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!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
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!
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!
Friday, July 16, 2010
Preparing for School!
After our Endo visit and a short trip to the zoo to see the Polar Bears on Monday, we went to Target. We don't have any Target stores around here, so when I make it to Columbus I like to go there and see what kind of deals I can find!
I am having the hardest time finding a suitable bag for El's "stuff". Our first bag was a small pink backpack with a poodle dog on it that Great Grandma R got El at the hospital when I had El. From that, we started using a pink camo insulated lunchbox that we got from a JDRF walk. Then we tried a 31 Gifts insulated lunch bag. For her birthday (and 1 year diabetes anniversary) Staci & Gaven gave her a Sponge Bob mini backpack that we are currently using. Unfortunately, all of these bags have problems so I'm always on the look out for a better bag. The insulated bags really are the better way to go and I really liked the 31 lunch bag, but it really needed a shoulder strap.
So while at Target, I looked at their lunch boxes. I'm looking thinking about a new diabetes bag, but Mom quickly reminds me that school will be starting soon! As soon as she said that, Ellee got excited because she "needed a bag to take her lunch to the big kid school!" I've never seen a kid so excited about packing her lunch! I just hope that she keeps this enthusiasm up!
She didn't have a definite favorite, so I told her we will keep looking. She also wanted too look at book bags. Do you realize how hard it is to find a cute book bag that doesn't have some character plastered all over it?! 6 weeks left to find a lunch box and book bag that we BOTH agree with!
I am having the hardest time finding a suitable bag for El's "stuff". Our first bag was a small pink backpack with a poodle dog on it that Great Grandma R got El at the hospital when I had El. From that, we started using a pink camo insulated lunchbox that we got from a JDRF walk. Then we tried a 31 Gifts insulated lunch bag. For her birthday (and 1 year diabetes anniversary) Staci & Gaven gave her a Sponge Bob mini backpack that we are currently using. Unfortunately, all of these bags have problems so I'm always on the look out for a better bag. The insulated bags really are the better way to go and I really liked the 31 lunch bag, but it really needed a shoulder strap.
So while at Target, I looked at their lunch boxes. I'm looking thinking about a new diabetes bag, but Mom quickly reminds me that school will be starting soon! As soon as she said that, Ellee got excited because she "needed a bag to take her lunch to the big kid school!" I've never seen a kid so excited about packing her lunch! I just hope that she keeps this enthusiasm up!
She didn't have a definite favorite, so I told her we will keep looking. She also wanted too look at book bags. Do you realize how hard it is to find a cute book bag that doesn't have some character plastered all over it?! 6 weeks left to find a lunch box and book bag that we BOTH agree with!
Quartly Endo Visit
On Monday we had El's quarterly doctors appointment with her specialist. We did see the nurse practitioner this time, whom I really like! Unfortunately her A1C went up from 8.3 last visit to 8.5, but we can deal with that.
The Endos keep pushing us to give her shots sooner when she's eating and even want us to give it to her before she starts eating. I understand the logic behind it, but lets just say that I'm not excited about it. And the main thing that I can't get through to them is that she's not a predictable eater so how can I predict how much insulin to dose her with? If she eats more than I think she will, then she's still going to run high, and if she doesn't eat as much, then she's going to go low and I'll have to force her to eat something. It's times like this when the pump is looking better and better!
Ah, the pump debate! It's not that I'm opposed to it, it's just that it makes my stomach hurt just thinking about inserting, removing, and having a port in her stomach. =( I keep hoping that Gaven gets a pump soon so that Staci can show me first hand how it works.
One bad thing that did come out of the Endo appointment is that Ellee is developing lumps in her arms from the shots. Injections should be done in a different location every time if possible because the insulin causes the fat cells to either break down or harden, causing lumps. We have 4 areas to chose from to give injections... Upper Arms, Thighs, Upper Butt (or Hips), and Stomach. The stomach is the ideal area because it's closer to the digestive system and is absorbed quicker, there for working quicker. El has always preferred her arms, but has been letting us do her thighs. For some reason she fights us when we suggest her hip. I refuse to consider her stomach, at this point in time, for a couple of reasons: 1) she has no fat in her stomach! (Yes, I will admit that I'm jealous of her little, flat abs!) and 2) when she goes on the pump, we will run out of spots on her stomach to rotate though, so I see the stomach as a "pump area only". My only hope is that she will let us use her hips soon, because it will only be a matter of time before we face the same lumping problem with her thighs.
On a positive note: We are nearing the end of our last bottle of Humalog so we can finally switch over to the Novalog Pen! The pen will be much more convenient and quicker, plus we won't look like a bunch of drug addicts with all of the syringes!
The Endos keep pushing us to give her shots sooner when she's eating and even want us to give it to her before she starts eating. I understand the logic behind it, but lets just say that I'm not excited about it. And the main thing that I can't get through to them is that she's not a predictable eater so how can I predict how much insulin to dose her with? If she eats more than I think she will, then she's still going to run high, and if she doesn't eat as much, then she's going to go low and I'll have to force her to eat something. It's times like this when the pump is looking better and better!
Ah, the pump debate! It's not that I'm opposed to it, it's just that it makes my stomach hurt just thinking about inserting, removing, and having a port in her stomach. =( I keep hoping that Gaven gets a pump soon so that Staci can show me first hand how it works.
One bad thing that did come out of the Endo appointment is that Ellee is developing lumps in her arms from the shots. Injections should be done in a different location every time if possible because the insulin causes the fat cells to either break down or harden, causing lumps. We have 4 areas to chose from to give injections... Upper Arms, Thighs, Upper Butt (or Hips), and Stomach. The stomach is the ideal area because it's closer to the digestive system and is absorbed quicker, there for working quicker. El has always preferred her arms, but has been letting us do her thighs. For some reason she fights us when we suggest her hip. I refuse to consider her stomach, at this point in time, for a couple of reasons: 1) she has no fat in her stomach! (Yes, I will admit that I'm jealous of her little, flat abs!) and 2) when she goes on the pump, we will run out of spots on her stomach to rotate though, so I see the stomach as a "pump area only". My only hope is that she will let us use her hips soon, because it will only be a matter of time before we face the same lumping problem with her thighs.
On a positive note: We are nearing the end of our last bottle of Humalog so we can finally switch over to the Novalog Pen! The pen will be much more convenient and quicker, plus we won't look like a bunch of drug addicts with all of the syringes!
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
One Smart Cookie
It amazes me at the stuff the girls come up with some times!
I had to take Dani in for a well check one Friday, then take Ellee in for her well check the following Friday. Both girls needed shots but I tried not to say anything about it ahead of time. After seeing how big the needles were at Dani's appointment, she kept asking if she had to get shots at hers. Not wanting to scare her, I kept saying I don't know (because I really had no idea what she needed or how many).
After getting weighed in and height checked (44 pounds and 44 inches!), we did the usual waiting forever for the doctor. The girls decided they had to go to the bathroom, so we walked down the hall. El returned to the room before Dani and I did, and when I walked in I heard the following conversation:
"Do I have to get shots today?"
"I'm not sure, we'll have to take a look in a little bit to see if you need any."
"Well, if I do have to get some, will you use my *little* needles instead of your *BIG* needles?"
What do you say to that?! I was so stunned that I didn't know whether to laugh or cry! I was amazed that she was able to make the connection between her needles and the shot needles and think of substituting them! And I seriously wish they would consider downgrading the gauge of their needles because they were huge!!!
Mom and I had the same thought (and she even told El) that she should be fine with the immunization shots because she's use to getting her insulin shots. WRONG! That whole wing of offices could have heard her screaming! And the worse part was that in order for me to hold her down, my ear was right by her face!
I had to take Dani in for a well check one Friday, then take Ellee in for her well check the following Friday. Both girls needed shots but I tried not to say anything about it ahead of time. After seeing how big the needles were at Dani's appointment, she kept asking if she had to get shots at hers. Not wanting to scare her, I kept saying I don't know (because I really had no idea what she needed or how many).
After getting weighed in and height checked (44 pounds and 44 inches!), we did the usual waiting forever for the doctor. The girls decided they had to go to the bathroom, so we walked down the hall. El returned to the room before Dani and I did, and when I walked in I heard the following conversation:
"Do I have to get shots today?"
"I'm not sure, we'll have to take a look in a little bit to see if you need any."
"Well, if I do have to get some, will you use my *little* needles instead of your *BIG* needles?"
What do you say to that?! I was so stunned that I didn't know whether to laugh or cry! I was amazed that she was able to make the connection between her needles and the shot needles and think of substituting them! And I seriously wish they would consider downgrading the gauge of their needles because they were huge!!!
Mom and I had the same thought (and she even told El) that she should be fine with the immunization shots because she's use to getting her insulin shots. WRONG! That whole wing of offices could have heard her screaming! And the worse part was that in order for me to hold her down, my ear was right by her face!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Start of Summer!
I decided to try something new and upload a video! The girls have been begging to go out in the kayaks, and Dani is especially excited since she is finally big enough to try to paddle her own boat! Good thing Mom had the for-thought to go ahead and get two kayaks when we found them because we have yet to find them again!
This is a video of El in her boat for the first time in "big water". We taught her to paddle in the pool before going out on the lake.
This is a video of El in her boat for the first time in "big water". We taught her to paddle in the pool before going out on the lake.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Fairies
For Christmas, I got the girls the cutest tutus and have been wanting to do pictures of them in them. The weather finally cooperated and we were off to Uncle Dave & Aunt Tonya's tree farm to see what we could get into!
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