Up High Down Low

We went to the beach for the long weekend and we had a really good time. But, it was hard to keep the diabetes in check. Izzy's blood sugars have been on a roller coaster lately. It really started at the end of last week.

Friday on our trip we made a huge mistake and gave her a milkshake. Of course Chick-fil-a didn't have nutrition information available and we didn't plan on making the stop so we didn't get the info off of the website so we just guessed. Boy did we ever guess wrong. She didn't even drink half of it and it took us 2 corrections to get her blood sugar back down into the 100's. It was crazy. I think we only had one good blood sugar day while we were there.

I have talked to the Endocrine and they can not see any pattern so they don't want to change anything yet. Today she was in the 300's and also had two lows. Lovely.

But, I think that she is getting sick. She broke out in a rash on Tuesday and also vomited. I took her to the peds and he said that the rash looks like a viral rash and there is nothing that we can do but let it run it's course. Today she started with a couple of hives so I gave her some Benedryl and then the blood sugar really went nuts. I would really like a month of just dealing with the diabetes so that we can actually get a handle on what her normal levels look like. She has been sick twice already(not counting now) since she was diagnosed 2 months ago. I am going to keep a close eye on her and check in on her in about a half hour so I can see what is going on with her blood sugar. When I put her to bed we did her Lantus and a correction of Humalog because her blood sugar was in the 300's. Hope we didn't overdose her.

A Day of Firsts

Alex had a big day. Lots of firsts. He learned how to drink from a straw. Yeah!!!! That makes life around here so much better. He has finally started to experiment more with different food and tries just about everything that we put in front of him. He had his first taste of smoothie this morning surprising both him and me. And he liked it. :)

He also had kind of a bad first this afternoon. Thomas had just gotten home from work and was eating dinner and we were all sitting down at the table talking. Alex was wondering around. He walked up to me and took a bite of my thigh. It hurt like crazy and I just put my hands up and kind of looked at Thomas like get him out of here. Thomas picked him up and told him, "No biting! You can't bite Mommy. You are in time-out. You stay there." Alex looked up at me and at Thomas and put his hands down on the floor and just started to cry. Then Isabelle started to cry. It was all I could do not to cry. He was so upset!!! Isabelle was really mad at her Daddy-O for putting her baby in time-out. She said he was too little to go to time-out. Alex just sat there and cried for a minute and then Thomas went over and picked him up. He was like Velcro with him the rest of the evening. What a first to remember.

"Thank you Daddy-O"

Last night after a long day I talked to Thomas and told him that when he got home from work I was going to get out of the house...I had a ton of errands to do and I knew they would be easier to do without both of the kids. I had Alex in bed and Isabelle was already bathed and just needed her bedtime snack and her Lantus shot. I made it easy for him. :)

Isabelle has been doing so much better about her shots. She has not been crying and struggling when we give her shots, but she still isn't that great when Thomas gives her the shots. Last night Thomas came upstairs with the Lantus shot while Izzy and I were relaxing in the bed. He gave her the shot without too much of a problem. We both praised her for doing so well and she said, "Thank you Daddy-O for giving me my shot. Thank you for making me better."

Makes me want to cry. What a change from a couple of weeks ago.

The great bedroom switch

Isabelle hasn't wanted to sleep in her own bed in forever. She constantly wants to sleep in the Queen size bed in the guest room (otherwise known as Meme's room LOL!). I thought it was because she wanted me to sleep with her, but we haven't done that in a while. I sometimes lay down with her while she is falling asleep, but I don't stay very long and she knows that I won't be there when she wakes up. I was talking to my Mom about it when she was visiting and she suggested that she wants to sleep in that room because it is darker and quieter.

I have been talking to Izzy about moving her bed into the guest room and moving the Queen size bed into her room and she has been excited about the idea. So I did it. One afternoon I just went ahead and did it. And of course the little booger is still sleeping in the Queen size bed. She didn't care what room it was in she just wants to sleep in it. I asked her why she wanted to sleep in that bed and she said because it has two pillows. Can't freaking believe it. She has also told me that I should move the beds back. AAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!! I don't think so. Too much work.

When will I be able to relax?

Now that we are dealing with this disease I often wonder when will I ever feel relaxed? Will it ever happen again? I was driving home today from a playgroup and lunch out with our playgroup friends and I passed a swimming pool. I almost instantly remembered the feeling of laying next to a calm pool in the warm sun and not thinking about anything. Falling asleep without a care in the world other then do I have enough sunscreen on. I don't think I will ever feel that way again. I was just getting to the point with Isabelle that I felt like I didn't have to watch her ever single minute of the day. She was getting old enough for me to feel comfortable with taking a nice long shower without having to stress out about leaving her alone too long. Now that feeling of relief is gone. It has been replaced by anxiety. Constant anxiety.

The kids have both finally been sleeping though the night again (Thank God!!) but I still find myself either waking up and worrying about Isabelle and if she is too low or too high or dreaming funky dreams about her or about running away from whatever is chasing me. Let me take a big guess what that is. I have to say that I am really, really, really thankful to my husband and to God that I don't have to work right now. I think if I had one more thing on my plate that I would never be able to rest.

Sorry about this post. I know that it isn't all that uplifting or even very interesting. I just needed to vent and I am kind of hoping that some of you D parents out there can give me a little feedback on how long it is before you can stop stressing completely about your child. I know that I will always worry about her and it will always be there. I'm just hoping that I can get to relax a little sometime soon. We are headed for the beach this weekend so I hope that will help.

Meme and Izzy

My parents are here. Yeah! It's always nice to have them. Isabelle is always on her best behaviour and she is soooo sweet. They got here Monday afternoon. They are here because Thomas and I had a follow up class at the children's hospital for Isabelle's diabetes. I needed someone to watch the kids because we couldn't take them with us and Mom and Dad are going to go to a caregiver class to learn how to take care of Izzy but the class isn't until tomorrow. So my Mom, God bless her, said that if I gave her a crash course in Izzy's care she would try to do it while we were gone as long as I kept my cell on for questions. Last night I went over carb counting with her and how to give the shots. She gave her first shot last night after dinner and Isabelle did great with Meme giving her a shot.

Today went really well! Thomas and I had to leave early because of traffic and because the hospital is about 45 minutes away without traffic. Sometimes with the traffic it can take twice that time. We left before the kids were up so Mom had to do the morning shot and the lunch shot as well and figure out all of the carbs and how much insulin to give. She did such a good job!!!! And Isabelle did great for her. I am so relieved. It's almost as though Isabelle knew that she had to be good for Meme. She is still running and hiding from us as well and crying and trying to jerk away when Thomas and I give her the shots. Maybe Meme doing it will help her to calm down with us. I really hope so...it would make everyone's lives easier.

Izzyism

Sunday Izzy walked up to me and here is what happened:

Izzy: Mommy. Mommy. Mommy. Mommy.

Me: What Isabelle?

Izzy: Mommy...I have a surprise for you.

Me: You do? What is it?

She walked into the living room with her hands behind her back and a smile on her face.

Izzy: Open your hand.

I held my hand out.

Izzy: Here...Just for you! You've got a button! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Aren't you excited??!!

Me: Oh yeah...I'm excited. :P

She is a trip.

Mother's Day

I feel so bad. I haven't done any Mother's Day shopping. My MIL's aren't even going to get cards. Unless they are late. I have been trying to get out and get to the card store for over a week now, but it just hasn't happened. The kids have been sick all week. Isabelle actually asked to go to bed tonight at 5:30. She didn't even want a bath. She is really tired.

I actually got a Mother's Day present today from my Father and Mother in Law. I was so surprised! It was really sweet. They sent me a miniature rose bush. I hope that it makes it through my care and I will be able to plant it in the flower bed out front. I also got 2 mother's day cards in the mail today. Boy...I feel the love. :)

I went to Mom's Night Out last night with my Mom's group. Even that was quick and not very restful. I was looking forward to it all week. Thomas had it on his schedule. He hit traffic and couldn't make it home until a little before 7:00. I was supposed to be there at 7:00. When he walked in I didn't want to just run off and leave him without giving him a couple of minutes to get his breath. I ended up not getting to the restaurant until around 7:30. While I was there Thomas called three times. The last 2 times were a little scary. Izzy's blood sugar was in the 400's! And of course even with the insulin she didn't come down very fast so he was really worried. By the time I got home it was in the 300's and I told him we should wait for at least another hour to give the insulin 2 hours to work before we completely freak out. When I checked her a little over an hour and a half later she was 68. Gave her some juice which she actually drank and drifted back off to sleep quickly. When I checked her again she was 80. I finally went to sleep with her in the guest bedroom. She woke up at 3:00am wide awake and wanted a fudgesicle. I of course was exhausted. I think she wanted to play, but I convinced her to go back to bed. She's been really strange lately about going to bed. She wants me to sleep with her. I hope that ends soon. I would love to get back to my own bed.

So, I guess I have an excuse. I still feel bad though. My Mom will be here on Monday so I was planning on not sending her anything so that I could give it to her when she was here so at least I have that under control. Maybe I'll be able to get that accomplished.

I'm hanging in there.

The special ring

Last night as Thomas was trying to get Isabelle to bed she came into my bedroom where I was having some alone time to tell me goodnight. She was very sweet and gave me a kiss and then begged me to sleep with her. She was wandering around and found my wedding ring on the nightstand. I tend to take it off when I put on lotion and I hadn't put it back on yet. She grabbed it and took off with it. When I tracked her down in the guest room Thomas was telling her that it was a special ring that Mommy and Daddy wear to show everyone that they are married. She thought that was really neat and she wanted a special ring of her own. Thomas came up with a great idea. There was a small ring on something of his that he thought would be about the right size and it was! She is now wearing her own 'special ring'. She is so excited!

And it begins again

Fever of 102.5. Lovely. I thought she was well. Plus to make things just a little more fun I have a really sore throat and feel feverish too. I went to the doctor's today because I thought I might have strep, but no strep so she sent me home telling me to take some Tylenol and rest. Yeah right. I went to the school to get Isabelle (she didn't have a fever until after we got home) and brought her home and about an hour later I noticed that she had a fever. Now her tummy is hurting and of course she is refusing to eat. Great. Here we go again.

Ice and Diabetes

Lately whenever Izzy's blood sugar is out of whack she asks for ice. She tells me that her teeth hurt and the ice makes them feel better. Tonight as I was putting her to bed I gave her a bowl of ice and she was happily munching away as I was reading the Lorax. When I got done she told me that the ice was going to make her diabetes go away. I told her that I didn't think that the ice would do anything for the diabetes. She again told me that it would take it away.

Then she asked me, "Where is my diabetes?"

I pointed to her tummy and said, "In there."

Izzy: "ohhh...that's not good."

Me: "I know...that's not good."

Sometimes she really makes me want to cry. Actually that has happened a lot today. We have been talking a lot about being brave with her shots and not crying and running away and wiggling. She actually took two shots without crying. Yeah! That is progress. I hope it continues.

Another Izzyism:

We have been reading the Lorax quite a bit lately. She has told me a couple of times that she is a Bar-B-Loot. She has crummies in her tummy. She is too cute!!!

Hi's and Low's

Isabelle has been all over the place lately. She has been high a couple of times today and she had a low in the 30's. Totally freaked me out. She has not wanted to eat anything other then grapes and cheese crackers. Maybe that's what's going on. I do wish she would level out. All of these ups and downs scare me.

We have another appointment with the Endocrine on Monday so maybe by then we will have it figured out or they will be able to figure it out then.

Thank God!

Both of the kids seem to be getting better. Alex had two naps today (rarely ever happens) and he is in a great mood. Isabelle is finished with her antibiotic and seems to be almost completely better. Plus, she never got pink eye! They are both playing together right now and are so cute!!! Alex just follows her everywhere. She is teasing him mercilessly and he is loving it. I love that they are playing so well together. I've been waiting for them to be able to do this...at least it gives me a few minutes of peace during the day so I don't go too crazy! LOL!

Will it ever end?

I am soooo tired of sick kids! It seems that one or the other (if not both at the same time) has been sick since Thanksgiving. Yes that is almost 6 months ago! We have had a few brief respites of like a week or two. Now they are both sick again. Izzy has an Upper Respiratory Infection. She woke up yesterday with green snot so I took her to the peds and they actually gave her antibiotics which almost never happens. Plus the doctor thought she was getting a case of pink eye. Lovely. I'm hoping that she doesn't get the pink eye. So far so good on that point. Then this morning Alex wakes up with lots of snot. Thank God his is clear so we didn't have to spend the day trying to see the doctor. So, I'm back to two clingy babies. I actually have them both off of my lap at the moment. I can't believe it. :P

I am really hoping that when the Spring and Summer really hit that we will get over all of this sick mess. Wish us luck.

Fun times at the Mall

You know my daughter is a trip. She is such a character. Today we went to the Mall to get her glasses adjusted and to do some errands that I needed to get done.

As we were walking through the mall one of the kiosk vendors asked if she could try some pins in Isabelle's hair. I said sure. She put some pins in Izzy's hair and Isabelle just sat there so sweet and quiet. When the lady showed her her hair in the mirror Isabelle said she looked like Cinderella and was very excited about the hair do. We paid for the pins and walked away. We went from there to lunch and as soon as we sat down Isabelle said, "That lady forked me Mommy. Did she fork you?" Another one for the Isabelle books.

Later on we were waiting for a new battery to be put in my watch so we went into Payless to look at shoes. I have been really lucky at that store with children's shoes. Lots of times I walk in there and can find a pair of shoes for $3 or $6. Alex needs a pair of tennis shoes and a pair of water shoes for the summer so I thought we would see if they had anything. Right off I found the shoes that I wanted for Alex, but they didn't have his size. I took the shoes to ask the woman at the counter if they had his size in the back and on the way back up the isle I looked at Isabelle's size just to see if they had anything cute and cheap. We found the cutest shoes marked down to $6 plus they had Buy One Get One Half Price for the entire store. She tried them on and refused to take them off. She was wondering around in them as I stood in line behind two older women waiting to talk to the sales woman. One of the women commented on her pretty shoes and Isabelle said, "They aren't shoes...they are Glass Slippers! I am Cinderella!" They were enchanted. She is still calling them Glass Slippers. Too cute.

Hard or Easy

Hmmm...being a Stay at Home Mom (SAHM). Hard or Easy? I guess it depends on you and your family and your day. Today I'm going to say it is HARD! I did manage to get a shower by myself today although not with enough time to actually shave my legs. LOL! I really enjoy being a SAHM, but sometimes I think most of the world thinks that we don't 'work'. Just because we don't get a paycheck definitely does not mean that we don't work. Plus with being a SAHM you get the added benefit of being on call 24/7. A fact that I have been reminded of almost every night for at least a couple of months. Lovely.

I guess that I will be hearing all about the other side of motherhood (Working Moms) since my best friend just went back to work yesterday. I am missing her desperately. We used to talk on the phone like 5 or 6 times a day and of course we can't anymore. I have to say...I am not very happy with her husband right now. He's right up there with another guy I know right now. Or should I say down there. And no, I don't mean Thomas. :P

Sorry...this post kinda stinks. I'm just really tired and there is no rest in sight.

Crazy blood sugars

Crazy blood sugars again today. We keep getting lows and sometimes they are hard to get up. They start out being between the 50's and the 70's and sometimes don't go up until the third try. It makes me nervous because among our many directions from the Endocrinologist is to call immediately if you can not raise a low blood sugar after 3 tries. Today when I checked her blood sugar for the third time the meter read 557. I didn't even know the meter went that high. I almost freaked!!!! Then I remembered that she probably had something sweet on her hands since I had given her sugar tablets to bring up her blood sugar and I might not have washed them good enough. Thank god when I read it again it was 136. Yahoo!

I don't want to tough it out

This morning I was trying to rally the troops for a trip to the mall so that we could get Isabelle's glasses adjusted (among other things) and Isabelle was giving me a hard time about getting ready. She kept coming up with excuses as to why she couldn't get dressed. Among them were: She was Little Creek (the friendly Indian from Spirit), she was Baby Spirit the horse and she just didn't want to go bye bye. She finally came up with what she thought was the winner. She told me that she was dirty (she had a bath before bed last night as usual) and needed a bath. My reply was that we didn't have time for a bath, we needed to go. She of course tried to argue with me about how dirty she was and how much she had to have a bath. I told her that she wasn't dirty and she would just have to tough it out. Her reply, "I don't want to tough it out. I want to tough it in." I just couldn't contain my laughter. :)