School

Wednesday, May 20th

So much for a normal preschool experience!  As soon as she started preschool, Ellee's symptoms started to appear, then she was out for a week during the diagnosis, then back to finish up the last month.  The good thing is that other than snack, we really don't have to worry much about food and shots during class.  The pain has been making sure that she only gets around 15 carbs at snack time, so we pack her some crackers and Crystal Light lemonade to take.  I didn't figure that it would take long before she felt kind of excluded for not being able to eat what the other kids had.  As a comprimise, she still had to have her lemonade, but she could have what ever snack the others had.  I meet with her teacher to talk about making sure that she got as close to the 15 carbs as possible. 

This was their big Walk to the Library field trip day!  It got pushed back a week due to the rain, but they finally got a good day!  I took off work to help chaperone! Before heading out, Mrs. M took Ellee's emergency juice box out of the fridge and put it in her little bag incase she had a Hypo event while we were gone. They didn't really have that far to walk (about 5 blocks), but for little legs it was a lot!  There really is nothing cute there 3, 4, & 5 year olds making animal noises when the book called for it, and dancing to a silly song! 

After the librarian read a few cute books and they did a few silly songs, it was time to go.  I found it a little funny that they did all that walking for a 15-20 minute activity!  Oh well, it got them out of the classroom and into the sunshine!  About half way back, Ellee started walking slower and getting a whiny.  I pushed her to walk just the little bit further that we had to go, then grabbed her test kit out of the car.  I made her go to the bathroom, then we check her sugar and she was clear down in the 60s... Yikes!  I got the juice box from Mrs. M and sat out in the hallway with her while she drank it.  The other kids were getting started on their daily routine and it was nice to actually be able to see some of what they do there! 

It's amazing the difference in El between a Hypo event and when she's "normal" (within her sugar range).  Even when she's high, I can see a little bit of a difference in her. I wonder if she can feel the difference in herself, like if she feels funny, light-headed, belly ache, or anything like that.  Even if she can, I'm sure it will be another year or more before she realizes whats going on and knows to check her sugar as soon as she starts feeling that way.  

Monday, June 1st

Last day of preschool! It was a short year because we didn't enroll her till mid-February, but it still went by fast!  They had a little program for all of the parents and families where they sang some of the songs that they learned!  I have no idea where Mrs. M gets these songs from, but they are the cutest things!  I loved picking El up from school or the sitters and listening to her sing them on the way home!

I have to admit, when I first found out that we'd have to monitor and watch what she ate, I was scared to death.  The first thing that came to mind is that going to different functions or places and having cookies as snacks and having to tell her that she can't have any or a little bit of one... I know I don't have the will power to pass up a cookie, why should I expect a 4 year old to???  BUT, God works in mysterious ways!  At the end of the program, I checked El's sugar and she was low!  Why was I excited?  Because it meant she could have a cookie and I didn't have to worry about it making her sugar skyrocket over her range!