Ignorance and understanding...

Ignorance and understanding... I was faced with some of each today. Of course it all revolves around the big D. Hey... these days... what doesn't?

Justin was invited to a birthday party. He was so excited of course. This is the first "friends" party, where I did not know the parents, that he has been to since he was diagnosed.
Okay, no biggie! I called the mom to RSVP. I left her a message asking her to PLEASE call me back.
The message went something like this... "Hi Mrs. Mom, My name is... Justin would love to come to the party on Saturday. I was hoping that I could talk to you very briefly about the party... I don't if you are aware that Justin has diabetes. It's no biggie, but I would greatly appreciate it if you would give me a quick call back. I just have one or two questions that would help me plan ahead with Justin's insulin. Thank you and I look forward to talking with you."

That was nice right??? Not creepy??? Or weird???

Did she call back? HECK NO!!!

That may require some courtesy. Who has that any more?

Again, no biggie... I loaded Justin up and we headed over to the laser tag place. When we got there... I checked his blood... 81... okay, as long as they eat first he will be fine.

We go in... the mom did not speak to anyone outside the circle of 3 or 4 people she already knew.
I seriously HATE ignorance... I am sorry... that IS ignorant. You are the hostess for crying out loud.
So anyways... in comes the worker and says we will be heading over to laser tag in 5 min... SHIT!! (that's right, I said shit) At 81, he can not go play 2 rounds of laser tag.
So I walk up and say to the mom... I will be right back... I need to go grab Justin something to eat before he runs around... she could have cared less... it was like I was some kind of bag lady asking for a handout.
Now keep in mind that had she CALLED ME BACK... I would have fed Justin on the way. But without knowing, I didn't dare.
So I ran down stairs... bought a pretzel and headed back up. Justin was sooo not happy that he had to stop playing freeze tag and eat, but I managed to get him to eat half...

Then... off they went to play (I stayed back which is a first for me). Once they came back... they sat down for pizza. For drinks we had... regular Coke, regular Sprite and Fruit Punch. (iy yi yi)
Okay... I just simply asked the worker guy if he happened to have anything diet.

Am I just expecting to much from people? When did people loose their ability to be considerate?
Where are the manners? WHEN DID WE LOOSE OUR MANNERS?

Whatever... it is what it is.

Now onto some understanding...

Leighanna also had a birthday party today (a sleepover). The rest of us decided to go out to dinner(Justin, Anthony and I). Justin choose Olive Garden (pasta again?? okay, I guess I don't need to sleep tonight).
We sat down and ordered diet Coke. When the waitress brought the drinks... I promptly double check that Justin's was diet.
All of the sudden the waitress says... "is he diabetic"? (yes)
OH when was he diagnosed (???a little over a year ago)
My daughter was diagnosed when she was 3... she's 5 now. (really)

We went on to have some light conversation... you know... who's your doc ... how did you find out etc. It was nice. AND when she brought Justin's refill... I didn't even ask if it was diet.

I don't know why meeting another T1 mom feels so great... but it does.

Happy Saturday!!!!

The bed part 2~ DONE!!!

Justin is more excited than a diabetic eatin a cupcake! I should know... he gets pretty excited about a cupcake ;0)
So without further ado... here is the finished product.

We still need to hang the desk... which is currently on the floor in the corner holding Lego's.

As a matter of fact... EVERY square inch of the floor under the bed is full of Lego's.

Justin loves his new bed... it was sooo worth building because it made him so happy.

He told me after the first night that he has "such good dreams in his new bed".~Priceless!!!

I do have to admit that it is a little harder to check bg's at night though. I have to climb up the ladder and check a toe or bring a step ladder with me. What are ya gonna do?

Here's another cute pic from his party this weekend... he was acting shy:)

Happy Tuesday!!!

Adventures in bed making... part 1

After weeks of planning there is finally an end in sight. What started out as a birthday wish is now starting to look like one cool loft bed!

Let me take you through our journey over the last several weeks...

First there was a plan...

Then there is a man and his saw...

There is also a little boy who will not be left out of all the fun...

and does quite well on his own...

Sparks flew...

and one bed was attached to the wall...

On a side note: This is the mirror that I won at a school auction. It has all the faces and names of Justin's kindergarten class. Anthony thinks that I should take it down. Me... well the fact that it is so darn cute coupled with the $500.00 price tag(whole other story) kinda makes me feel as if we need to keep it around a few more years.

Okay, back to the bed... it grew a leg for support.

another view for the heck of it...

and some stairs...

Now all I need to do is put a 2nd coat of paint on the bed, paint the stairs, paint the rails and figure out what I am going to do with all his crap! (Before his friends party on Sunday!)

Now the comedy part of the adventures in bed making... throughout this whole adventure my hubby and I have taken part in some interesting conversation. Okay, so it was more like random comments he made and the thoughts in my head right after...

-"this plan is well thought out" (yeah, that's what scares me)

-"you don't wanna come out here and blow me off do ya" (um~ get your mind out of the gutter... he was full of saw dust)

-"your gonna make me blow shit out my nose" (actually I would like to see you do that)

-"I've got it all under control... trust me" (oh boy, that usually means trouble!)

-"I've got ideas for that" (so how much is it going to cost me?)

-"here, I've got 2 double tall boys for ya" (well that was rude)

-"are the chemicals in your hair messing you all up?" (he caught me off guard with that one... I was speechless)

-"your the best" (duh! That's what I've been trying to tell you)

and last but not least...

-"I just broke the stairs... I'm gonna need some stronger wood" (chuckle)

It's been fun! Justin is extremely excited and the bed looks great. I will post more pics after I get the painting done.

Happy Thursday!!!

Teaching some responsibility...

Let me just put it out there... Justin is my baby. Mama's boy. My last. My youngest.
Therefore, I find myself doing EVERYTHING for him. In addition, he has always had things going on medically. We have done it all. The MRI's, Cat Scans, EEG's, allergy tests, sleep studies, ear tubes(twice), adenoids... bla bla bla!!! All this makes me pretty protective of him.

Except with Diabetes. I have found myself pushing him to learn. I make him read carbs in the store if he wants something(despite the odd and sometimes looks of disapproving older ladies).

I have it in my head that he needs to learn this stuff and I need to teach it to him while he still thinks I sorta know a thing or two. I had him doing this sort of thing right away. Why not? He's smart.

So the last few nights I have pushed more and more for him to start giving his own insulin. Maybe it was the fact that I had burgers on the grill, fries in the fryer, mushrooms and soup on the stove, a sick daughter, a husband building a loft bed and so on... So I tell him "check your blood and roll your insulin". He complies without thought. "114 mom", he says. "Okay, get a syringe. You need 7 units. Don't forget to go a little past".

I have to say I am proud. He remembered to put 7 units of air into the bottle before pulled 7 units out. He flicked the syringe and had it precisely on 7 and ready to go. He must be paying attention and that makes me happy. Granted, I can't let him mix the 2 insulin's yet, but hey!

Now if I con only get him to give himself a shot!!!!

Quote of the day...

I stole this one from my friend Jayme on Facebook. I love it and thought I would share.

If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together, there is something you must always remember... you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we are apart, I'll always be with you.

~Winnie the Pooh

Ramblings of a worn out mom...

There are many things that suck about diabetes. I apologise for the following gloomy rant, but I need to get a few of these out so that I can exhale and keep on truckin along.

*I hate that the first thing Justin has to do when he wakes up in the morning is make himself bleed so that he can check his bg and I can figure out how much insulin he needs.

*I hate that I can't sleep, but I hate even more that Justin rarely gets a night of sleep where I am not poking his finger or waking him up to drink some juice.

*I hate it when I am "talking" to my husband about the load of medical/pharmacy bills and I don't realize Justin has come close enough to hear.

*I hate his fear of his future. Though he is young... he still listened and understands the consequences for not taking care of his diabetes. I hate that he doesn't want to "loose his legs".

*I hate that he can't come home and have an after school snack(a treat type snack). I hate that he still comes home and asks for one EVERYDAY because that is what we did EVERYDAY before the D came along. I hate being forced to tell him no and offer him cheese or pepperoni. I hate that he continues to check his bg everyday in hopes that he will get lucky just once.

*I hate that he now hates cheese and pepperoni because he is sick of eating it!!!!

*I hate explaining to another child his age why he can't have a 24 carb juice box.

*I hate hearing the question "well he can just control that with some exercise right? UMM NO!

*I hate telling people(when asked) that I found out Justin was diabetic when I took him to the doctor for wetting the bed. I really need to make up another story or something. I don't want some kid (because they CAN be cruel) to call him some made up "pee pee pants" nick name.

*I hate getting the "your an unfit parent look" when I give Justin cookies or cake at a party.

*I hate that 2 of his 3 most favorite foods KILL his bg numbers. (pizza and pasta)

*I hate counting everything he eats. (Cheetos, French fries, etc...)

*I hate Justin coming home and telling that someone wouldn't give him the treat that the rest of the class got.

*I hate that I am to scared to let him stay the night with a friend. And I hate that he cries about it. I hate that I have been telling him for a while that his sister was 9 before she was aloud to do that and now that he has just turned 9... I hate that I am going to have to figure something else out.

I hate all of these things. Some are silly things that most people never have to think about. Some are things that I also took for granted 14 months ago. But I have not been given an "opt out" button so I will continue on. I am just thankful that I have a place to vent where Justin can't hear me.

Thanks

Question of the day...

How in the world do you LOOSE a bottle of Insulin?
Seriously~~ Really~~ it just got up and walked away??

Happy 9th Birthday...

Wow!! Nine year's have flown by faster than I can even begin to explain. Just going back through pictures brings tears to my eyes. I love you more than you can imagine, more than words could express. I hope as time continues to pass us by... you will always know how much you mean to me and how proud I am of the person you have become.

Happy Birthday!!

No longer a D-Mom Chat Virgin!!!

This was a long, busy weekend to say the least. Holiday weekend and the last weekend before my "little angels" went back to school.
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Here's the "short version"...

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Thursday: HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE!!!! We had a group of great friends over to help us celebrate. We DID make it to midnight (woo hoo). I had my camera out to take a few pics to share, but somewhere between the Sweet Tea Vodka and the "F"ed up Uno... I forgot.

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Friday: Our plans were canceled because my sister in law got sick. HOWEVER, we did not complain because the yucky rainy weather was a great excuse to stay in. Besides... the hubby had a headache (hmm ~ wonder if he got it from his "friend" Jack Daniels?)
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Saturday: I was put to work. The tree came down, the outside Christmas lights came down, it was all packed up and the holiday 20 boxes and bins went back into the attic until next year.

AGAIN... I forgot to take pics of the house and tree.

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Sunday: oh Sunday... I was a church slacker(she says ashamed). So I watched me some church online.. it was live! (who knew?)

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Anthony on the other hand started on the loft bed. Justin wants it for his birthday and we decoded to build it. THE PLAN is that it will be completely suspended except for the 1 post on the outside corner. This was in lieu of a cable going into my ceiling. (Thank you Bob Villa)

Here he is cutting wood...

While daddy was occupied... the kids and I got ready and for some reason allowed my friend to drag us out to the Manatee viewing site. I'm sorry... I was born and raised in Florida and it is FREAKIN COLD out there right now!

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Either way we went. This pic obviously shows my excitement...

We were all bundled up but still complaining "IT'S COLD"!!

Notice the not so thrilled look on Justin's face...

OOOH~ your face is warm.... warm my hands please.... what a friend!

You really couldn't see the Manatees in the picture I took, but the sharks and stingrays but on quite a show for us...

Before we left... we stopped in the Manatee museum to defrost.

We headed home via Sonic for my LAST route 44 diet vanilla coke. (I miss them already)

I scurried along to cook dinner and get the angels in bed before 9:00. (most of you know why)

It's because up until last night I was a D-Mom chat virgin... WELL NOT NO MORE!!!

How fun was that? SUPER FUN!!! You all are NUTS! In a good nutty way of course.

I am glad I was able to join in the fun... I've been missing out.

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So on that note... all I have to say is: D- Moms ROCK!!!

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Happy Monday!

Happy 2010!!

Here's to a new year full of love, peace, happiness and cures :)

Happy 2010 EVERYONE!!!