A Diary of Spring Break

Admittedly last week ~ not a stellar week. First, it seemed the world took off to all sorts of beautiful vacation destinations ~ not our family as tax season is in full throttle swing of 70 hour weeks. Second, the kids were in the mood to be entertained 24/7 and out of school all week. Last, we still have diabetes, dang it ! I say this because it has become somewhat of a joke here at our house ~ I have a less than Kosher sense of humor and it just makes things better when in the midst of all the crazy life that happens to everyone ~ I simply add : yup, still diabetic !
I'll hit the highlights for you folks : Lindsey Kate is getting along well with her routine. I've said it before ~ it's like having a newborn. Each day is full of changes and new stuff but at the same time strangely rewarding. We are negotiating the new schedule ~ it's difficult not to just head out of the house at a whim, without checking the clock, checking our glucose, thinking about how hot our insulin might get in the car or looking forward to available food at any given time. Last week was full of swimming and other high exercise activities for the restless kids, later bedtimes and just on vacation scheduling ~ this can make for a hectic management of diabetes. I am understanding more each day how to separate the normal 5 year old feisty girl from the angry drunk or tired and teary diabetic. She does things that flabbergast me ~ it turns out the finger stick is the most feared part of our testing ritual. I poke my finger endlessly, I warm up my hands by pretend making fire, I do the brave running man dance in public , I sing " Bad Day " ~ but ultimately ~ I clean her finger with alcohol and prick. She knows when my patience is over as I clean her finger ( at times with force ) and turn to get the 'finger poker.' Last week after a particularly crazy morning ~ I cleaned her finger ~ turned my back and then turned back to see Lindsey outright LICK her just cleaned finger ~ as if this was making me go away...turns out her blood sugar was nearly 500 and she was acting out. I got her settled with dosage, appropriate meal, rest and within an hour she was drawing pictures of flowers and singing Taylor Swift as if we had picked flowers for the last hour. It's just a mindset really ~ I just have to breath ~ start again ~ and reinvent the life I'm in ~ only better ~ seeing the funny or healthy.
Just to keep things really interesting ~ Carter drank cows milk for the first time last week in years. I'll spare the story ~ it makes you feel bad to give your kid something that makes him sick ~ I've done it very few times over the past 7 years. Of course, we were headed to the train to go to the zoo with friends, I had just drawn Lindsey's insulin syringe and of course major Linda Blair vomit occur ed in 3 out of 5 front rooms of our house. I ran through my house searching for beneydryl when I realized he wasn't getting better ~ no luck ~ SO ~ in my pj's, bedhead and no shoes I drive both kids to CVS ~ Lindsey Kate with a plate of sticky pancakes in her lap eating all the way while I instruct Carter how to barf out the door at lights. I gave Lindsey the insulin shot in the garage ~ while holding a barf bag for Carter ~ and by the time I get home ~ give Carter enough benedryl to stop a train ~ Lindsey waltzes through the living room to inform me that I should wear a hat today ~ cause my hair is 'an outta control disaster.'
Hmmm ~ the good news...schedules are ease and comfort for us ~ and today we are all back at school. We enjoyed a Stars hockey game last night with JDRF kids ( some high and some low and some drunk dads sloshing beer ~ I'm slightly jealous ! ) and I have a very certain 5 point plan for our successful week ~ HA ~ which I'm sure will last to today at approximately 3:30 but.... I'm hopeful !! I read a very simple phrase today ~ run fast, finish strong. I get that ~ right then left and right and left ~ before you know it the race is over and you wish you ran stronger. Let's go.