First Day of School

We did it!  We survived it!   Lunch packed in her froggy lunch box and afternoon snack in her backpack. Ellee taking her time eating two bowls of cereal and Dani refusing to get dressed put me in a little bit of a fluster to get out the door, but I though we were doing good time-wise!

Shoes are on, all bags are accounted for, morning dose of insulin administered, so out the door we go!  As soon as I snapped this quick picture of Ellee in the drive way, I was surprised by the noise I heard... THE BUS!  I could have swore that we were leaving early enough to get pictures down at the bus stop. Did I waste too much time fighting with Dani to get dressed? Nope, it was a cruel joke for the bus driver to play on me to be 10 minutes early!  A brief panic mode and after running half way down the road, I realized that he will wait a few seconds for us.  That would be one heck of a memory though - missing the bus on our first day of school!   

After Ellee got on the bus, I bent down to take pictures of it driving away and Dani squeezes in between me in the camera "Mommy, I take the pictures!" She sat on my knee and I let her look through the view finder as I snapped the shutter.  We start to walk back to the house so that I can take Dani to Grandma's and I can head into work.  I took a deep breath and thought aloud "Ellee is headed off to school!"  I then heard little sniffles and looked down to see that my words made Dani realize that she wasn't going to have her buddy with her today so she was upset!  Seeing her cry made me cry!
 

I know that kids starting kindergarten and being on their own is the first step in their journey of independence that we parents try so hard to prepare our kids for.  I, under other circumstances, wouldn't have been so emotional.  Happy and excited - yes, scared and worried - no.  But this was different.  The hardest part for me was trusting some one else to take care of her T1D. At 16 months post-diagnosis, this is her first day with out either one of her 4 grandparents or Josh or I.  This is truly a HUGE day for her!  I am very excited, but with worry still being in the back of my mind.

Around 10:50, I received a call from the school.  Mrs. M was on the other end and very cheery.  She just called to tell me what her BS level was for lunch and said that Ellee excitedly showed her what she had packed and her froggy lunch box!  Such a relief to hear that she's in a good mood! 

I couldn't wait to get the girls from Grandma's and to hear how the day went!  "How was school, Ellee?"  "Mom, they have the coolest playground!"  It's hard to tell how that first day really went, but the fact that she was in a such a good mood and excited about *something* is good enough for me! 

All Day Kindergarten

I have to say that my warm, fuzzy feeling about sending Ellee to this school dropped after the uncoordinated effort to get everyone together for a "diabetes meeting" before school started.  We *finally* had our meeting, but it was the day before school and afterwords I was not 100% comfortable.  I'm sure that any parent who has a child with a disability feels that no one understand what they are going through or knows how to care for the child like they do.  We decided to go with this school because they have a full time nurse and have had several T1D kids over the years, so I think that made me a little too confident.

I think part of MY problem is that I try to downplay everything that we have to do to control the T1D.  I try to make it a little detour to the normal routine rather than make it a completely different route. That is all fine and well for me to do because I am the one who answers to the doctor. As I age, I am more into scientific experiments, the "lets this a try and analyze the results to see if it works."  What I failed to take into account is the fact that the school can not take the liability of risky moves like this.  I realized this half way through our meeting on Wednesday.  The more all of this dawned on me, the more I could kick myself for not putting myself into a different mind set for her action/emergency plan.  That in turns angers me because I wanted to have this meeting weeks before school started so that we had time to train and work out the kinks. 

After I talk to Ellee tonight to see how things went, I think that a follow up meeting may be in order.  I do owe them an apology for my previous mindset and come up with a new action plan.  A new plan with will accommodate their policy of having a set guideline with proper documentation.  By the end of the first day, I have spoke with the nurse twice.  Either of which were bad calls, but certain things were not made clear.  I do have to say that I felt so much better after the first phone call when she said that Ellee just left her office happy as can be and showing off her lunch and lunch bag!  I can not describe the relief that brings me to hear that!

I wonder if she realizes how important today is.  Yes, it's a big day that every child goes through. But not every child has had to spend every day of the last 16 months with some one who has had specific medical training to take care of them.  There are 6 of us who are trained to take care of her and this is the first time she has been able to go some where with out one of us.  I am excited because I know she needs this independence, but as a mom, I'm a nervous mother hen!

I can't wait to talk to her tonight to get her views of today!

Glasses

Friday was our big day for Ellee to get her eyes dilated to see what her prescription for glasses will be.  It was a disaster, to say the least, but over all, I'm fairly happy with the results.  Doctor visits are not fun to begin with, but even more true when you have a child in the middle of a Severe Hypo.  At least we got a break between the drops and exam to let her eyes dilate so that we could get food in her and get her brought back up to a functioning blood sugar level.

Once she started functioning, the exam went better.  As she was going through describing the pictures on the wall as the doctor flipped the lenses in front of her eyes, it was almost like a light coming on and getting brighter!  Once Dr. D dialed in her prescription, the excitement in Ellee's voice rose excitedly as she confidently called out the pictures because she could see them clearly... without straining to make them out! 

The results were better than I thought they would be: 1.50 in one eye, 1.25 in the other. I don't know why, but I expected them to be up over 2, but very thankful!  The best news: the diabetes has yet to effect her eyes!  As odd as it sounds, it's comforting to know that she would have needed glasses had she not gotten the T1D due to genetics. Because T1D is forever, the longer we can go without complications from it, the better.

The bad side of the visit... picking out glasses.  We literally tried on every single pair of kids glasses twice, plus a few they pulled from the back and even some petite women frames.  I was disappointed beyond belief and almost in tears at the thought of putting so much money into something that we didn't like.  Ellee picked out a pair that she liked, but I did not, and her only reasoning is because they were pink.  I made the decision to run over to another optical store to look for frames, but with El & Dani plus 2 other kids in tow (don't ask because I was not happy about it) going across the mall was no easy, simple, or fast task.  At my wits end, completely frustrated, and 4 kids complaining that they were hungry, I decided to call it a day and get the one pair of glasses that I liked (even though El didn't).  With school starting in less than a week, I knew I needed to get a pair on order to get them in right away.  I decided it would be easier and I wouldn't be so stressed if I got her a pair now, then I can take my time looking at other stores for a pair that we both agree on.  Probably not the smartest decision, but I admit that I do not do well under stress.

These are the frames I picked out, but we ordered them in a "gunmetal gray".  And even though that looks like a smile, she was really ticked and throwing a fit!

Soccer - Take 2!

Ellee played soccer a few years ago, shortly after she turned 3.  Looking back it was probably wasn't one of my brightest ideas, but she wanted to play so I figured what would it hurt for her to try it?  Yeah, 3 is a little too young!  She also asked to play last year, but she was a newly diagnosed diabetic and with the things that Josh and I were going through, we decided not to let her play.

She asked to play again this year, and I was more than happy to give it a second shot!  She has matured and grown so much in the past two years that I believe that soccer would be a great thing for her! We signed up at the end of July and she loved telling every one that she "is going to play soccer next year!".  No hunny, *this* year!  We did some how talk the neighbor boy into playing too so I think that helped fuel her excitement about playing!

Long story short... a girl that I grew up with called and asked me to help her coach a team!  I was more than ecstatic and we came to a quick agreement on a few things and it was all set up!  Unfortunately, it was very short notice... less than a week!  Quick studying, very rough game plan for practice structures, and wish for the best & hope it's not a complete disaster!

As a coach, I have to say that our first practice was very interesting!  With 11 kids ages 4-6, I don't know why I would have expected anything different!  The kids absolutely love the "Kick the Coach" game (although Coach Ryan wasn't so sure about it)!  From playing this game, I got a chance to watch Ellee to see how she was doing.  I see that I need to work with her on both dribbling and kicking, but I know that at this age, it just takes practice and patience to get it down!  El cracks me up, while playing "kick the coach", she came after me, but would wait till she got within a few feet of me before kicking it!  Once she gets the proper kicking technique down, that girl will have one heck of a powerful kick!!!

Now for the diabetes part of playing soccer:  we have to watch for signs of Lows. The hot weather and exercise makes your body use the glucose in your blood at a very fast rate.  She did wonderful last night!   She actively participated in the whole practice, never complained about being hot of thirsty, and at the end of it was even laughing & having a good time!  This is a huge relieve to see because some of the warning signs of a low are that she gets whiny and doesn't want to do anything.  She even went out and was riding her bike around Grandma & Grandpa's drive way after wards while waiting for dinner! However, when we checked her sugar before eating, she was down to 77 (we try to keep it about 90).  I see it as a reminder that we need to monitor not just during, but for an hour or so after wards.

Eye Doctor

At Ellee's Kindergarten screening, they mentioned that she struggled when she had to cover her left eye, which made my heart sink.   As we are finding out with diabetes, all organs are effected in some way or another by the fluctuation of blood glucose.  Kidney function is especially monitored, as well as making sure that we have regular dental and eye exams.

After realizing that school is starting too soon for me, I quickly scheduled an eye exam so that if El did need glasses, hopefully we could get them in before school started.  Part of me was scared to death to take her because I was afraid to hear the prognosis.  I even broke down while talking to a friend about it on Friday because with bodily functions, it seems that once something starts to deteriorate, it all goes down hill from there.  And this is even more so the case with diabetics. 

I love my mom!!!  She (and Uncle Jason) were nice enough to bring the girls to Lima to meet us for the appointment so that I didn't have to go clear back to the lake to get them!  While we were waiting for Josh and to get called back (El, Josh & I all 3 had appointments), we were trying on glasses!  Dani had a blast, putting on a few pairs at a time!  Ellee thought it was great because it was like a big fashion show to her!  I wasn't sure how Ellee would take to having glasses on, but then again, there is a huge difference between trying them on and wearing them all the time.  

After the doctor called me back and changed my prescriptions, as well as talk about alternative contacts to wear, it was Ellee's turn.  I have to admit, it was very interesting to sit and watch an exam to see what the doctor sees on the other side of those huge "eyeglasses".  Her exam took a little longer because she wouldn't sit still and sit up long enough for him to get a good look, which added to the butterflies in my stomach. 

After he finished, he turned to talk to me.  I've watched her do eye charts at the Pedi's office and this one so I know that her vision isn't as good as it should be.  Is she near sighted like I am and will just need glasses to see stuff at a distance (which in my mind would be the best case scenario)? So many questions and emotions ran though my mind in a brief few seconds.  Here it comes:  Farsighted with an Astigmatism.  What?  Farsighted?  Astigmatism?  Okay, so what is her prescription so that I can put into prospective how bad this is by hearing what the correction is?  He explained that he can't determine that without dilating her eyes and doing a more thorough exam. Since he was just filling in for the regular doctor, he wanted us to come back to see her for that exam.

Farsighted didn't sound right after watching her struggle with the wall chart, but then again, it may explain her problems with letter recognition, but it was definitely not what I expected.  For some reason I was thinking that an Astigmatism dealt with the nerve or something that connects to the back of the eye being too long or too short, but know know that deals with her cornea not being a smooth curve.

Josh's appointment wasn't until 5:30 and he didn't get there until after Ellee's exam was over.  I could hear the disappointment in his voice when I told him.  Mom took the girls out to walk around so that I could pick out a new set of glasses and while Josh went to do his exam.  After he finished he said that his vision was fine, but he had a slight astigmatism.  It takes a load of weight off my shoulders to know that El's vision problems are more hereditary than they are due to the Diabetes!  Not that it's a good thing that she has problems to begin with, but for some odd reason it's a little more comforting to know that we would have had to deal with this even if she didn't have the diabetes.

Again, playing the waiting game until Friday the 20th for her next exam to be able to order her glasses.

Dental Check Up

I completely forgot to post about her dental check up on Friday!  I started taking her every 6 months for check ups shortly after she was 2 and she has always done very well!  Poor kid is just like me and is probably a minority of people who actually don't mind going to the dentist!  On the drive to Wapak to see Dana & Doctor Dan, Ellee was telling me that she was just so excited about going to the dentist that she couldn't sleep last night!  I'm glad that she gets excited about getting a new toothbrush and her own "sparkly" toothpaste!

The difference this time was that Dani also had an appointment! Dani had an appointment back in January, but I was unable to take them and lets just say that it did not go very well.  I spoke with the Dental Hygienist (who is a good friend of Josh's) and we decided to schedule all three of us at the same time and have another hygienist work with the girls.  Dana started my cleaning while another took Ellee across the hall for her cleaning while Dani sat in my room to watch.

It's hard to accept, but there comes a point when kids need to be able to do things without you hovering over them, even though it's hard to fight that "mommy feeling" that you need to be there just in case to help.  I think this was one of those times!  

Ellee did great, as usual! Even though I couldn't watch it, it loved hearing the girls and the hygienist talk about brushing the alligator's teeth and the other cute things that came up in conversation!  Ellee came over to show me her pretty pink tooth brush and all the other stuff in her goody bag that she was so excited about (which in turn got Dani excited)! I really wanted to be able to watch (and take a few pictures) of Dani's first exam, but my took longer than the girls' did. I asked El if she would sit with Dani and help her while she got her teeth cleaned.  Ellee loves to be the big girl and help out, so she was more than willing!  She came over to my room at one point and exclaimed about how Dani had 8 teeth on the top!  Dana explained that it means that Dani has 2 more teeth to get in, and off El went to check on the progress!

When they finished, they came in and Dani showed her good bag exclaiming about her yellow tooth brush!  Ellee told how neither one of them had any cavities (although I'm not sure if she realized what that meant, but she knew it was a good thing) and both were smiling from ear to ear!

Staff knows you by name, they take you back and get started right away, and it's smiles and giggles the whole time... now if only all other doctor appointments went this well and were such happy events! 

First Eye Exam

When Ellee was first diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, we were warned about all possible complications and organs that tend to suffer because of the unbalanced blood glucose.  They stressed the importance of regular dental exams (which we were already doing) and eye exams (which I had yet to even think about). 

In the spring they told us that she struggled with her left eye when doing her kindergarten screening and my heart sank. I took the girls to a well check with their Pedi and watched them give El an eye exam in the office.  Grant it, it wasn't the most scientific or even accurate thing, but it was still disheartening to watch.  On one hand, I don't know why I'm surprised because most of my family members wear glasses and I start wearing them to drive after I got married.  On the other hand though, I know that once your eye sight starts to go, it only gets worse over time and I think that is what upsets me the most. 

After seeing a sale ad for glasses, I decided it was time to get her in to hear an "official" verdict before school starts.  I know I probably procrastinated too long, but hopefully we have time to get a pair of glasses in before school starts, *if* she needs them.  But at the same time, I have this gut feeling that it's *only a matter of time* before she will need them. 

It's all a waiting game until Monday afternoon.  On the fun side though, Mom & Uncle Jason are going to take the girls to Chuck E Cheese to play before the appointment and she is so excited!