Peeing in the night

Since we began this journey with Cara five days ago, we have been deluged with many e-mails, calls and questions. To be honest, for the first couple of days or so I was in survival mode and could not think about much else than getting to the next minute. (Thank the good Lord for Bruce's mom who came to help and my mother, brother and family friend who dropped everything to bring her to us.) I even sent someone an e-mail that said what I was mostly concentrating on right then was breathing out and breathing in, if that makes sense.

So to answer some questions in one place and give you a reason behind my not so nice post title, here are some answers to the most asked questions:

1. Had Cara been sick? How did you know? No, she had not been sick, and we didn't really know. Well, we kind of had a feeling, but I think neither one of us wanted to think that could possibly be it.

2. Did you take her in for a routine check-up? No, about a month ago she began having to go pee in the middle of the night. She has never had to go pee in the middle of the night, and has never wet the bed that I can recall. She started getting up and going to the bathroom in the middle of the night. The next morning, she would not remember getting up even though we would carry on full conversations with her.

I didn't think too much of it at first, I was just grateful that she was getting up when she needed to go. After a while, she started going more than once and she didn't get to the bathroom in time.

Had she started this the same week that Bruce's mom was in the hospital, we would have thought it was the stress from that, but she started before that. She also had been complaining of being very thirsty.

I finally called the doctor's office the other day and asked for an appointment. We were praying it was as simple as an UTI, but we both knew it could be diabetes even though we didn't want our minds to go there.

3. Does diabetes run in your family? Both of us have a family history of Type II diabetes, which is adult-onset diabetes. I also have an aunt who has had diabetes her whole life, and she is in her 80s. She may have Type I, I am not sure. Cara has Type I, which is also known as juvenile diabetes (but adults can get it, too).

From what I have gathered from the doctors and information we have read, Type II is the hereditary kind, Type I is not. From what I have also read, Type II may not be hereditary in the way we think, but more environmental in the way the person is raised.

4. Will your other children have to be watched closely? No, since Type I is not hereditary, they are no more likely to get it than any other child with siblings who do not have it. Don't think we won't be watching them like a hawk, though.

5. Can it be controlled strictly with diet? No, at this time, insulin is the only way to treat Type I. She will have to have insulin for the rest of her life or until a cure is found (please, Jesus, soon).

6. Can she take a pill instead? No, she can't take pills because the stomach would break down the pill before the medicine can be absorbed into her body. She has to have insulin shots (we are told to call them pokes, more on that in a later post) because they go directly into her body. We don't have to search for a vein, we just pinch her little leg or arm (could do bottom or stomach, but she doesn't want that) and poke the tiny needle in. She may be a candidate for an insulin pump when she gets older.

7. I guess she has to give up sugar, right? Actually, from what we are learning, sugar is not the culprit as much as carbs are. Which is so nice (insert sarcasm here) for a little girl who survives on spaghetti and macaroni and cheese. Right now, we are keeping a food diary of everything she eats, and then we are taking it to the doctor's office so they can evaluate it. They are telling us that she can probably stick with her regular foods with moderation.

8. What caused it? (This was asked more by us than anyone else.) No one really knows. Theories abound as to why Type I diabetes occurs. Right now, the going theory is that people like Cara are genetically predisposed to getting diabetes, and that a viral infection triggers the diabetes. Interesting fact, in December, Cara ran a fever for a day. A nurse practitioner at the pediatric endocrinologist's office said that this probably started about 3-4 months ago.

9. Can't you just buy a bunch of sugar free stuff for her? We have to really read the labels. Some of that stuff is worse than the full-fledged ingredients stuff.

10. How's Cara doing? Oh, about as well as any five and a half year old who has just learned that she has to have her finger stuck five times a day and insulin injections twice a day.

11. How's Mama and Daddy doing? Oh, about as well as any parents of a five and a half year old who is having to have her finger pricked five times a day and insulin injections twice a day. (Why, oh, why did I go see Steel Magnolias about a month ago? And why did I take Bruce with me?)

12. How are your other children doing? Well, they are rolling with the tide, so to speak. They are both exhibiting signs of needing a little attention. Adriana is of course old enough to say, "I need a little attention", while Jonah is showing a little more by being clingy. They are being good siblings, though.

Well, I think that is all I can think to cover right now. Aren't you glad you asked?

(P.S. Thank you for all the prayers. Please keep them coming.)

Back in Holland

Last time we were in Holland for an extended visit but we did leave. Now, we are becoming permanent residents. If you don't know what I am talking about, just keep reading.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

by
Emily Perl Kingsley.

c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

The birthday that turned out not so well

We found out today that Cara, our spunky five year old, has juvenile diabetes. We are stunned and saddened.

I know it's treatable. I know things could be a lot worse. I know, I know, but for right now I am grieving. I am grieving for a little girl's life that will forever be altered. For every Skittle, ice cream and M&M that she will have to think twice about before consuming. For every time she has to have her finger pricked. For every time that she will have to have an insulin shot. For all the things that are not "normal".

Bruce said this may go down as his worst birthday ever. He did back up and say the first half was nice. I never made it to the store today to buy the ingredients for a cake or an actual cake. Needless to say, he did not get his birthday cake tonight.

I am trying to stay positive. I am thanking God that we caught it early and that we can control it.

Tonight, I was going to post some pictures from Bruce's birthday, but I will wait until another day because the time is late and tomorrow I am taking our sweet Carabell to another city to a specialist.

Welcome to our new normal. God is still so good.

Happy Birthday to my Prince Charming

Almost 10 years ago God finally hit me over the head with a brick (okay, maybe he didn't do that) so I could see what a wonderful gift he had given me with a friend named Bruce. We started dating, fell in love and the rest is history.

Today, we will celebrate that wonderful gift God gave the world a few years ago (I won't say how many). I know I would not be the person I am today without him.

I jokingly say I married him for his bug killing and mouse slaying abilities, but I married him for so much more than that.

Happy Birthday to the best husband in the world. Thank you for all you do for us. We love you!

Mother's Day

I was blessed again this year on Mother's Day with more love than I deserve. Aside from a (two) neat t-shirts with my children's picture on it and an 8x10 of them, I also received some neat homemade gifts.

Adriana worked on some homemade snowflakes (you know the ones cut out of paper)for me. She was so sweet earlier in the week. She had made two of them in art class, but lost one and was so upset. I had to take her to get her shoe inserts checked, so she worked on another one along the way. And, I had to act like I didn't know what was going on.

Adriana also had a paper flower that she made in her classroom that she gave me.

Cara tried her best to keep a flower hidden from me that she had planted in her class. She was so cute when I picked her up at school. She kept telling me, "Don't look. Don't look." Of course, she was laughing the whole time.

All three of the children made hand prints in children's church for me. In Sunday School, Cara and Jonah made some sweet "coupons" that were attached to bud vases. The coupons are for a hug and a kiss and picking toys.

I was treated like a queen that day, and as a good friend has said recently, at this age they get about as much joy out of celebrating the day with us and seeing our reactions, so I am going to enjoy it as much as possible while I can.

And, guess who was the youngest mother at church? Yes, can you believe it? I have received recognition for having the most children there one time before, but now here I am at my age getting the youngest mother.

Now, here's proof that I am only 25. My church thinks so.

And, being the good mother I am, I didn't get a picture of my three and me that day.

Just a clarification

I just read over my last post that has been up for almost two weeks now. I wrote it in haste and didn't realize how it sounded. Just so everyone knows, when we celebrate Easter we are celebrating Christ's resurrection.

All the other was just fun stuff, plus the girls were out for spring break.

Just so you know. Whew, I feel better.

Almost forgot

With all the shenanigans that have been taking place over the last few weeks, I almost forgot to post Easter pictures.

Yes, we celebrated it. The children dyed eggs right before we left to go to Bruce's mom's for a few days. We had an egg hunt at her house and left at least one behind. At least these were plastic eggs.

We surprised the girls with a trip to see the new "Hannah Montana" movie. It was a girls' day with Mommy. Bruce said he would liked to have seen the movie, too, but he didn't want Jonah to feel left out. Also, Bruce and I had been gone for a little while that day, so we wanted to give his mom a break.

Right after the movie was over, Bruce called me to say we needed to head back to his mom's because the weather was getting rough. Now, trying to remain calm when tornado watches and warnings are all around is not an easy thing to do. Adriana would have been panicking had she known. We did get back to Nanny's before the weather got to rough.

On Easter day, we got up at dark thirty to go to church. Adriana didn't sleep hardly at all that night. I think I got about 30 minutes of sleep. I am always antsy the night before Easter because we have a sunrise service and I am afraid we are going to oversleep one year. Not a good thing for one member of our family to do considering his position.

Adriana woke up and was fidgeting. I had just gone to sleep when she started. Seems she was a little excited about her basket. (Disclaimer: we do prepare Easter baskets, but the Easter bunny doesn't deliver them here. The baskets always have something in them to remind them of who Easter is about.) I became so frustrated with her that I thought next year we may have to do away with the baskets if that was the focus of Easter, and not Christ's resurrection. She tried to reassure me that it wasn't.

On the way to church, we had to stop in the road to allow a deer family (yes, I mean "deer") to cross the road. The funny thing-the deer family had five members, too. Kind of like even the animals knew who we were celebrating that day.

We went to church and had our service. Afterwards, we had breakfast and then came home. We don't have any services at our church on Easter except for the sunrise service.

Later that afternoon, we went over to some friends' house and had a nice lunch with them. The children had another egg hunt and we watched them play all afternoon.

Needless to say, we all went down quickly that night.

Don't even ask how many times I took this picture. And, this is the best it gets. Do you really know how hard it is to get three children to cooperate? I still think they look beautiful, though. And, the children picked out their outfits all by themselves. Jonah picked out his tie, and didn't want any other. I relented this year and let Cara wear black. I have something about wearing black on Easter. Don't ask me why. I am not sure I know.


Tearing into the baskets.

Everyone gets into hunting eggs at Nanny's.

Dying the eggs.

Adriana is the lone one out of the three who likes boiled eggs.

I think this was before Jonah learned that the eggs would break if dropped. Once he discovered that, he enjoyed dropping them a little too much.

Before the germs descended

Before we were attacked by these strep/staph/whatever else germs that are looming, the kids got to have an exciting time at a local firehouse.

Because what is more exciting for a little boy, and two little girls apparently, than getting to ride in a fire truck?

We went and ate dinner at the firehouse, and afterwards the children rode on a fire truck. Needless to say, they had fun.


Adriana got to pull the horn cord.



Jonah securely strapped in. He was not going anywhere.



He didn't really drive, but he how he wanted.

Let's get caught up, shall we?

Since we are on another holiday and I haven't done too well about updating, let's get caught up.

Right before the CHO declared a state of emergency at our house, we enjoyed some time together as a family at our town's spring festival. At the festival, our dear Dragon Slayer extraordinaire was dragged kicking and screaming volunteered to have a pie smashed in his face since he is a "public official".

At first, Cara didn't want to go see her Daddy get a pie in his face because she thought he would get hurt. We tried to explain it to her. She went and got quite excited when she saw how it was done.

The volunteers were taking bids on the pies, so Cara really got into things and bid $20 right off the bat to smash a pie in the mayor's face. The only problem was, Cara didn't have $20 to bid. She had $2. And, I was saving my money for Bruce.

When it came time to bid for Bruce's pie, several people gave the children some money to bid. It was quite funny. Now that I think about it, I think I didn't have to spend any of my money.

Adriana didn't want to smash the pie in his face, so I gladly to her place. I told her that she was a smart girl because she knows who pays her allowance.





That night,\ we decided to go ahead and celebrate my birthday since it fell on a week day this year and the girls are in school. We went to a Japanese steakhouse in another city. The girls had been to one before with us, but they were much smaller and did not really remember going. All three of them were on their best behavior and did so well while we ate.





I also opened my presents that night because Cara was worried that I would open them while she was at school and she would miss everything. So, to save her teacher from Cara's worrying, I went ahead and opened everything. They were very generous as they always are.




We did wait to have the cake on my birthday, which was the following Tuesday. Bruce did a great job of getting the cake. It had a picture of the five of us on it and I had a little help blowing out the candles.




Finally, Cara has started T-ball. She is doing pretty well, too. Yesterday, she brought in the tying run and then scored the winning run. This was the first game her team has won this year, and maybe the first one of her short two year T-ball career. She was so excited, which was a big change from the other night. Even though she played well, she didn't think she had because she did not score. She was quite upset, so I was so glad that she scored the winning run. We will see how the rest of the season goes as the weather gets hotter. The girl is too much like her mother. Not a hot weather person at all.

Yes, she does have on shorts.

Raised the level

We ended up raising our outbreak level to a 2 1/2, maybe prematurely. Eldest Cool kid woke up Thursday morning with a sore throat, so to err on the side of caution she stayed home from school (and, she was so close to making perfect attendance for the school year), and a prescription was called in for her.

I even went to the doctor at the urging on Bruce. I did not have strep throat, but I was given a prescription in case I started feeling worse. I haven't really felt any worse, so I have not had it filled.

Both girls returned to school on Friday. And, Jonah and I picked up Bruce's mom from the hospital. She was released and has been recuperating with us.

I think she would rather be at her house, but the children wanted to take care of her.

Even Cara told her, "You take care of me, now I am going to take care of you."