A special Birthday Party is coming up

Saturday is arriving so quickly. I can't believe it! Our little infertility baby who we were blessed to have will be turning 3. We get to spend an entire day just about him and he is so extremely excited. He's been talking about it all week. He wakes up saying Mommy it's my Birthday party soon. I'm going to be 3! In the cute little voice that is so proud for a moment that is just for him. 

Life is always so busy about everything else and he just goes with the flow. Never complains and is always so helpful with his older brother. For him to have a moment just for him is well deserved. I'm excited for him. One day just for him to know how special he is to his Mommy and Daddy to be with us and to his family. He's a blessing each and every day and a true miracle baby that I had to work very hard to keep in my belly for 37 weeks. 

This weekend is all about the sweetest toddler I know. He may drive us crazy, be as rambunctious as possible, demanding at times, throw fits at an instant, not listen, and test his limits, but he is loved by all of us. 

Saturday is all about Landon. Today is officially the last day he is 2. Tears of joy and sadness for this Mommy. I'm ready and sad at the same time. He's my last baby. 

Good morning Mr. Crazy Hair welcome to almost being 3. 

Basal rates downloads

It's been a long night... This is his week. We are no where near a normal pattern. He is on four different basal rates right now. His profiles are set and today they will change again. Last night was horrible. We hit a high at 3am of bg347 and I stayed up checking him every hour until his blood sugar dropped. 

All my friends in the type 1 communities have told me it gets better and hang in there. For those who don't understand what the data looks like and just how much we check and the hours I'm checking, here's the chart for the week.  This is the best part I think of our pump. It's ability to download the information into the computer weekly so the Children's hospital staff can see it as well and see how much insulin is used. They can see his spikes at night and hopefully figure out his patterns. 

I don't know what happened last night. It was 3am, he was asleep, diabetes really makes no sense at all. He's a trooper. He's at school today. Kids are so much more resilient than adults. 

Now this Mama is up chasing this toddler around. Life goes on. Let's pray for a better night tonight. And as Landon always says, "my brother has Diabetes" if it's no big deal to him, it's no big deal to Mommy. 

Visit from my big girl!

Well it's been a long weekend. I spent Friday night in the hospital. Unfortunately, my migraines and lack of sleep required an IV push of medications to get rid of a horribly excruciating migraine. My regular meds were not working. 

My daughter drove back from Arizona to spend the weekend to help care for me and help with her siblings. We were a family again as mom needed to rest. I will see a neurologist on Wednesday and was able to continue back to Daniel's night schedule last night. I got a break Friday night and it was enough to stop the painful migraine. 

God bless my husband and my older daughters for their support. They are responsible girls. Family is family. We cared for one another and shared all the responsibilities. As I rested and was released, my oldest daughter showed me just how much of a responsible woman she is. To care for her mom and rush home in an instant made me feel love beyond words. To wake up with her in my bed was priceless. She's my heart. That's my girl. 

Daniel is still struggling with his pump. We made a site change Friday night and tomorrow will be another change with his doctors orders. I cooked plenty of meals that we changed up to help with carbs to see if that would help, but that didn't make a difference. Faith helped cook for the boys, my husband helped with weekend chores, the girls did the weekend shopping, and Kiki made dinner tonight to give me a break since I've been cooking since I got home Saturday. 

Spinach and Chicken Alfredo for the family before they left. Daniel says it was amazing and I agree. An easy one pot meal is always a great meal for a busy family. They didn't even get a chance to eat. They have a long drive. 

They woke me up from my nap with presents. I was surprised to hear "Mama Mama, wake up" and a Victoria Secrets bag in front of me. 

Silly girls. They are too sweet! And I love them too pieces. I'm really going to miss their silliness, giggles, and jokes. Their goofiness and antics. I will hang on to our Facetime phone calls for now until I head out to Arizona in a couple weeks. 

Thank you girls for a wonderful weekend of cheering me up! I needed the rest. I needed the giggles. I enjoyed being a part of Kiki's track meet. You surprised me and kept me happy when I was feeling very exhausted. 

Taking care of Daniel everyday is exhausting and the lack of sleep with a migraine is serious. I'm glad I have you girls, Faith, and my hubby for support. You all make each day a little easier. Thank you! And I miss you already! 

UCSD supporting Kiki

It's a beautiful day in La Jolla, CA. Today is all about my DIL Kiki. Collegiate track meet at UCSD. 

Kiki is currently is 4th place and thrown 36 meters. She's capable of throwing 42-45 meters. Let's go Kiki! So proud of collegiate athletes. It takes so much work and dedication to get to this level of play. I watched my daughter work so hard to get to this level. I'm so proud of all college athletes. They deserve the support and cheers. Let's go big girl! 

Warming up or trying to stay warm lol 

Her first throw! So proud of you Kiki! Keep it up girl. Your in 4th. You got this! 

I'll be posting updates shortly. 

Update: She did it 37.63 meters and finished in 3rd Place! With a cold and a horrible cough. I'm so proud of you. That's dedication and responsibility. Good job! 

For my kids who've watched me cry...

As I'm dropping Daniel off to school, He tells me smile Mama! There's nothing to be sad about. I love you! My sisters love you. My baby brother loves you. Drop me off at school and it's the weekend. There's nothing to worry about. I'll see you at 2:30pm and his smile just lights up my day. 

He's right! No matter how sad I've been feeling and how worried I've been about everything with his blood sugars, doctors orders, and communication with his school nurse and hospital staff. I do have his sisters love and support. I do have my husband's unconditional love and the sweetest little boy who is there every single day just as happy as can be with his mommy no matter what the day brings. 

I can not change the way others perceive me. I can not change the way others think I am as a mother. I raise an amazing honor student who is a scholar student who writes for the GATE paper and made the front page. His science fair project is beginning and it's on diabetics vs. non diabetics and he's studying the affects of carbs on blood sugars. He's one smart kid. I can't wait to see what he discovers on this science fair project. He always gets top 3 for his grade. Let's hope he amazes us this school year. My husband and I are his test subjects along with him this year. OUCH! But, I'll do anything for him. We will get poked right along with him so he can collect his data. Let's hope he makes it to district! 

So, as I dropped him off this morning, I made him a promise... I would stop crying. I will allow God to take the burden from me. I will allow God to handle things and just enjoy our life and moments as they come. Everyday is different and Daniel needs me everyday. Landon needs me, Sissy needs me, Faith needs me, and now I have Michael and Kiki. 

This post is for you Daniel, Landon, Sissy, Faith, Kiki, Michael, and you my Love! 

Diabetes Diary 4/24/15

It's been a long two weeks of basal testing. I've been talking to his RN daily and awake every night checking his blood sugars. His orders are different for the entire day. His profile has special settings for specific times of days. Yet, still we are not in the target range of bg70-150. 

My poor Daniel hasn't had a good nights sleep in weeks, homework is getting done, schoolwork and class work is complete, he's in the office every two hours, eating snacks as often as he needs, and we are all working as hard as we can for his poor little body to find its balance. His highs are extremely high and his lows extremely low. He's exhausted. But, he's a trooper. School nurse has already called this morning and he's BG404 at 9:37am. He was BG109 this morning. But, at midnight he was high at BG327, 2am BG287, and slowly dropped with correction every two hours until I dropped him off at 7:45am. It just goes to show you Type 1 Diabetes in unpredictable and unfair to a child. It takes control of their day and nights. There is no rhyme or reason. You just have to be flexible and ready at any given moment to drop everything you are doing. Our life, the school nurses life, it all revolves around a Type 1 Diabetics at that moment. I will follow as Father John and Deacon Greg have asked me to do and give it to God at this point in my life. It's the healthier option. 

I've ran out of supplies. Insurance only allows for a certain amount to be shipped at a time. So with all his corrections we have had to make numerous site changes and with a site changes that includes more insulin, cartridges, syringes, and infusion sets. I've asked the hospital and the pump company for help. This is a $6000 pump he is wearing. We have had to add it to our home owners insurance per the pump company. As it can be replaced in a claim. I'm learning so much as we go. But, it's scary when it's not taken seriously. When others feel like it's no big deal. Supplies do run out, insurance doesn't cover everything, his life is in danger, we do not sleep, his life comes first, his schedule is important. It's not a joke. His infusion insets are $27 each. Insurance only covers 10 insets a month which is for a change of once every 3 days. We have ran out in ten days because of site changes due to high blood sugars. One box is $208.98 for 10. That's the best price the pharmacy can give us. 

I advocate for my son as any other type 1 mother does for their child. Unless your the caregiver full-time, you don't feel the worry. I'm waiting for supplies that I hope arrive today that we had to order on Monday. The cash price is our only choice. When supplies run out on the pump, it isn't the same as with the syringes or the pens. It's a completely different and new process. It's a more expensive form of treatment. Insurance isn't as willing to pay for things. 

But, we will do anything for the health of Daniel. Cutting corners a little this month. God always finds a way. That's what our savings is for. So here's to another week on the pump. Let's pray we get his basal rates get under control soon and we can start enjoying his pump. 

Having a child with a lifelong disease is not a joke. It doesn't go away. We live with it each and every single day. We don't get a break. We don't get a vacation, a day off, trips with friends, nights out. We take him with us everywhere we go. He's our priority. #prayingforacure

My Infertility Angel

As I sit here tonight, I think of all my struggles with Daniel's diabetes daily. I focus so much on the stress of the daily exhaustion that I feel and I forget to look at the blessings that have been given to me. I have been told by Father at church to look at the blessings and not the struggles of the daily routines and be thankful for all that I have. So today, I decided to blog about my biggest miracle... My Landon! 

For many years I struggled with infertility. I kept the issues private. I never wanted another child after the birth of Daniel. But, once I remarried and was in a healthy marriage I felt the need to want another child. Even if it were just one more. I knew what I was up against since I had already known from previous ob-gyns what I was up against, my husband and I decided at the age of 34 if we were going to try it was going to have to be soon. 

It took two different doctors and two surgeries to get to the point where we were able to start fertility medications to begin trying for a child. Thousands of dollars later, countless of bloodwork, weekly check ups, injections, and medications... After two rounds... We were pregnant! To our surprise little Landon was healthy and growing. 

Then a week later, I suffered a placenta tear. I was placed on bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy. It never healed. But, Landon thrived and continued to grow. Through the toughest and most stressful part of my life, my strongest and healthiest child survived the pregnancy. He is my healthiest child. God gave me an Angel. He sent me the toughest most resilient spirit. When I was as heartbroken as a woman could be, when I felt like my life had fallen apart, and my youngest child was suddenly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, my unborn child was growing into the toughest most resilient spirit. My true miracle baby. 

A thirty minute delivery, no pain medication, easiest baby to care for, and caring for a type 1 diabetic 8 year old. Life continued on. God always has a plan. Landon was meant to be the baby brother for Daniel. Their bond is amazing. His spirit is so sweet and kind. He is patient and helps his big brother with his diabetes. 

He's turning 3 in a few more days. My infertility baby was worth every day in bed, every blood test, every stressful night, every hospital stay to ensure he was safe and could stay inside my tummy an extra few days. These next few days are going to be about Landon because he deserves some time just for him. 

This type 1 Mommy is as busy as ever, but I have a birthday party for a very special 3rd birthday! We are still basal testing. I'm still up at 9,12,3,6... Still have no end in sight... But, life goes on. Kids are happy and life is as good as it's going to be. I am missing my big girl in Arizona. Landon enjoys everyone. He loves his sisters. And has now bonded with his Kiki. We will be headed to Arizona in a couple weeks so we will celebrate with more birthdays once we get there. 

Life isn't always how we plan it. It's not always how we dreamed it to be. It's sometimes better. God plans it for us. My chosen life is the way it should be. I'm proud of it. I wouldn't ask God to change it. #godsplan #type1mom #proudmom #stayathomemom #lovemykids  

My blessed marriage

Being a strong woman doesn't always seem like the easiest thing in this world. It's takes a lot of deep heartache to get where you are strong. What's on the outside doesn't always portray what we feel on the inside. Being loved by a true husband who stands by your side proudly, adores you unconditionally, respects you each and every single day and protects you, inspires you, and keeps you strong. It's as natural as can be. To have a husband who is a true man who stands by your side and doesn't have a single ounce of selfishness allows you to grow as a woman into your own self. 

I can finally stand on my own two feet, I have my own opinion, make my own decisions, I do not worry if my home is going to be taken away from me, foreclosed on or my bills not paid. A real marriage where I can count on my husband to come home every night after work and sit at the dinner table, pick up the children on time, not gamble our finances away or is an alcoholic. My marriage is perfect for me and every person has a past. But, I can say I am blessed that God has given me a man now who can honor the vows of marriage. I have the emotional support, the friendship, the companionship, the bond... Just a few years ago I never knew these things existed. God answered my prayers. There is a healthy marriage. There is a man for a woman as the bible writes about. God has created a man for a woman. 

After sharing my past marriage with Father John and Deacon Greg and the process of my annulment a must in the Diocese's eyes. I understand my faith more. I worked hard over two years to earn my sacraments of baptism, first Eucharist, and confirmation. I deserve to receive my blessings back. I was forgiven for my sins at baptism at 28. My faith is stronger than anything that is put before me on this earth. I've realized that I can not receive absolution in confession without it and through many meetings and private conversations and blessings my spirit is ready to complete the step that is required in my faith. 

As a mother, watching your children strive in school, become healthy individuals and happy selfless human beings proves you've done your job as a mother. Life isn't about what we give them, it's about what we show them. Lessons taught, morals and values. Virtues, integrity, respect, honor, family, are taught by example. After being the sponsors of our first older child's marriage, I wish for the same blessed marriage that I have. I pray for all my children to have this the first time around in their lives. 

 

Having a healthy marriage is the first piece to a healthy life. God has blessed me with a strong man who finally respects the virtues of marriage. I do not worry about infidelity, gambling, dishonesty, and for that I owe my peace to God. AMEN! I give all thanks to you my Lord. #health #happiness #marriage #integrity #blessed #godfirst

A day at Huntington Beach

Landon's ready for his day at the beach with his big sister today. He was so excited. He got his bucket and his shovels himself and carried them to her car. The boys were happy to spend the day with the girls. 

Lunch was packed, meds in the backpack, and they were off. I've missed having an older daughter around. It's so nice to have the support. The boys and them seemed to enjoyed their day together. 

Landon loved the water. Kiki said he was a little too brave and kept going too deep into the water. 

Playing with Kiki and whoops he runs right into her ... Well at least we know he was having such a great time he was doing everything is fast motion. 

Piggy back rides for Landon all over with funnel cakes and ice cream. That sounds like the perfect day at the beach to me. 

Thank you to my big girl and Kiki for the few hours off today. It was nice to have a break. You girls are my blessing this weekend. You've been such a huge help with Faith's wedding and the little brothers. I'm so happy you made it. Next trip, the hubby says I'm taking myself to Arizona for a break to get away and spend some time with my girls. Next vacation is planned. 

Today I was able to catch up on some sleep from my nights of 3 hr wake ups and made albondigas and tonight my home is full of kids again. The newlyweds are home, Sissy and Kiki, and the little boys. A house full of kids again. It feels good. It feels complete. Our busy weekend is over and now it's time for another week. I wish time would just slow down. 

In two weeks, Landon turns 3! 

My happy kids!

It's a beautiful Friday night before the wedding. Happy children smiling and giggling. I love hearing the stories and laughter. The boys are extremely happy. Landon is so silly. He couldn't stop giggling seeing his twin. I think he was in shock seeing someone who looks so much like him. 

It's been a busy day with visits to Loma Linda for Daniel's recheck on his TB skin test for Diabetes camp, last minute wedding prep, and the arrival of our girls. Not to mention the changes in his insulin rate for this weekend. We are getting there and getting use to the nightly wake ups. My new bedtime is midnight. It's just much easier to wait to sleep at midnight. 

I did find the time to take Daniel to the skatepark for the first time today with his friends and he had a blast. Landon enjoyed an ice cream while he played on the playground for the hour. It was a nice break for the boys. It's been such a busy week and such long nights for Daniel that I felt he deserved some fun time with his friends. He's loving skateboarding right now. I suppose I'll be at the skatepark quite often chaperoning 6th grade boys for a little bit. I enjoy seeing him smile and laugh with his friends. He is loving his new friends here in Upland. I'm glad we made the move. 

Now the night before the wedding has arrived. Faith and I spent mother and daughter time at the nail salon. We had our manicure and pedicures. It was a nice and relaxing time. Mother and daughter time is always nice. And then within two hours, my big girl walks in the front door! My house is full and my heart is complete. 

We've been laughing and giggling for hours. The girls are my heart. It's so nice to see and hold them. I'm ready for the wedding tomorrow. We've got to let one daughter grow up. 

Praying for a happy night of blood sugars and a wonderful night of bonding with my girls. The happiest moments in my life are with my kids. 

Basal rate take #3

It looks night night #3 is a fail. After the doctor made another adjustment his 3am check just came back at over bg330. Sigh... Just gave him a correction. Now I'm awake. Waiting one hour to retest and praying it goes down. Ketones are negative. Poor baby has been woken up to go pee. He already had a hard time going to sleep in stomach pains last night. I didn't fall asleep until after midnight. Now, I'm off my basal rate schedule and I'm on every 1 hour retest scheduled to make sure my poor little boy isn't haven't an issue with his infusion site or his insulin. For anyone who thinks Type 1 Mom's have a glamorous life and we have no reason to complain, well here's the real deal. I'm writing it for you as it happens in the middle of the night wide awake when the rest of the world sleeps. Us Type 1 Mom's are awake, testing blood sugars, ketones, watching over our babies, every night, and this is our normal. We do this just to get them to school everyday. And for myself I have a GATE and Honors student! I say Type 1 Mom's Rock! We are one of kind! 

Diary entry 4/16/15

What a day! Daniel ran out of insulin in his pump today. That's not suppose to happen. He's suppose to have a site change tomorrow, but somehow was able to have insulin within two hours. I'll have to call the pump rep tomorrow to find out how his pump is allowing him to get insulin when he is not suppose to have any within two hours. We must have missed that during set up. He took advantage of that and ate way too many carbs today during school and after school. We did his site change and refilled his insulin, but now he has a painful stomach ache and feels like he needs to throw up. So I'm up with him helping him the only way I can with comfort until his body digests all the carbs for the day. His blood sugar is not bad at 9pm bg199 and I'm waiting for his midnight check before I try to fall asleep. 

This is one of the toughest parts of being a type 1 diabetic, you have a day when you feel great and you think I can eat and just have insulin. Well, you realize later it doesn't work that way. Unfortunately, it's a tough and painful lesson to learn. But, I will always support my son every step of the way even when he has a day when he just wants to be a normal kid and eat a little too much. I understand. It's unfair. His little brother eats cheeze its and a sandwich without repercussions, why can't he? It makes me sad at times. So at this moment I lay here with Daniel holding him in my arms comforting him as he sleeps so he can feel better. I really hate diabetes! He even says his new pump site hurts tonight. Let's hope it doesn't keep bothering him. The pump would be great, but if it's not for Daniel, I understand. 

Daniel doesn't have a cool picture to post he says today. He isn't feeling well. But, he loves all his different bracelets he has made everytime we go to Knotts Berry Farms. It's an easy way to allow him to be as fun as he wants with any choice of colors and designs as long as he has something saying T1D on him at all times. It's working so we will continue to get them. A picky tween boy is difficult. He has to have his hair cut only by a certain lady now, I have to buy certain hair products, and my goodness he's got more shoes than me. I just adore this kid! He's worth it. 

Today we checked on our daughters wedding location and it's ready to go for Saturday. It looks stunning. We are happy. Just a few final touches. But, it's complete. She's happy and that's all that matters. I can't wait to see her marry her Mr. Perfect! 

 

The flowers look great. I'm happy with the arraignments. And the altar looks perfect. The draping and the flowers around the top was a perfect choice. The runner reminds me of our wedding fabric. Black damask... Brings back such amazing memories. 

We are ready for the big day. Just a few final things to finish up tomorrow. My oldest daughter arrives. Yay! I'm excited! I've missed her so much. Full house and a crazy Saturday morning filled with girls on Saturday before the wedding. 

Time for my midnight BG check. Busy night for this Mama. Here's to a another long night. Praying my baby has a stable night with some rest. Lord knows he needs it. 

Night #1 and Day #1

This was how Landon felt this morning when it was time to wake up. It was a long first night. We were delirious. My husband and I were giggling at 3am as we tried to fall back to sleep. I guess we we just too tired we began to become silly when we realized we made a correction to his blood sugar when we were suppose to just record it. After doing something one way for over 3 years, it's so hard to stop. Especially, to leave your son with a high blood sugar and not give a correction. We kept waking up and checking his sugar. We kept using the bathroom and not realizing we were entering the blood sugar along with a correction. The light was blue, we were half asleep and we hit enter. Oops... I guess we are allowed to make mistakes as parents. We are programmed to correct our sons highs. So as we lay in bed at 3 am, we giggled as I made the mistake first at midnight, and he did it right after me at 3am. Pre-programmed parents of a type1 diabetic. 

Tonight we have a better plan. We know not to hit the blue light! Just enter and go back to bed. Tomorrow I will fax the numbers off to Children's Hospital so they can make the proper corrections. So our alarms are set for the night. 

Daniel did have an appointment today for his check-up for his Asthma and received his T-Dap shot for Jr high and his tb skin test for Diabetes camp. Poor kid has so much going on at one time. He's got a busy few weeks with 6th grade graduation coming up. I'm so proud of him and I can't believe he will be in Jr. high. 

My sweet little boys always stuck together. They sleep together, play together, shower together, true brothers. Landon adores his big brother so much. This bond is amazing. I am blessed to have my infertility baby. He's been a blessing. 

 

Watching Daniel get his TB test. Landon said wow a bubble. 

Daniel says this shot makes his arm really sore. Even with all the shots his poor body takes, this T-Dap has his arm really sore. 

My poor boy. What a day. Let's hope he has a good nights sleep. I can't wait to see him smile again. I hate seeing him tired and stressed. He's going through a lot right now. He's a trouper. I'm proud of him every single day! 

My precious Daniel will always be this sweet little angel in my eyes. This little three year old stole my heart and was attached to Mama as much as he is now. I remember this day at Santa Monica Pier like it was yesterday. Diabetes free! Life might be different now, but he's still the same little boy in my eyes! 

Praying for a good night tonight! 

Pump class #2

Today was pump class #2. We arrived and I set him up on insulin within the first 20 minutes. We shared our week and the RNs wanted him hooked up right away so I filled his cartridge and loaded his pump. Once everything was ready, Daniel was ready to inject his needle into his tummy himself. He picked his spot, showed his RNs, and did it all himself. He was ready. 

We went over paperwork and orders. It seemed liked within minutes we were on our way and he is a pumper! I'm so proud of him. He seemed annoyed by the appointment. But, I understand it's frustrating for him to go through all that he has to go through. I'm praying this makes his life easier than it ever has had to be. A few more weeks of patience and blood sugar checks and he should be enjoying healthy blood sugars. 

We now must make sure he eats no later than 7pm. Unfortunately, ice hockey starts at 6:30pm, so he now must eat early. He did and suffered at bg54 at practice. After correction, dropped to bg45, then after another correction bg59. That was it. Ice hockey practice had to end for tonight. His body just wasn't cooperating. It is only the first day and I told Daniel maybe next week things will be much different. 

Tonight his 9pm bg122. His goal bg100. He's getting a small correction. But, that's a healthy blood sugar. He's hungry and not liking the no eating after 7pm rule. It's only for a few weeks while we set his basal rate. My poor son has been through so much in his health in his short life. I give him so much credit for all he goes through. 

Being a type 1 diabetic is not a fair disease for a child. It's very restrictive and can change their days from one moment to another. It can make them sick at any given moment without any warning and has no timing or reason. I feel bad when I watch my son get sad especially tonight at ice hockey practice when his body just won't allow him to participate. It's a very unfair disease. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day. 

I can say that I do love the T-Slim pump. I love the ability to download the information from the pump into the software and his doctors and nurses can see all his information. It creates reports and we can see his trends. It's truly an advanced system. I do have to manually enter his blood sugars as we have a meter that doesn't download into the program, but that doesn't bother me. I'm home and have time to do it. 

I'm thankful for the blessing and insurance approval for the pump. The costs of it to be covered is a blessing in itself. I am humbled for it and if I have to enter information, well I guess I will be doing just that. I'm not complaining. 

So far, Daniel is happy and that's all that matters. 

First week of trial

We are over our first hurdle in our first weekend in our trial week of our insulin pump. We had a horrible Saturday. Ketones we present, numbers reached 400's, this Mama listened to Dr. Hathout who thank goodness was on call this weekend and she said I could do it, I caught it early and follow my intuition and instructions I've been taught. In two hours, his ketones went from moderate to none! I was amazed. I gave corrections for the remainder of Saturday and most of Sunday every two hours. Tonight his bedtime BG94. All is back to normal. 

That's the funny thing about diabetes, you never know when it's going to hit you. You never know when it's a good day or a bad day. And when it's a bad day, it's always a day that ruins your plans and you as a family have to change all your plans in an instant for your child. We have become use to this. I don't remember any other way of life. I run around like a chicken with her head chopped off every single day. Some days are better than others. But, in the end, I always remember we made it. I thank God, kiss my boys goodnight and keep going. 

Daniel did his first site change on his own on Saturday. Since he was due for a site change anyways and he was suffering a high we did it earlier in the day as doctors orders requires. I'm so proud of him. He's such a brave little man. 

I don't think I could do this. I am amazed by my son every single day. He's truly my hero! The pump process is going well I think. I have a few questions for our next class on Tuesday before we go straight off Lantus and on Humalog only. I need to minus insulin and our pump doesn't minus yet. I'm guessing the simplest way will be to manually do the math from the carbs, but I'll need to make sure from his RNs. He enters everything and is getting very comfortable wearing it and entering everything. It's like him having his iPhone with him. Another added responsibility for this little boy. Poor kid has so much responsibility at eleven years old. 

On the bright side he did get to build his first skateboard he's been asking for at the vans store. He wanted it for his birthday and his new Brother-in-law is home from bootcamp and wanted to share this experience with him so they went to the vans store together and built him a custom skateboard from the ground up. He is so excited and so happy. I have to admit I know nothing about any of the pieces and when I saw the receipt I was in shock. But, if any kid deserves it, it's Daniel! So thank you to Michael for taking the time out of his home time to spend the afternoon building a skateboard with his little soon to be little brother... You made his world a little bit brighter. I'll have to post some videos of Daniel doing tricks next time. He's actual surprised me with some of his tricks he has learned. 

Most of the rest of our weekend has been spent with usual family time. With the pump schedule taking up so much time our days seem to fly by. We try to slow things down as much as possible. 

Sunday Mass with the kids before brunch. Michael enjoyed about three hot chocolates as we laughed. It had been over three long months since he's been able to enjoy a hot chocolate. 

Landon loves calling his big brother a soldier and Daniel wants him to pick him up from school next week in his uniform. I guess it is pretty cool to have a Marine as a big brother for a little boy. 

Faith and Michael headed out to Sacramento in our Kia Soul for a couple days of adventure as Michaels platoon mate was proposing to his girlfriend. On their way up they decided to stop and shop for her ring and I got to FaceTime and video chat the entire engagement! I was one excited Mama! What a cute love story. Oh... It's like the notebook, dear john, the vow... 

Life is good. Happy kids! Next weekend is the wedding. My older daughter will be home. I can't wait. My house will be full of girls and I am excited! This will be an exciting week for me. 

I guess it's true, I don't need sleep. Time to check blood sugar in 45 mins. Boys are asleep, Hubby's asleep, and I'm blogging. I will admit I'm tired, but somehow I'm functioning. I'm not eating well. I'm forgetting to eat. Thank goodness for kashi bars. I also eat what Landon my toddler doesn't finish when I cook for him. I need to take better care of myself. That will need to be my focus this week. I don't need to suddenly have a day that I'm run down and exhausted. 

More updates after class on Tuesday. I'll start my first download tomorrow night onto the computer. This will be interesting. Hope I get it right so they can read it at class on Tuesday. 

Have a great night all my type 1 families and groups out there. Praying we all have good numbers and safe kids tonight. 

He's a pumper

And just like that... He's connected to his pump. It took a second. He said he didn't even feel it. 

We spent two hours with our Tandem T-Slim Representative. She help create the users guide so she was very informative. She was absolutely a doll to work with. She showed us the coolest short cuts, the easiest and most convenient ways to create new profiles for his sports so I wouldn't need to enter all his orders over again each time, she showed us ways to see if he took his last meal bolus, ways to check on him that I didn't know we could which made me feel better knowing as a mother of a tween I can let him grow up and trust that his pump will tell me everything. 

The ability to communicate with Loma Linda children's Hospital and Her via the remote access is wonderful. No more old fashion faxing for this Mama! Being able to download on a weekly basis from his pump so his Doctors can see how he is doing is wonderful. Such a great way to care for his diabetes and manage his health. This is the best decision we made and worth all the late nights and stressful days to get here. 

We are not in the clear yet. We still have many weeks of recording to go. I have lots of changes to make as his RNs and Doctors change his orders. His long lasting insulin is gone now. He only receives fast acting insulin so therefore he can get into trouble fast now if his insulin goes bad, his site is bad, or he is struggling to get his blood sugars down. This pump doesn't mean he is free and clear yet. Right now, we have to watch him very closely. Now is not the time for mathematical errors or laziness. This is when my son needs us the most. It's absolutely worth it. He's so happy. I'm happy for him. 

Here's the process of filing his cartridge for his trial.

Removing the tubing to attach to the cartridge.

Filling the tubing.

Checking for air bubbles. 

Inserting needle (infusion) into Daniel. 

He's connected. 

I will change his site this way every three days and make any insulin changes per doctors orders. Everything is done by me. I think that's the scariest part for myself. I thought the RNs did it. But, no I do it. I'm responsible for all the input into his pump and how much insulin in being infused into his body. 

I'm glad the representative was here at my home. Learning the pump was so simple and easy. Entering the information from the doctors orders was easy. Being remotely connected to Loma Linda makes this transition seem effortless. They have really thought of everything. I could not imagine caring for my son without the staff at Loma Linda Children's Hospital. I just can't leave them. 

Good night for now. I've got a million things to do before bed and blood sugar checks on our first night on the pump. I have so much to log and chart. I'll try to blog as much as I can. Please excuse my typos as I'm using my iPhone not my laptop and I'm blogging when I have a few minutes for all my diabetic families and groups who have asked. This might be harder than I thought. Toddler is crying now too. Wishing everyone a blessed night.