' Holy Night and It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
Coffee :) The WHOLE pot! haha!
9. Can you do push ups?
Ummm...I'm sure I could but it's been a long time since I tried LOL
10. What was the name of your first boyfriend/girlfriend?
Charles (9th grade)
11. What’s your favorite piece of jewelery?
My Family ring...it has our names engraved on it and all 4 birthstones in it
12. Favorite hobby?
Scrapbooking, taking pictures, blogging...anything I can do to destress :)
13. Do you work with people who idolize you?
I don't think so...I work with a great group of teachers and they are quick to tell me how much they appreciate all my help with volunteering but I wouldn't call it an "idol"
14. Do you have ADD?
Nope
15. What’s one trait that you hate about yourself?
Right now...my weight
16. What’s your Middle name?
Marie
17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment.
~Kacey's nurse just called and shes a 79 for lunch (another low)
~I haven't blogged since Monday and its not cuz I didn't want to...I've been busy!
~I'm thankful I can go on the fieldtrip to the Air & Space Center with Kacey tomorrow!
18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday.
~Coffee at 7-11
~Gas for the car
~Another coffee at 7-11
19. Name 3 beverages you regularly drink.
~Coffee
~Sweet Tea
~Diet Pepsi
20. Current worry right now?
I'm scared about insurance approval for Kacey's pump. Our CDE said it could take 4-8 weeks to be approved and I have this sick feeling about fighting the insurance for approval and coverage. It's probably nothing to worry about but I still am.
21. What side do you dress to?
LOL...I don't know...I dress to the front ~giggles hysterically~
22. Favorite place to be?
Snuggled in bed with a good book, good movie, or my kids :) OR On the beach soaking up some sunshine while my girls play in the sand
23. How did you bring in the New Year?
This year we were in the living room...Me & both girls and then we woke Frankie up with firecrackers.
24. Where would you like to go?
I'm looking forward to our vacation to Hawaii this year. All we have to buy are plane tickets because my brother is living over there and we get to stay with him and go touring with him and his family. I'm really excited to see them! I miss them all so much :(
25. Name three people who will complete this.
Not sure? Maybe Sheri, Cara & Lynnea
26. Whose answers do you want to read the most?
Anyone who is willing to take the time to answer these.
27. What color shirt are you wearing?
Black sweater
28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets?
NOWAY! I hate slipping and sliding when I sleep. I like crisp cotton ones :D
29. Can you whistle?
Nope :( I try! I can whistle a little if I suck in
30. Favorite colors(s)?
Purple and pink
31. Could you be a pirate?
Nah...I'm way too clean for that LOL!
32. What songs do you sing in the shower?
I sing anything ;)
33. Favorite girls name?
Kayleigh & Kacey :D ...if we had another girl she would have been Karissa Bailey (both girls have have the same initials, KBW, and so we would of done that again)
34. Favorite boy’s name?
Don't know really? If we'd of had another baby and it would have been a boy we would have named him Keith Braxton (family names but still the KBW)
35. What’s in your pocket right now?
My ID badge from school, cell phone and $3
36. Last thing that made you laugh?
My friend, Lyn. We did some volunteer work at the school today and I think the Starbucks went to our brains LOL!
37. Best bed sheets as a child?
Holly Hobbie ...then New Kids On The Block as I got older
38. Worst injury you’ve ever had?
OMG I don't know...I'm so accident prone. I'd probably have to say the one to my knee. I jumped off some bleachers after a hockey championship game 2 years ago and damaged the cartlidge and ligaments to the point that I had to have knee surgery :(
39. Do you love where you live?
I do...I just hate being so far off the road. Our driveway is 1/4 mile long and we have 5 acres of land
40. How many TVs do you have in your house?
4...yikes... our room, Kays room, Kaceys room and the Living room
41. Who is your loudest friend?
LOL I'll plead the 5th!
42. How many dogs do you have?
One named Nemo and he is 6
43. Does anyone have a crush on you?
I dont think so! LOL
44. What are the most fun things you ever did?
Ahhhhh I'm always up for fun ;) and I try and make everything I do fun
45. What are your favorite books?
The Twilight series
46. What is your favorite candy?
Reeses and Smarties (the ones from England)
47. Favorite Team?
Depends on the sport...NFL- Raiders
48. What songs do you want played at your funeral?
Whatever they feel like playing
49. What were you doing at 12 AM?
Snoozing soundly :)
50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
It's only 5:30am and the alarm was set for 6:00am!
51. Have you ever received an award?
Yes :) Lots of them
52. How many browser tabs do you have open right now?
Two
53. Share a website with us.
www.thecutestblogontheblock.com
54. Look at the wall to your right, what is on it?
Cork board with Halloween pics pinned up, a few addresses, Coast Guard sticker and a white board with Cara and Sheri's phone numbers on it.
55. Have you ever rescued/taken in a stray animal?
Yes *sigh* Im such a sucker!
56. When I say "Moo I'm a duck" do you think of a cow or a duck?
Cow
57. If the Pillsbury Dough Boy got into a fight with Mrs. Butterworth who would win? And would anybody get hurt?
Yummyyyy....if they did then I'd have biscuts with syrup HAHAHA! I'd say Mrs. Butterworth will come out on top for sure! (heehee...get it... on top...LOL!)

Butterflies

(pic- My lower back tattoo)

After a spark flew earlier in a conversation I was having with a great person working on something for a logo for our team, I had a magical moment and felt like I needed to share it.

Ever since I can remember, I've always loved butterflies. I collect anything with them on it and Kayleigh's room and bathroom are decorated with them. I have two tattoos and both of them have butterflies in them. I got my first tattoo in April 2005. It is a lower back piece of art that took me months to find. The butterfly is in the middle of tribal. I absolutely adore this artwork! I never regretted for one moment getting it and I never will. I got my second tattoo in July 2005. Yes, it's true that once you get one then the addiction grows! This one is around my ankle. I created this piece and I'm proud of it. The butterfly is done in rainbow colors and it is on the outside of my ankle. A band of tribal with flowers worked into it wraps around my ankle completely. I wanted to add more to that piece of art but the pain was too much for me to bear and I've left it at that.

For those of you that don't know, the butterfly is very symbolic. The interpretation of the symbolism is really in the eyes of the person viewing it.

For others, it may symbolize "Rebirth"...."Beauty"...."Freedom"...or "Free Soul". But for me, it symbolizes "New Life". I'll come back to this in a few minutes....

I've never been the type to push religious beliefs on anyone and when I found this symbolism reference it actually made me think about how the Lord works in mysterious ways. The symbolism of the butterfly for Christians...."For Christians, the butterfly's three steps of metamorphosis -- as caterpillar, pupa and then winged insect -- are reminiscent of spiritual transformation.The caterpillar's incessant crawling and chewing reminds us of normal earthly life where people are often wholly preoccupied with physical needs. The chrysalis (cocoon) resembles a tomb and empty, can suggest the empty shroud left behind by Jesus. Therefore, a butterfly represents the resurrection into a new condition of life that is free of any material concerns."

How is that for some chills?

While I was conversing with this person through email about the logo, it hit me.... we need to incorporate butterflies into our new logo! A butterfly to symbolize... "Kacey's New Life" ... her life with diabetes. It was as if God was smiling down on me and all along He put these butterflies in my life for a reason. He put them in my life long before I knew what His plan was. My new life as a Mommy of a daughter living with diabetes. "Everything happens for a reason." That is my favorite quote because I really believe that things do happen for a reason and we may never know what that reason is and we may not agree with it but we live with it. My life has taken some crazy twists and turns in the last 33 years but without those "reasons" then I would not be the person I am today. Kacey's diagnosis has made me a better mother. I was forced out of my comfort zone of daily life and into a new level of comfort. I still may not understand the exact reason why this happened to our family and I don't even really want to know why but I do know that I am a better person because of it and therefore I can share what I've gained with others...be it real life or through my blog.

So there you have it.... our new logo....whatever background it may have...it will have butterflies in it. Feel free to email me with any art you think would be of help.

More coming soon.... (Thanks Cody!)

Thank You Sheri & Nikki

We just got our package in the mail today Sheri & Nikki from No Sugar Needed. Thank you SOOOOOOO much! They sent us a Diabetes teddy bear and a Kentucky mascot that sings the "Fight Song". Kacey was thrilled!! Kacey was also excited to have Nikki's school picture to show to her friends at school. We're so thankful the girls have become "diabetes pen pals". We hope one day they will be blessed to meet in real life! Thank you again! We love you both :)

The Results

We just got home from Kacey's 6mo. Endo checkup and the results are in.......

YESSSSSSSS..... That is a 7.3%!!!

I am thrilled with the results and that is an excellent A1c for just 6 months into diagnosis! Her doctor was very happy to see that number :) When she was diagnosed her A1c in the hospital was a 10.5%!! We were in there for a little over an hour because we got to speak with the Educational Consultant about how she was doing in school and how the 504 Plan was working out. Everything was so positive! Dr. R came back in and I got to ask all my questions *smiles* The major one being....

When can Kacey start the pump?

His response.... (looking down at all her paperwork and then looking back up at Kacey) "I don't see any reason why we can't have her in the pump class on Feb 5th."

O.M.G.!!! I dont think I've ever seen Kacey smile so big before! So YES...there IS a possibility if everything goes smoothly with getting the insurance approval, she should be pumping by her birthday on March 8th. I just can't put into words how thrilled I am right now for Kacey.

Dr. R went on to praise her for keeping her blood sugars in good control, making sure she rotates shot sites and for not overusing her fingers since she tests so often. After we did all that she had to go have labs done... a blood test to check levels and cholesterol and a urine test. The last time she had to be stuck like that was when she was admitted in the ER for diagnosis and that brought back some pretty tough memories (for all of us!)

She wasn't too happy about getting the blood test. After we finished in there, we took a walk down to the ER to see if we could find Nurse Amanda. She was Kacey's ER nurse when she was diagnosed and admitted to the PICU. We spoke to two different people and they didn't know who we were talking about :( So we didn't get to see her.

It was a long day full of excitement and a few tears. This was the first time we'd been back to the hospital since she was diagnosed and walking through the hallways brought back all those memories. Some good, some bad. I asked both girls what memories they had of being there. Kayleigh laughed about eating cafeteria food with Daddy and how noisy it was in the PICU. Kacey got tears in her eyes and said I remember how nice the nurses were to me and getting to play with the sick kids in the playroom. I turned to Frankie and asked him what his memories were and he said he just remembers being scared because she was so sick. As for me...it all seems to be such a blur and I just remember feeling rushed through everything. Everyone was so nice and so supportive and I just remember feeling so low. I beat myself up over the guilt I felt. Guilty for not being able to see all the signs sooner and her getting so sick. My memories this time....I walked through those halls with confidence. The confidence I've gained the last 6 months. The feeling of control....control over Kacey's diabetes. This time I walked through those halls with a smile. A smile because we are not letting this D-Monster rule our lives anymore!

Today was a good day....no make that a GREAT day!

More about pump class soon :) YAYYYYYYYY!

The Time Is Here!

All those days of counting down and it's finally here. Tomorrow Kacey goes to the Endo for her first real check up since being diagnosed 6 months ago. She will get her A1c checked this time!

Excited. Nervous. Scared. Anxious. Happy. All of these feelings are swirling around inside of me. I'm excited because I finally get to discuss getting Kacey on the pump. I'm nervous because I don't know what to expect. I'm scared because it's the D-Report Card and this will tell me how good we've managed things the last 6 months. I'm anxious because I have a list of questions to ask and I hope I have time to get them all answered. I'm happy because if Kacey is approved for the pump then we could be in pump classes as early as the first Thursday in Feb and it makes me smile to think that the "All I want for my birthday is a new pump!" is actually possible! I just hope that "Disappointed" isn't added to that list after the visit!

Until tomorrow.....

Wednesday Funny

I thought I would start a new Wednesday ritual. I always get some funny emails and so I thought since Wednesday is half way through the week or "Hump Day" as many call it, I would start sharing some of the ones I get.

This one I am about to share is one of my favorite! I've kept it in my save folder for future reference ;) I like to remind my husband of this one every now and then...heehee!

Enjoy!

---------------------

WHAT DO YOU DO ALL DAY...?

A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard.

The door of his wife’s car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall.

In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys And various items of clothing.

In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.

He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened.

He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door.

As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.

As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked, "What Happened here today?"

She again smiled and answered , "You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?"

"Yes," was his incredulous reply.

She answered, "Well, today I didn’t do it."

-------------------------------------------

HAHAHAHA! I love it! ;) Happy Laughing!

A Day in History

I've been glued to the TV this morning watching everything unfold in Washington D.C. as Obama makes his way to the White House. I was overwhelmed with feelings as I watched history take place. Kacey was laying on the couch beside me and she said "Mommy, I know what is happening." I took this chance to talk with her about history and asked her what was happening? She responded with "President Obama is taking office and when he puts his hand on the Bible he will be our new 44th President." (Wowwww... thanks Mrs. M...she learned that in your class!) I explained that she was watching history take place and it's a very exciting time for our country. Before she drifted back off to sleep (she's home from school sick today with the virus her sister had yesterday), she said "Mommy, I think he will be a nice President." Hmmm...you know, I think so too! I've never been a political person, in fact, I hate politics, but watching this important day in our history has given me an appreciation of many things. Less than one hour until the moment arrives....

Virus...Virus...Everywhere!

Yikes! It's been a crazy few days. The word "VIRUS" has circulated through our house and it's making it's rounds.

First, on Friday, my computer started acting weird. I did a virus scan and it locked up. I had one of those "Oh shit!" moments. I tried 3 more times to run the scan with no luck. It wasn't long after that I got a pop-up telling me my computer was infected with a worm and I needed to run a complete scan. Ummmm....I TRIED TO! So I ended up downloading another free scan. No luck! It would get to the end of the download and then tell me it couldn't be downloaded. My browser was hijacked and I couldn't get to any website directly to download another program. So after 3 days of research I finally got Malwarebytes Anti-Malware to download and once I renamed the file it worked ;) Ahhhh the power of the net is a great thing! Virus can kiss my ass! I will now make a vow to run the scan every other day to keep that crap from getting in my computer.

So...then yesterday morning Kayleigh woke up and said she didn't feel well. Since she is due for her time of the month I told her it was probably just that and for her to just take a day to rest. She got a shower thinking she'd feel better but when I heard the call from the bathroom....you know the call... "Mommmmmmmm I need you!" with that bit of panic in her voice. I went running in and she was sitting on the closed lid toilet and said she didn't feel good and everything went black and she was seeing black and yellow spots. The "mommy panic" set in and I immediately grabbed the glucose kit because my first thought was low blood sugar since she hadn't had much of an appetite the day before. It was an 84...perfect for a nondiabetic. She sat there for a few more minutes as this passed and she didn't have anymore symptoms until lunchtime. She said she was freezing and her body was aching all over and when I went to touch her cheeks she was burning up! She was running almost a 102 fever...yikes! No sore throat, no cough, no stuffy nose or drainage, no sick stomach, no loose bowels... I was puzzled! I gave her some Motrin and she went back to bed. She still didn't have much of an appetite. She stayed in bed all afternoon and started feeling a little better by dinnertime. She ate a little bit of dinner and went right back to bed. She alternated between pulling the covers up and kicking them off so I knew she still had the fever. She ran between 100-101 all night and then this morning it was back up to nearly 103! I put her in the bathtub and called the doctor. They got her in right away. The doc tested her for strep and the flu...both were negative (thank goodness!) So what is it? A VIRUS!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhh! It's a virus that mimics the flu but without the throwing up and loose bowels. It wipes you off your feet though. She also had protein in her urine and I have to take her back in a few days to have that rechecked. She was quick to tell me there were no traces of sugar (LOL! Duh!) And whats even worse...Kacey just came to me an hour ago and said "Mommy, I don't feel too good." UGH! The doc told me that it would probably go through all of us since it was a virus and there is nothing we can do to prevent it. Ummmm...can you say LYSOL? Hahaha! It just sucks because I know if Kacey gets it then it will throw her blood sugars in a tailspin again.
***sigh***
So thats been my last few days in a nutshell.

As for this week....
Tonight we are spose to be dumped on with about 6 inches of snow. I'll believe it when I see it...LOL! Kayleigh has exams this week so that will throw the exam schedule out of whack for sure. But with all the hustle and bustle of everything going on, it made the days fly by a little faster and we are down to 3 days until Kacey's Endo visit! More to come on that soon :)

Happy 6 month D-Anniversary

HAPPY 6 MONTH D-ANNIVERSARY KACEY!

On this day 6 months ago, Kacey was admitted into the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at CHKD. It was one of the scariest days of my life but as I look back these last 6 months, I can look at just how far we've come on this diabetes journey. I went from knowing nothing and being deathly afraid of needles to educating myself as much as I could about what Kacey is going through and gaining the confidence to give her those shots. I learned so many new words that I'd never even heard before. I know what it means to bolus. I know what basals are. I know what it means to look for trends. All of that was something I didn't understand. I do now! We are going to celebrate tonight with diet hot chocolate (4 carbs) and mini nilla wafers (20 carbs)...wooohoooo! That was Kacey's choice ;)

Thanks again to all of you for your support over the last 6 months! I'd be bald without you all!

OXOX

Diabetes In Pictures

Here is a poster that Kacey made yesterday. She asked for a piece of posterboard and this is what she drew all over it....DIABETES IN PICTURES....

LOL...at least she knows what she wants! ;) **take note** she even drew a diagram of a belly with a site on it!

A self portrait...it is her talking to her doctor.

This is a picture of her doctor telling her that they will find a cure (*cry*)

Self explanitory!

I giggled at this one... its glucose gel, glucose tabs, insulin pen, lancet and test strips with blood on them.

Science Project - 6 days in

Kacey started her Science Project 6 days ago. She planted lima beans into 10 different cups and she is testing to see which bean sprouted the fastest and what it sprouted in. The beans in the wet paper towel sprouted first but the beans planted in the mulch and rocks have seemed to grow faster. And FYI, beans put in plain water end up swelling up and turning to mush and then the water smells like a rotten goldfish bowl...haha! I couldn't figure out what the stench was in my dining room until it was time to water them yesterday and I SAW it! YUK! Haha!

Here are a few pictures...This picture is all of the cups together. Sand, Dirt, Mulch, Paper towels, Rocks, Salt, Hand lotion, Hair gel, Plain water and Dogfood (haha!)
The lima bean planted in mulch on Day 5

The lima bean planted in rocks on Day 5

The lima bean planted in mulch on Day 6 ... I see leaves!!

More pics coming in the next days....

A New Pattern

Kacey's CDE called today and I was able to speak with her about the 48 mg/dl she had the other day. She was just as stumped as to why she dropped but she said not to be alarmed because we test often enough and we would of caught it before it got too low. How low is too low? I thought anything below 80 was low so what is too low? She reassured me that Kacey is fine and not to be alarmed when we see those 40's. It is something we're going to see on a regular basis. (yikes!) So she went on to tell me that Kacey was definately through her honeymoon. Made me want to cry but at the same time be happy. Reason being...we were told no pump until she was through the honeymoon so this means we have a green light for the pump but at the same time it means her pancrease is completely broke :( It's not spitting out anymore insulin and now she's completely dependent on the shots (not that she wasn't before...but its more final now) So...I'd call it a "bitter-sweet" moment. I did express (for the thousandth time) how we were really pushing for the pump and I told her about Kacey asking Santa for one. We had an "awwwww" moment and she told me that when we go to see Dr. R next week, to let him know Kacey was more than ready for the pump and since Santa couldn't give it to her for Christmas then maybe Dr. R could give her a great birthday present ;) (her bday is Mar 8th) She said we were doing an excellent job testing through the day and the more she tests the better they can adjust her dose. That really made me feel good! She did have one concern though. It's a concern that I brought up before but then was quick not to "make excuses" for the highs. Her concern was this... when Kacey was home for those 2 weeks for Christmas break, her blood sugars were nearly perfect! We had nothing over 200 with the exception of Christmas Eve and New Years Eve (totally understandable) but when she started back to school last week her blood sugars went wacky again and she's been bopping around in the 200's and then at dinner time she drops drastically. For instance, yesterday she went from a 269 @ 3pm (2hrs after lunch) to a 68 @ 5pm and so I threw a mini pizza in the oven and while waiting for it to cook she said she felt REALLY low and she dropped to a 60 in 10min. So she asked me... Is Kacey anxious at school? Is she under a lot of stress at school? Maybe changing classes is something that is making her feel anxious and stressed and she just doesnt know it? Can you think of anything that would make her bounce in the 200's through the day with absolutely no change in her regular diet? My reply....No. Her teacher had mentioned back when we did the 504 Plan that Kacey seemed to get a headache or tummyache when it was time to leave class. Mrs. M thought maybe it was because she was feeling insecure. As I mentioned before, Mrs. M's husband is Type 2 and Kacey feels very secure with her. It's like she knows Mrs. M is going to be able to take care of her if something happens because she knows what diabetes is and how to handle highs/lows. She told me that with lots of positive encouragement, Kacey finally started to leave the room without "feeling bad". She hasn't mentioned anymore about it so I assume that she hasn't had anymore problems with it. I really never thought about stress making blood sugars go up. I knew I had read it but I think I just automatically associated stress with adults. Shame on me! I guess I never considered Kacey to be stressed over anything. When I asked her if she was feeling ok this afternoon, she said she had a great day and so I asked her if she had anymore issues with feeling bad when she changed classes and she told me no. So what do I do? She doesn't appear to be stressed and she loves school. She actually cried the day they left for Christmas break because she thought it was the end of the school year. Sad huh? LOL! My question is this...those of you with kids...do their blood sugars run higher at school than when they are home? Back to the high and drastic drop....for the last 3 days, she will run high in mid-high 200's 2hrs after lunch and then make that drastic fall to the 60's. Her lunch ratio is 1:10 and we have to keep it at that to keep her from spiking at 3pm. So I made a suggestion to the CDE... at 3:30pm when I pick her up from school, should I give her a snack and then do dinner about 6:30pm instead of coming home and doing dinner at 5pm? I'm trying to figure out a schedule that would work best for Kacey. She said to keep the same schedule for the next week and see if she drops every single day at dinner. If she does, then I can switch the meal times up and play with it til I get the timing right.

Today is a good day :) The reason...because I feel like I do have control of Kacey's diabetes, despite the highs and lows she is having. I feel like I understand things so much more and I've certainly come a long way and learned ALOT in 6 months. I am thankful to have one CDE call me every week (God I hate change!) I used to get frustrated when we had 3 different ones calling and none of them really knew us. I've built a nice relationship with our CDE and it was actually nice to sit and talk with her for 15 min on the phone today. I didn't feel rushed and she was really open to my ideas. When she told me I was doing a good job managing things I felt a beam of sunlight :) Thats a great feeling! LOL I giggled and told her the true test would be that "report card" we get next Thurs! She reminded me that we were only 6 months into this and not to expect to have that 6.0 and I said anything lower than the 10.5 she had in the hospital would be great with me ;)

Tomorrow is a big day for me. I will be substitute teaching all day for my internship. I am shadowing a great 1st grade teacher :) I've already popped in to tell her I was going to be in the class with her and she was thrilled to know the name on the email she got was me. (Can you say....confidence boost!) I'm really excited!

JDRF Awards

As most of you know, last night was the JDRF Awards ceremony here. It was our first time attending. I must say that it turned out to be quite an emotional evening. We arrived in Va Beach about 45 minutes before the ceremony was due to begin. During that time, I started chatting briefly with others mingling around. I got to meet Lori Camden. Lori is the one who mailed us the Bag of Hope, the bag with Rufus. She recognized Kacey from pictures I've emailed her, and of course, the event wouldn't be complete without Rufus in tow. I stood there talking to her like I'd known her forever.
Then there was an artist that brought a canvas with fish drawn on it. Each child had a chance to paint a fish. This painting will go to auction and the money raised will go directly to JDRF. How cool is that? Last year, the painting was sold for $7000! The buyer of the painting, Kacey's Endo doc office. Very neat!
About 20 minutes before the ceremony was due to start, the people really started to show up. I had no idea that this was a catered event either! I was just blown away at how nice everything was. So we're sitting there waiting for Kacey's name to be called and this man walks over to our table. He speaks to the other woman sitting there and she goes on to introduce him to Kacey and tell him she was only diagnosed 6 months ago. He knelt down beside her and began to tell her how his son was 16 and diagnosed at 3. He is on a pump and does everything any other child does. He asks her if she's on a pump yet? Her reply, "No, not yet and I wanted to ask Santa for one but Mommy said Dr. R had to give it to me." This grown man actually teared up! He kissed her forehead and went on to tell her that they were doing all they could to raise money to find a cure. He walked over to me and said "You must me Mom?" I laughed and he bent down to my ear and said "You make sure that little girl gets her pump and if you run into any financial problems with it then you call me personally! My son is 16 and was diagnosed at 3 and the pump changed our lives and I want to see each and every child have the same chance as well as every parent getting the break that I did!" I was floored! Who is this man? He went on from table to table talking to people. Many seemed to know him, but I didn't. Why didn't I know who he was? So I asked the lady sitting at our table who he was and come to find out he was the president of the board. Wowwwwww! He then asked for all of the people with diabetes to stand up. Thats when I got really emotional. About 50% of the room stood up. Some wore their pumps proudly where they could be seen while others hid them in nice dresses and others were not wearing pumps at all. I was shocked to see that there were as many adults standing as children. Adults that had lived with diabetes for 20-30 years just like my fellow D-bloggers. This was the first time I'd been in the company of so many diabetics in the same room. And...I was just amazed at the outpour of love and support in that room!

Kacey received the Golden Sneaker Award but then we had no idea that our team would be getting an award as well. Our team got the Silver Award and we got a really nice hanging plaque. We got some really good fundraising ideas and I'm looking forward to starting them this year.

We got in the car to come home and I heard sobbing from the back seat. I turned back to see Kacey crying. I asked her what was wrong and it took her a few minutes to compose herself enough to tell me "I'm just so happy!" it wasn't long before I ended up in tears as well. It seemed to be an emotional evening for all of us :) but definately an evening full of wonderful memories and Kacey is excited to start fundraising this year too!

The Lowest Yet!

We had a rough morning yesterday! Kacey woke up at a 127. She's been waking up with some really great blood sugars and she's still had a great streak of daily blood sugars. When we went shopping on Saturday, Kacey has been asking for syrup. Syrup = every diabetics nightmare. Ugh! So I decided to take a look at some of the sugar free ones. I know those can be just as bad! But it's hard to eat waffles or pancakes plain. So there I stood in the aisle at Walmart scanning the labels of syrup with Kacey beside me grinning. Pancake & Waffle Syrup = 53g carbs (OMG!) Pancake & Waffle Light Syrup = 26g carbs (getting lower...but still OMG!) So then I spot Sugar Free Butter Flavor Low Calorie Syrup from Maple Grove Farms. Hmmm... made with Splenda...ohhhh then I spot where it says "supporter of Children with Diabetes" (cool!!)...turn it over 12g carbs! (wow! much better!) So as a parent, what do you do? Make your child eat plain pancakes or give in and bolus for the sugar free stuff? I gave in! I explained that because it was sugar free then it might not taste as good, but she'd adjust to the flavor. That brings us to breakfast yesterday. She wasn't very hungry and said she wanted waffles. Ok, 2 waffles, 30g carbs. Plus syrup, 12g carbs. Spray butter, 0g. Thats 42g carbs and I've got a smiling child. She loved the syrup! I tasted it and it wasn't bad at all. I could actually switch the whole family over to that stuff. This was at 9am. By 12pm, Kacey came in and said she was hungry. Well all she had was 2 waffles so since it was lunchtime, I told her to go test. The result....

This is been Kacey's lowest yet!! Umm, Kacey do you feel low? No. Do you feel shaky? No, I'm just hungry. I quickly got her something to bring her up. 15 min later, 88. Wow! By then she was getting fussy and wanted lunch. So she had lunch and tested 2 hours after that and she was an 81 (and falling). So her body decided to do something silly yesterday because then once we got to the JDRF Awards, she was running in the 200's! What scared me was she never felt the low! Thats really low for her and she wasn't having any symptoms!

Golden Sneaker

Today is a very special day!

We will be attending our first JDRF Awards Ceremony in Va Beach. Kacey will be receiving the Golden Sneaker award for raising almost $2500!

When Kacey was diagnosed, I knew we had to start doing something positive like these walks. It would be something she would take interest in as well as raise money for a cure. We set our goal at $500 because we didn't want Kacey to be disappointed if we didn't make that goal. By the walk day at the end of October, we had raised $1500. She made an appearance on our local radio station as well as in our local newspaper. The day of the walk we raised another $900!! I was so overwhelmed with the support we had. We had over 40 people show up to walk with our team, "Diabetes Sweeties". I couldn't believe the outpour of generosity we had over those 3 months. And it didn't stop there! We're still getting more love, prayers and support than I ever could have imagined. After the awards ceremony today, we will begin our new journey for the 2009 Walk to a Cure.

You can still visit Kacey's Walk to a Cure page and donate. For every $25 donation, you will be sent a "Diabetes Sweeties" t-shirt (new shirts coming this year!) and I will ship them to you free!

Thank you to everyone that has given us support! We hope to double that goal in 2009!

Vote for SUM!

If you haven't done this already then I encourage you all to hop over to MedGadget's 2008 Web Awards and vote for Six Until Me as the Best Patient Blogger. Kerri's blog is the only diabetes blog that has been nominated so I hope you go over there and show your support! It's just a click away :D

Kacey's Visions

This came home in Kacey's folder yesterday from school. I proudly posted it to the refrigerator.

On the first day of school, her teacher let her speak to the class about diabetes. It certainly had an impact on Kacey because that was what she chose as her highlight of 2008. Not going to Busch Gardens, not meeting Josh Gracin from American Idol, not being diagnosed with diabetes...the hightlight was for her to be able to speak to her peers about her diabetes!

As for her vision for 2009, the pump. She is counting the days on the calendar and she reminds me every day how many days until we go to her Endo to discuss this option.

To Numb or Not To Numb?

That is the question.

I've been reading a ton about pumping, sites, pain and Emla cream. I thought I'd ask how many of you actually use a cream to numb the place you put your pump site? I was wondering how beneficial it would be to use or if it was more trouble than it was worth because you have to do it 2 hours before a site, wait for it to be numb and then it stays numb for an hour after that. Would it be better to just have her get used to the pain of putting a pump site in just in case we have to do a quick change without cream? LOL...can you tell it's getting close to her appointment date? I add questions to my list daily :)

13 days til appointment!

Weird Feeling?

Kacey experienced something really weird last night and again today.

Last night she went to bed around 8pm and woke up at 9:30pm in a sobbing cry. I went in her room and she was sitting up in bed wiping her face. I asked her what was wrong? I thought maybe she was dreaming and she said her tummy hurt. So I felt her face to see if she was warm. She wasn't. She then said "Mommy I think I need to test because I feel low." LOW? She was a 234 before bed. She couldn't be that low in just an hour. So I got her kit and she was a 199. She sat there and continued to sob insisting she was low. She kept saying "Mommy I feel it! I feel low!" So I retested her to make sure...198. Nope she wasn't low. She did it again this morning. She woke up at a 156 and was extremely tired. She said she felt "fuzzy". She insisted she was low and she knew what low felt like! Because I don't know what a low feels like, it's hard for me to understand what her body is doing. Does anyone know what she's talking about? Could she be feeling like that because she's starting to come down from a 200+ blood sugar? I don't know and I don't understand why she's feeling this.

She did go on to school and she said she didn't have the feeling anymore. When she tested for dinner she was a 91 and she wasn't feeling "weird".

I'm baffled!

It's Official! (warning: long post)

Yep...I am officially back to work after 9 years of being a stay at home Mom. I've been asked if I really want to do this and my answer every time is, "YES!".

Going back 9 years....
It only takes ONE event to make you become a stay at home Mom...the complicated birth of a daughter....
When I was pregnant with Kacey, I'd been teaching preschool for nearly 8 years. I had a very rough pregnancy. When I was 6 months pregnant with her I went into early labor. They were able to put me on medication to keep me from dialating but it never took away the contractions. It just kept them from being regular. My last few weeks of pregnancy were spent in and out of the hospital and doctor's office. A month before my due date, Feb 2000, I hadn't felt Kacey move in over 24 hours. I called the doctors office twice that day and they reassured me it was because she was "big" and "the space in there was tight". In my heart I knew something else was wrong. That evening I was nearly in a state of panic and I called the emergency line to my doctor. He called me back and said that if it would make me feel better then go on to the hospital and let them hook me to the monitor and make sure things were okay. I didn't hesitate and we were on our way to the hospital 45 minutes away. Normally if I jiggled my tummy then Kacey would push back but there was nothing. No pushing foot. No pushing hand. No head banging around in there. We got to the hospital and I explained my problem and they immediately took me into the room and hooked me up. The nurse began to move the monitor around. I could see the look on her face was one that was disturbed. She called for the head nurse. She began moving the monitor. She had an even more disturbed look. I then rallied the courage to say "What's wrong?" and she looked at me and said "We can't find a heartbeat." I immediately went into a hysterical cry. I was 8 months pregnant...managed to keep her inside me 2 months longer than my body really wanted her in....and now THIS? Within a few minutes, they found a faint beat. There were 3 nurses in there calming me. One of them immediately gave me 2 cans of apple juice to drink as fast as I could. The beat got stronger and they kept me overnight. They tried to tell me that it was a "bad monitor" and the baby was fine. I begged the doctor to run more tests because I really did think there was something more wrong. He just passed it off as me being a paranoid Mom (which btw, really pissed me off!) I was released to go home and over the span of 2 weeks, Kacey would stop moving for a period of a few hours and I'd cry for hours after because I'd had a baby before and I knew that I could make her move if I wanted her to. On March 8, 2000 I woke up and felt "funny". I called into work and told my boss I wasnt feeling well but we didnt have anyone to cover my class so I told her I would try to come in. Because I'd had contractions over the last 3 months, feeling the cramps were nothing out of the ordinary for me. I taught preschool that day! Worked from 7am to 3pm. Went to get Kayleigh from school at 3:30pm. On the way home, I got a sick stomach. I was beginning to wonder if maybe I was coming down with the flu! I was off all my medications and it never occured to me that this might be labor. Kayleigh and I got home at 4pm and she started homework while I went to get a bath. A warm bath always relaxed me. As I layed there in the bath, the pain started to get worse and I realized the pains were coming every 8 minutes or so. Could this be? Nah! I still have 2 weeks! I'm not due til March 18th! I got out of the bath and thats when I knew that it was labor for sure. I knew Frankie was on his way home from work (we didn't have cell phones then). I called my doctor and told him that the pains seemed to be every 7-8 minutes. His words, "Why arent you on your way to the hospital?" LOL! Frankie came home, got a shower and we were on our way! As we were driving, Kayleigh shouts from the backseat, "I'm hungry!" Oh yeah...I was so wrapped up in pain that I forgot to feed her! Frankie hadn't eaten either soooooo... with contractions every 6 minutes by now, Frankie pulls through the McDonald's drive thru to get them something to eat. Haha! And yes...he told them to hurry because his wife was in labor! *giggles* It wasn't funny at the time, but it is now. We make the journey to the hospital 45 minutes away. My Mom met us there and already had a wheelchair waiting. I was already pre-registered so everything was a go! I was scheduled for the epidural this time. I tried natural when I had Kayleigh but couldn't manage the pain so they made sure I got it this time. After I got the epidural, the pain started to dull, but the numbness started to move up my tummy. It moved all the way to my neck and I felt my entire chest tingling. I started to cough. It was one of those nagging coughs like when an asthma attack is coming on. Within a few minutes, I blacked out. I was out for about 10-15 minutes (from what I was told). I woke up with an oxygen mask on, still very pregnant, and everything around me fuzzy. My doctor was at my side holding my hand and my husband was on the other side holding the other hand. I was dialated a 10 and still not comprehending what just happened. My doc reassured me that I was okay and it was time to push. As I began to push, I felt the pain. Yes....PAIN! Holy cow! I am NOT spose to be feeling this pain because I have the epidural. Thats when I was told the epidural was shut off. I had an allergic reaction to it which caused my blood pressure to drop to 60/44 ....yep, they had to save me before they could save the baby! As I pushed, the monitor that was watching Kacey would start to beep like some insane machine. Her heart rate would drop with every push. She was in the birth canal and there was no turning back now...no time to do a c-section...and I remember the doc shouting at the nurse "Silence that monitor! We have to get this baby out NOW!" Forceps....as my doc pulled...he realized Kacey was stuck...her airway was being cut off and if he didn't do something fast, we'd lose her! ***graphic so if queezy stop reading*** He reached inside and pulled the embilical cord out before her, clamped and cut it and then reached back in to slip the cord from around her neck....then immediately forcep delivering her. My Mom was standing over in the corner taking pictures of delivery and she had no idea what she was capturing. The first picture of Kacey, limp in my doctors hands, blue, not breathing...yes basically a dead baby. He tossed her to the neonatal team that was on standby waiting. Tubes were shoved everywhere and her airways were cleared and opened. As my doc finished things up with me, I was crying and asking if she was okay? There was no crying, I didnt see her moving. For the 2nd time, I thought I'd lost my baby! And then I heard it, something that sounded like a mouse squeak. She was breathing....she was trying to cry...and I saw the look of relief on everyones faces. The nurse brought her over for me to see, I held her briefly and then she was taken down to the neonatal unit. Everyone followed and I was left in the room with my doctor and a nurse. My doc then left and came back with Frankie. He asked if we minded if he had prayer? What? My doc wants to pray? Huh? I was confused and I replied with "Yes, but why?" and thats when he explained just how close Frankie was to losing not only me, but our daughter as well! Overwhelmed, I cried during the prayer as my doctor thanked God for giving us this angel. The head nurse walked back in the room with 2 poloroid pictures in her hand. One for me and one for the new big sister, Kayleigh. She told me that they were not sure just how bad things were but they would keep me posted. How bad? Were things still bad? She looked perfect on the outside! I wasn't allowed to get up because of the epidural reaction. It wasn't until nearly 10 hours later, that I actually got to cuddle my new daughter for the first time! I remember unwrapping her and counting her fingers and toes...10 of each! The pediatrician came in after making her rounds that morning. She asked Frankie to sit down as she spoke to us. "You realize that the cord was around Kacey's neck 3 times?" THREE TIMES?!?! No I wasnt aware of that! "She went on to explain that my doctor had said that we had some complications while I was pregnant with her not moving and now they think she has it wrapped for quite some time inutero" WHATTTTTTTTTT???? I wanted to scream! I explained that I'd told them I knew something was wrong, but I just didn't know what :( So she went on to tell us that they were not sure how much brain damage was done, but she was breathing on her own, her heart sounded good, she was moving around and she knew how to suck already. It wouldnt be until she was 2 that they would be able to tell us just how much damage because that was when she'd be hitting those developmental milestones. Being told your child may not be "normal" was one of the hardest things I'd ever heard (until the diabetes diagnosis). We stayed in the hospital for 3 days. During those few days, Frankie and I discussed what we'd been told and we decided how we would handle things. Because I'd been at my job for almost 8 years, I had quite a bit of vacation saved up. I was going to use that vacation and be paid for being on maternity leave. During that time, I would get all the bills we had paid off so we only had basic bills. Those basic bills were something Frankie could pay on his own and I would make the heartbreaking decision to be a stay at home Mom. It took me 3 weeks to work up the nerve to quit. I loved my job (wasn't crazy over the people I worked with) but I loved being in the classroom. I'd shut my class door and I entered my own little world with a room of 20-22 preschoolers. How would I tell my boss? How would I tell my class? How would I deal with the parents? What about all the materials in the classroom with my name on them? I was so scared but at the same time, I knew my baby needed me. I knew Kayleigh needed me. Three weeks into my maternity leave, my boss called me at home to see how Kacey was doing. I got choked up trying to tell her what I was thinking about doing. I wasn't sure what our future held with Kacey. I knew the place I worked for couldn't deal with having a "handicapped" child in the infant room. My place was at home with Kacey. After telling her I wouldn't be returning to teach, I'd be returning to gather my things...it took me about 20 minutes to compose myself. I called Frankie to tell him I'd quit. I felt like a burden had been lifted but I was still scared of the months to come. As the months passed, Kacey started to exceed the milestones. She was even passing them early! At her 2 year check up, her pediatrician told us she was "perfect!" Our angel was perfect! There was no brain damage at all and she was healthy! My decision to be a stay at home mom didn't come easy but I knew it was what I had to do. I had to be there for my kids...both of them. As the years have gone by, I don't regret that decision one bit. I've been able to attend field trips, special lunches, help in the school and be there for both girls in every way I could.

This pic was the first pic of Kacey ever taken. Notice how blue/grey she is! She wasn't breathing!

This pic of Kacey was taken the day we left the hospital. She had the prettiest color!

When Kacey was diagnosed with diabetes, I went though all those emotions all over again. Only this time, I didn't have the burden of a job hanging over my head. I was able to care for Kacey in every way without the stress of that. Not many parents are fortunate enough to be home with their kids when they are little and I was blessed to be home for 9 years! When Kacey started back to school in Sept, I felt like I needed to be close by so I ended up volunteering just about every day. This really sparked my "teaching fire" again and made me want to be back in the classroom. I felt more alive than I had in years! I mentioned this to one of the other teachers and she suggested me being a substitute. I tossed the idea around and then made the decision to go to the substitute training class. After taking the class, I knew thats what I wanted!

Well, today I got my photo ID badge and had my fingerprints done for the background check. It's official! I'm so excited :) Next Wed and Thurs are my first days in the classroom. I shadow a teacher both days. I already know the teacher ;) so I'm going to pop in on her tomorrow and let her know! This job is ideal for me...I will still have the flexibility to work whatever days I want and yet still have that time with the girls when they need me.

Life is really good right now! :)

Science Fair Project

Kacey will get to compete in her school Science Fair this year. It is mandatory and counts as a huge part of their Science and Reading grade. In Virginia, we have whats called SOL's (Standards of Learning). Each grade level is expected to learn certain SOL's and they are expected to test and pass each one. We have a list of the 3rd grade SOL's and the Science Project she chooses has to relate to one of those SOL's. After sitting here with her and using google as some help to form an idea, she's finally chosen what she wants to do!

The first thing she had to do was find a book that related to herr topic. For instance, she could choose Charlotte's Web and then do a project on spiders and their habitats (eek!) or she could choose Stuart Little and do a project on mouse habitats (double eek!)

PLEASE Kacey, no animal projects!

So she finally chose Jack And The Beanstalk.
Her question: How fast will a lima bean grow in:
Dirt
Sand
Rocks
Mulch
Wet Paper Towels
Cotton Balls
Hair Gel
Dogfood
Hand Lotion
Plain water

Her hypothesis: I think the lima bean will grow fastest in a wet paper towel.

Now we have to get this approved by her teacher tomorrow and we can get the materials to plant the beans! YAY!

More to come....

Diabetes Chat

There are some days I still feel so new to the blogging community, even though I've been here nearly 6 months now. Reading daily blogs, I feel like some of you have been friends of mine for a long time. Others of you, I've just met and became instant friends with. The nice thing about a blog is you can run across a blog, post to someone and then take the time to read back through their "life" almost as if you're reading their biography. You learn about their up's and down's and what type of person they've become. You see how diabetes changes their life and how strong parents can really be! It's an amazing tool. One day I hope to be able to give my blog to Kacey so she can follow in my footsteps.


My question to you all is : Is there a weekly diabetes chat?


I'd love to have the chance to log in and actually be in a room and chat with you all that I blog with. I know you can do that on msn (which I do have) but is there a place that already has one and if not, how many of you would be interested in setting up a msn diabetes chat?

Let me know if you're interested and maybe we can set something up!

Excellent Numbers!

I will probably jinx myself by posting about this but I'm going to risk it! **giggles**

This past week Kacey has had some awesome numbers! It's one of those weeks that I've felt in total control of her diabetes and a high number here and there hasn't upset me at all. The low's that shes had haven't been really low. She's hit the 60's or 70's and she gets that "weird feeling" and asks to test. All of them have been from "my eyes are bigger than my stomach" issue. She says she is hungry and then she will eat about 3/4 of it and say shes full. Thankfully we've checked and caught the lows before they got too low! So I thought I'd share these numbers :)

Mon- 211, 131, 139, 121, 102, 203, 174 (bedtime)

Tue- 136, 123, 208, 132, 110, 105 (bedtime)

Wed- 147, 123, 211, 195, 90, 238, 274 (bedtime) New Years- high carb fun snacks

Thu- 151, 136, 238, 215, 165, 110 (bedtime)

Fri- 121, 109, 199, 79, 152, 137 (bedtime)

Sat- 128, 134, 119, 61, 93, 70, 137, 119 (bedtime)

Sun- 102, 104, 144, 70, 169 (dinner...not tested for bed yet)

She woke up at 102 this morning and thats the lowest shes woke up at in a long time! I like the looks of these numbers and I hope they don't make any changes this week when I fax blood sugars in tomorrow. Let's just hope these numbers stay this way for a while!

Shhhhhh! I can dream, right? ;)