First weekend of Spring

Our first weekend of spring was great! Blood sugars have been wonderful. Adjustments that have been made over the last two months have really made that huge mountain we climbed reached a nice little quite valley we can enjoy for a minute. Pump is on its way, so it's a nice little break before we start another storm of crazy schedules of alarms going off and nightly interruptions and non-stop blood sugar checks. But, this little nice place we are in is calm. We've never had numbers in target range since diagnosis. I like it! We are able to enjoy the day without fixing lows constantly and battling the false highs after. 

We took the boys to Knotts Berry Farms again. Why not? We have season passes. Might as well get a few rides in during Springbreak 2015 right? Little Landon is a tall 2 year old so being that he is 39" tall he was able to ride many larger rides for 36" riders with an adult. He chose the log ride. I was a little hesitant. He is only TWO! But, he's a little thrill seeker and thinks he's 15. He waited in line. Refused his stroller all day long. I knew he was mature enough. I just think Mommy wasn't ready. 

Here we are boarding the log. As you can see, it was no big deal to him. He was ready. 

He's smiling enjoying the ride. I decided to put my iPhone away at this point because as clumsy as I am I probably would have lost it on the drop lol. I heard him giggling the entire ride. The water splashed. Daniel and I enjoyed our time together. It was fun. Then here comes the drop. We all laughed. The baby was laughing so loudly and then screamed the funniest giggles when the water came into the log and soaked us. It was perfect! Then we go to check out to buy the picture, but he was so little all you could see what his hair standing straight up high, but not his face. Bummer! He was too short for the camera to catch his little expression. Next time he will have to sit in the front of the log. He's a brave little boy. I'm going to have my hands full with Landon. He not afraid of anything! 

We went along our day. And still landon refused to sit in the stroller. I might as well throw that Chicco stroller in the trash at this point. It's just a carrier for medical supplies, drinks, snacks, sweatshirts, and something to lug around the park with us. 

Daniel did ride his first real big crazy roller coaster yesterday. First ride at the park. Walked right by it and looked at dad and said lets do it. So they walked right into line. Baby and I waved from the bottom! Awesome!! That's what life's about. Give it a try son! 

There they come passing right by Landon and I. I'm so proud of Daniel. He went from being terrified to riding every ride in the park. Such a brave little guy. If Type 1Diabetes doesn't stop you, nothing should! 

We didn't take much pictures. We were busy playing with the boys and having fun. Busy enjoying our day. I'm sure when you have a great day as parents of a type 1 diabetic you cherish those moments you don't need to open your bag up, get out a meter or supplies, and you just want to live. And that's just what we did. We lived! 

Landon got busy with a huge snoopy cookie while Daniel and I rode Ghostrider. Yummy! Maybe I should've stayed with Landon and ate some yummy deserts and let the hubby ride the coaster instead. I missed out on some good ole fashioned pastries. 

We did spend Saturday with Grandma at her house swimming and the boys got into mischief over there too. Sister has a stash of candy in the garage that Landon just couldn't help, but get into. Now how could a toddler resist? He's just like his other sister, he LOVES candy! 

As you can tell by the smile, he hit the jackpot! The younger of the older sisters tried to scold him, but she couldn't and gave in and started laughing from work as he was already eating a ring pop as they were face timing hahaha. 

Swimming and lounging by the pool always makes for a relaxing and rejuvenating weekend. Boys are healthy and happy! First weekend of spring was great. This Mama is happy as long as her boys are happy. Here's to a good week everyone. 

Daniel's week

What a week! 

Blood sugars are the usual, but more lows this week so we have new ratios that we hope will help. No pump this week. We were expecting it Thursday, but got our usual monthly arrival. Pharmacy says we are waiting on the final supplemental insurance company to approve the portion they are picking up and hopefully we will know that answer by Monday, which is tomorrow. Still a waiting game. 

We have changed meters to the Accu-chek Nano. We finally ran out of our Aviva strips we had. I couldn't find it in myself to throw away perfectly good medical supplies that are so expensive and hard to come by when money is tough. So we used every box up until now. Daniel is so excited to be using something new. Funny thing is I don't know how to change the time or date so it's all off. My recording has to be done at the exact moment we check his blood sugars or I'll have no idea when it was. I'll need to figure that out very soon. I'm not tech savvy. I'll read the instructions in the morning with my coffee before the boys wake up to figure that one out. 

Overall, it's been a low blood sugar weekend. I can't complain. We got some rest. I didn't have a Lantus change so I got a 2am break that was much needed. I thank our Endo office greatly for the break! This mommy needed some sleep. 

We did have an awesome Friday! Daniel earned all A's and B's again with a 3.42 and made Honor Roll. His first Gate newspaper article made the front page of the school paper and he made student of the month last month. I'm a lucky Mom! Daniel is one awesome little boy. I am beyond words to express how I feel to be blessed to be his mother. He's so smart. He's just a great kid. Such a brave little human being. Endures so much on a daily basis and complains about the normal childhood things like chores and playing outside, but honestly he's the easiest kid. He's mature and can grasp a concept well beyond his years. Algebra is a breeze right now. We work on it a couple times, and he breezes through the assignment. He amazes me. 

This post is for Daniel! Congratulations son on your accomplishments in school! You make me proud! You don't let diabetes slow you down. You make up all your missing assignments everyday without any problems, you don't complain about it, you earn A's for them, read at 9th grade level, you are just amazing! And I'm lucky to be your mom! 

Today's struggles = time

When life was simpler, I use to complain about the simplest things such as what were we doing this weekend, or why didn't the kids finish their chores when they were asked. Now, my struggle is much greater... Time. It's not a material thing to earn or purchase, it's not something to borrow and return, it's not even something to go see. It's simply God's gift of time. Time for devotion, time for scripture, time for church, time for family, time for rest, time to re-energize ones spirit for the next day's tasks at hand. 

As a mom who can't keep a schedule because life with a diabetic doesn't allow me to, unless you count checking blood sugars and giving insulin shots a schedule. The extra hour I enjoy in the morning I devote to my coffee and scripture reading to start my day prepares my soul for the ups and downs to come. It grounds me. I may only have had 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep and I might be exhausted. But, that isn't my son's fault. I am not in control of my son's diabetes, but I am in control of myself and that is all I need to be for Daniel. 

The struggle with time is it slips away from me quickly with Landon all too fast as well. It seems like I'm just doing something I just did five minutes prior. It's funny with a toddler how repetitive things become. But, to see them nurture and grow... That's the part of time that seems to just stop for a moment. When he recites his colors on objects he sees, or points at the alphabets he sees around him, the shapes he has figured out are all around his little world, how it all works together in the big picture and that numbers really mean something when we count from 1 to 20. This just makes me proud! 

Today I'll continue to work on myself and my struggles with time. I'll find a better way to organize Daniel's blood sugars. His binders and log sheets are beginning to look like a high school locker... Pages are falling out, papers are folded inside, but they are all saved from day one. We did it! Since day one, 01/17/12. I think I'll take the time to organize his log sheets today just so we are ready for basal rates when his pump arrives and my crazy nights of 9pm, midnight, 3am, 6am start!  Then I really won't have any idea of anything unless I write it down and let's hope my penmanship is ledgible when I'm in D-mom zombie mode. 

Staying optimistic! One little thing at a time. It's 5:30am, time to start the coffee, check BG, read my daily devotions, and work on my to-do list for today. 

Diabetes Diary 3/7/15

It is 3:33am, his BG114. That's a beautiful number. We tried to go to bed around 9:30pm last night, but his body had other ideas with a BG64. So, we hung out for a little while longer. 

Diabetes for a child is a funny thing. I get annoyed by hearing daily others compare type 2 to type 1 and how there is a cure. How he must exercise, watch what he eats, it's all from what he ate. Sometimes, I wish medically they would have named Juvenile Diabetes or Type 1 Diabetes something completed different just so society doesn't need to be taught on a regular basis the difference. 

I got a phone call from his Endo's office yesterday. We are getting ready to plan for his basal rate. What you ask is that? Well so did I? It is our baseline blood sugar rate. We have a working pancreas, therefore we don't notice our pancreas infusing insulin into our bloodstream as needed. Daniel will receive his pump in the mail in a few days. Brand new. A computerized pancreas that hasn't been programmed just for him. It's going to take a few more weeks of research along with classes to program his pump and teach us how to use it. 

For now... No more 2am checks unless needed of course of lows or illness, but this is my new schedule... No food after 7pm. Blood sugar check at 9pm, 12am, 3am, 6am... 

And then I continue along with his normal daily cycle of breakfast, school, snack, lunch, snack, after school, sports, and return to the night schedule. He can not miss a check, a correction for a high or a low. This is the most important recording time than I have been recording since October 2014. 

There are people who find myself selfish, rude, ungiving... Honestly, I don't even have the time or the energy to entertain them at this moment. Until you walk a moment in the shoes of a parent with a child with Type 1 Diabetes you will never understand the lack of sleep, the worry, the seizures, the vomiting, the inability to wake your child up, the fear that's the last time they will ever wake up, the depression that comes with the reality that this is our normal life, but with this comes a power of strength that allows us to do this and that comes from being chosen from God to be the parent of a child with Type 1 Diabetes because we are strong enough to endure it! 

I'm pushing forward and waking up nightly for my little boy. I will do anything to make sure his quality of life is as grand as can be. Time to try to fall back asleep. That's always been the hardest part for me. 

Diabetes Diary 3/5/15

It's an exciting day in our home! A couple days ago, I had a discussion with our endocrine office over our usual weekly adjustments of his insulin to carb ratios and the movement of his Lantus dosage back towards the afternoon. Daniel's numbers since his Lantus was moved to 7am made his overnight numbers extremely high and I was making corrections that the Endo didn't want to lead to a low that no one would know about. Another week of changes, of uncontrolled ups and downs with no real explanations, and every meal or snack had a different insulin to carb ratio. But, we made it! 

Good news... Our home delivery pharmacy called me to let me know our usual March delivery would be a few days late because our Pump is on its way! I immediately went into shock! Could it be true? I assumed even with three different insurance carriers it was going to take weeks to get the approvals for whomever would cover what the other wouldn't. I still do not know the different of the deductibles or even any of the supplies needed. I know nothing about how to use this new pump. But, we are excited! 

We are scheduled for class and a home visit with a Tandem T-Slim rep to help us through the process. I feel a huge sense of a renewed strength in approaching this disease. As tough as it is to watch what my child goes through, it's such a proud moment to see him reach a moment of a medical step towards feeling a little healthier. Now we are waiting on supplies to arrive and classes to start. We are as a family celebrating this big moment in Daniel's life! 

Great Sugar Free-low carb Chocolate Chip Cookie

It's not always easy to find a good recipe that our kids will like eating. The texture is always off and most of all the flavors just aren't right. But, this recipe isn't too bad. The cookies are quite yummy. 

Some of the recipes I’ve tried were dry, flat and crispy. These decadent cookies however are soft, chewy and moist and not the greasy or under cooked kind. They have a great density, meaning that they’re nice and thick. You can also add pecans or sea salt to really pack a punch.

MAKE IT AT HOME

• Sweetener – Swerve Sweetener
• Coconut Flour – Bob’s Red Mill Coconut Flour
• Almond flour – Bob’s Red Mill Almond Flour
• Chocolate Chips – Hershey’s Sugar Free Chocolate Chips
• Cookie Scoop – Wilton Cookie Scoop

• Ingredients:
• 
  
• 11/4 cup almond flour
• 3 tablespoons coconut flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg, room temperature
• ¼ cup butter, room temperature
• ½ cup sweetener
• ⅓ cup sugar free chocolate chips or high % cacao chocolate

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Line 1 large baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, sift together almond flour, coconut flour baking soda and salt.
3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on low-medium speed, cream butter, sweetener, egg, and vanilla until smooth.
4. Add the flour mixture and mix until evenly mixed. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Drop 1-2 tablespoon size mounds of dough onto baking sheets, spacing the mounds at least 2 inches apart. Using your the palm of your hand or the bottom of a clean cup, flatten the cookies to the desired size and thickness.
6. Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until slightly golden around the edges. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for 2-3 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

NOTES

Serving size: 1 Cookie (Total recipe makes 12 servings)
Protein 3.71g, Cals 145, Fat 12.24g, Carbs 7.48g, Fiber 2.28g, Sugar Alcohols 3.09g — NET CARBS: 2.11g 

Baking with almond and coconut flour can be pretty tricky but these cookies are fool-proof and the recipe is nice and detailed. This recipe should be just as easy as baking ordinary chocolate chip cookies, just a lot less guilt at the end.

Diabetes Diary 2/26/15

It's been a better two days. We have had a few lows, but numbers are much closer to his normal ranges. I'm spending this morning organizing his supplies. I found some cute glass containers from Ikea over the weekend that I love for his syringes and pen needles to keep them secure from our toddler. 

Now, I need to start working on our closet that has come over ran with medical supplies that make us look like hoarders. It's back to Ikea this weekend. It's got to be convenient, yet secure. I'll post our updates next week. 

IKEA had very cute baskets as well as sealable containers that may work for this little space. This is my newest organization project to tackle in our little place. I've got to get creative. 

My Petunia Pickle Bottom Boxy bags are still my best friends. Being able to wear them as a backpack and having my hands free to chase a toddler or give an insulin shot makes all the difference in the world. I do change them out to MK or Coach totes just because I need to feel like I'm apart of the fashion world, but honestly being a Type 1 Mom beats out any fashion preference anyday. I just love my little guys too much to care about anything else. Here's to my trusty Boxy Backpacks! Of course, a lot more goes inside than what's pictured, but thank goodness they hold a lot. Thanks Petunia Pickle Bottom for a great product! 

I did receive my Diabetes Necklace this week. What a great way to represent being a mother of a Type 1 Diabetic Child. Proceeds go to the research of finding a cure. And for us Mom's, it's a way to share our pride of our precious children fighters each and everyday. 

It's the true Type 1 Diabetes ribbon with a drop of blood in a ruby to represent the drop of blood our children need to give all day long to check their blood sugar. 

For all the other Type One Mother's who are interested, you can get yours at diabetesnecklace.com 

Diabetes Diary 2/24/15

It's been a strange week with numbers and adjustments. Lantus has been moved after three years to 7am and unfortunately I can't stop the 2am checks because he's been running extremely high and I have to give him a correction. He goes to bed with a beautiful number around 100, but something happens and it hits 350/450. 

Frustration doesn't even begin to describe how I feel. The sense of worry is greater than any other feeling. I am extremely exhausted and find it hard to get the daily routine moving as I feel like a zombie. But, with a couple cups of coffee I'm good to go. 

My alarms are set for night and I lay here trying to fall asleep. I just realized I've forgotten to eat today. Just the normal simple things that get forgotten when your busy caring for your child. 

I'm praying for a better night tonight. God bless all the type 1 families out there tonight. God only gives us what we can handle. 

My precious Daniel. This tired Mommy will make it through. 

The Oregon Trip

I came home from Oregon, so excited to blog about our first trip since diagnosis.
But, as my first week home passed, I began to feel the weight of emotion of coming back into the routines of the Southern California life. The thoughts over the traffic, the amount of people and their diversity, the compacted life will live in the big city. I feel as if I have returned to chaos. Life is so busy. Our vacation was so peaceful and the days just seemed longer. 

I look through photographs taken from our trip and can feel all the wonderful emotions as if they are still with me. I do not ever want to forget these memories. The tranquility of taking a road trip honestly re-charges oneself. You are reminded of the surroundings and of so much more than your little small world you thrive in day to day. The experiences gained through traveling are worth much more than the money that was spent. Our boys have had their eyes opened to so much more and so have we. Reflecting back now on my week at home... We are less shallow, less envious, truly happy with what God has provided us with. It wasn't just a vacation, It was us as a family getting closer, bonding, sharing, loving each other, just the four of us. It was perfect!

We didn't forget about Diabetes, it didn't let us. Our lancet pen decided to break at dinner time on our first night. Hubby to the rescue and bought disposable lancets as the boys and I waited to eat our dinner until he returned. That was a nervous 15 minutes. Then there was the change in Lantus moving from 9pm to 7 am. Each day on our trip was 3 hours sooner and my phone alarms seemed to be going off non-stop. We managed. Daniel had his highs. Maybe it was the excitement or maybe just his diabetes.

We spent our first day in Oregon visiting family. It was Valentine's Day and we headed to the historic town of Jacksonville for the evening. What a beautiful little place. Old architecture, restored buildings, small unique shops, and a unique mix of restaurants. The perfect hidden small town gem in southern Oregon. 

Our Valentine's dinner was spent here in Jacksonville with my sweet little boys. I couldn't be happier. My perfect dates. And the food, was the best Thai food I've ever had. Amazing since we were in such a small town far from a freeway or a large city. When we make it back to Jacksonville, OR I'll be right back at the Thai House. 

We headed to the Oregon coast the next morning and decided to take the long way home. The scenic route was worth all the extra hours on the road. It was breathtaking. Running creeks, flowing rivers, natural waterfalls, forests that suddenly open up to the coastline, and the most untouched beaches. 

Lunch on the beach before heading into the Redwood State Park. The boys had a blast climbing tree trunks and fallen down redwoods. We visited every tourist spot along the coastline that was in the tourist pamphlet. I never knew those little pamphlets in the hotels really are worth picking up and following. This was I believe the funniest part of the trip for us. Daniel tried climbing a fallen tree over 6 feet in diameter, Landon stepped in elk poop while watching them graze in a meadow, the boys played inside a redwood tree trunk, Daniel said he felt like Tarzan as the boys ran along the empty highway thru the forest, and we drove thru a tree. It was off season so we had the forest to ourselves for the moment. It was so quite. Only the sound of the water flowing down the  river. The night sky lit up with thousands of stars. 

Our final spot on our way home was San Francisco. Daniel wanted to see the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. The weather was beautiful and the bay was clear. We made it in perfect timing as the fog rolled back in as we were leaving. We drove down the famous crooked Lombard Street, ate lunch at Fishermans Wharf, walked along the water, drove on the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay bridge. 

It was just spectacular! I'm ready to plan our next vacation. Life with Type 1 Diabetes is just wonderful. I have a completely different outlook now. The vacation did this Mom good.

Diabetes Diary 2/11/15

It has been a busy weekend and start of this week. Daniel's numbers were running low at school and I was fighting highs in the afternoons. Constant carb ratio changes and Lantus doses changing mixed with 2am sugar checks have me feeling like a zombie again. It is taking me extra time just to accomplish the daily routine. Time just seems to be running away from me this week. It has also been a huge adjustment for us as we are moving the Lantus dose to the mornings instead of the evenings. After 3 years, it is just strange and I catch myself wanting to prep for the 9pm dose every night. I am praying we hit his target range soon. 

We have managed to have a little fun this week so I'm posting some pictures of the upside. It might have been a rough few days, but the boys are still smiling. 

A quick picture before heading to the lab for more bloodwork for Daniel's latest A1C.

Playing at the lab and spilling a little water in the process... Oops 

Landon watching his big brother being brave. 

At hockey practice last night. It was a nice escape from our warm Southern California weather. It almost made me feel like we have a real winter. 

My little boy just being a kid. I love watching him participate in sports and not letting his diabetes interfere with it. 

We had a decent bedtime BG75 after hockey practice, but then he woke up this morning at BG348... Sigh... Well, it's another day and this mommy isn't giving up. There's a good blood sugar day coming soon! 

One Pot Pasta

Now this is propbably the easiest pasta dish you'll ever make in your life. There is a 5 min prep then everything gets tossed right into the pan including the uncooked spaghetti. Let the water come to the boil and that's it! How simple is that?  My son loved it and the carb counting was simple it was just the pasta. We chose to serve it with a Caesar salad and garlic bread. It's a great way for our busy family to make a healthy meal and save us from eating out. We hope you enjoy it too!

Ingredients:
1 package of uncooked spaghetti
4 andouille sausage links (may substitute) sliced
3 cups grape tomatoes halved
4 gloves of garlic chopped
1 small onion sliced
1 bunch of basil chopped
4 cups cold water
Salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan to sprinkle

Place all ingredients into a pot. Bring to a boil and boil uncovered for 10 mins. Once noodles are done add Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. That's it!

Diabetes Diary 2/2/15

As a parent with a 11 year old son who has had this disease for three years, I've become an expert on managing his blood sugar highs and lows, making sure the tips of his fingers don't turn black because he pricks one more than the other, and teaching him how to take care of himself so he grows up to be a healthy confident adult. But, this isn't the only thing that I'm teaching him. I'm also teaching him how to find ways to have fun in between the not so fun moments.

Below are a few fun ways to make living with type 1 diabetes fun! The little things such as the below has truly made a difference in my son's life. And the smile I get when I do one of them is so worth it!

1. For dinner, eat dessert first. Then eat the meal.
2. For breakfast have a piece of birthday cake or a slice of pizza. My son has been invited to  birthday parties and has been unable to eat the cake because of his blood sugars at the time of day. So instead, we wrap it up, take it home, and he eats it for breakfast.
3. Give a lollipop after your child's plays football, basketball, or other extracurricular competitive game. After every football, basketball, and baseball game, I surprise my son with a different colored lollipop. This keeps his blood sugar from dropping fast and also puts the sweetest smile on his face. It's his special treat after the game.
4. Sneak two pieces of hershey kisses into your type 1 child's lunch box. I usually try to sneak two pieces of chocolate because it doesn't affect my son's blood sugar as much as other treats. And he loves chocolate! Two Hershey kisses are only 5 carbs.

This disease is not always about the downs. As a parent of a diabetic child, I am always trying to find ways to make life fun and a little easier for my son. The little things that can make him feel normal are worth it!