Diabetic Notes

Carter stayed home for a "mental health day" that was actually for my mental health.   It was fortuitous of me.  Glad he stayed home.

7:30 am:  Blood sugar of 180.  Little high for the morning, but not terrible.  Adjust and give insulin for breakfast.

11:00am:  Blood sugar of 450.  Yikes  Shot, infusion set change.

12:00pm:  Blood sugar still in 300's.  Increased basal rate of 50%

Lowest we got today was 180 but mostly stayed in 250's even with adjusting every few hours and increasing basal rate 70%.

Tonight at 10:30, blood sugar in 300's.  Increased basal rate to 100%.  Highest temp basal increase yet. Pump alarm- we maxed out his basal rate per hour.  Changed max basal rate to 1.5 units per hour.  Checked his total daily dose for today- 16.75 units.  Um...wow.

Checked for ketones (it's cool to pee in a cup).  Both strips were negative.  Yes, I checked twice because I'm a mom.  Not worried anymore.

Steve is staying up until midnight to check blood sugar again.  One of us will be up again at 3:00.

Life goes on.

Doing the best we can with what we have been given.

Happy 13th

Yesterday was our 13th wedding anniversary.

Lucky in love...Lucky 13...or something like that.

The day was spent like most Saturdays.  I caught  up on household chores, Steve cleaned the office with the boys, fiddled with his (many many) RC cars and the boys happily played outside because of the beautiful weather.

My mom came over in the evening and watched the kids so Steve and I could go out.

We went to a newer restaurant in town that is right on the canyon edge.

The service was great, the salad and bread were great, both of our entrees were raw.

I'm very happy neither of us got food poisoning.

We may or may not go back again, but it was really fun to go out and be together.

It's fun to remember why you like your spouse so much without the kids in tow.

After our dinner of pink chicken and even pinker prime rib, we walked through my dad and brother's beautiful new office and talked about things we wanted for Steve's new office- something that is in the works but feels light years away. (sorry...I have boys and the Star Wars talk tends to creep into my vocabulary)

 We then came home and watched a silly romantic movie and ate Ben and Jerry's ice cream.

Steve picked out the flavors- Caramel Sutra and  Chubby Hubby.  Still chuckling about that.

With four kids, a tame night like this seems exotic and special.  

I'll happily take it.

I love you Steve.

...I'm still holding out for Hawaii-first class on our 20th.

Saylor's One Year Pictures...even though she is really fourteen months

Love my photographer.

Love my daughter.

Love all these pictures...and there are a lot of them.

I am so stinking proud of that space between her teeth.  She is my only child who has ever had one, and a space between baby teeth means space for permanent teeth.  Happy Happy Happy.

This means "all done."

I get this at the dinner table, in the grocery store, at church...you name it.

She was all done with that chair!

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to...cry if I want to...cry if I want to.

You would cry to if it happened to you!

After the official photo shoot was over, Kerrianne snapped a few on the side.  I love this one- big eyes with a little frosting left around the edges.

Colby got into the action too.  If I had know, I would have made him wear a better shirt.

Love this kid as well.

what I'm obsessing over today

Little Miss is officially weaned and has been for a week.

I miss it.  

And just not for the snuggly one on one time with my baby (cough cough 14 month old), but for the honest to goodness 500 daily extra calories I can't eat anymore.

I've done weight watchers enough in my life to know exactly how many points I can eat to maintain the weight I am now... and believe you me, it is not very many. 

I like the weight I am right now because I like my clothes and they all fit at the moment.  And I do not want to give up the new Guess jeans I bought in Arizona (not $200--ha ha)

And I'm obsessing over it.

(nothing like having your four year old ask how many point are in his goldfish crackers)

If I stay within my points I feel deprived and starving.  I've been eating for two for a long time and my body is used to the gluttony.

If I go over my points I wallow in my self inflicted pity and guilt.

I wish so much that my self worth, body image and weight were not all mixed together in a messy tangled ball of inadequacy yarn...but they are.

I also wish I could eat a half gallon of chocolate ice cream...but life is not fair.

But...I am trying (the body image thing, not eating the ice cream).  Because I don't want my beautiful perfect daughter to feel the same way about herself as I sometime do about myself.

But........its still hard.

At 1pm this afternoon I had consumed almost three fourths of my allotted points for the day.

And like the caterpillar, I was STILL hungry...or bored...or didn't want to do something constructive...so I wanted to eat.

Ironically though, my days REVOLVE around food. 

Between breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, feeding Saylor (she is not quite up to eating a beef fajita if you know what I mean) and wrapping that all around a diabetic child...I might as well purchase a large parka and move into the refrigerator.

It is almost impossible to not eat all day long around here.

But...I've bought gum...and its helping.

That, and mass (and I mean MASS) quantities of diet caffeinated soda.

For example:

Today I packed Carter's school snacks.

He eats two snacks plus his lunch at school.  His teacher is helping me out with the afternoon snack and to make it easier for her, I make sure everything has the same quantity of carbs.  12 carbs to be exact...because that is what the fruit leathers have.  They cannot be changed, but everything else can.

And people think you won't use what you learned in algebra class.  

I have.  

Thank you Mr. Brulotte.

 19 grams = 12 carbs of Cheese Nips

Now really...do you think I didn't taste test all these snacks?

Of course I did.  And those animal crackers were awesome.

...so here I sit at 17 points thinking about what else I could eat.

Air I guess.

And...because Saylor is awake, I may go buy more caffeine at Sonic's happy hour.

Sweet.

Girly Pictures

I'm so lucky.

I spent three and a half fun filled days with these two beauties.

I love these girls.

And these three days were spent almost entirely...ok...entirely in huge fancy amazing malls in Phoenix.

I was in my happy place.

 Steve asked what I could do for three days in a mall.

Well...imagine a mall three times the size of anything here in Idaho. 

It had Dillards,  Nordstroms,  Sephora, J Crew, Banana Republic, Aldo, H&M, Victoria's Secret, Ann Taylor and many many many other stores too.  

There are also Outlet malls in Phoenix- good ones.

I wasn't bored once, and I must admit that on Friday we got to the mall around 10:30 am and didn't breathe outside air until 9:00 pm.  This little skinny old French lady practically had to throw us out of her shoe store.

Life is really good with a Dillards shoe department.

(I will be purchasing these shoes at a later date.  I didn't have room in my suitcase and found a sweater I liked more.  I have a thing for prioritising and on line shoe shopping.)

Nordstrom has the best jeans in case anyone was wondering.

I probably tried on 30 pairs.

This picture just shows the the jeans hanging up...it's missing the ones on the floor.

They don't have an item limit in the dressing rooms here.

 Views from the front.

Views from the back.

(I've got to work on my picture taking skills)

 And, yes...we all bought this shirt.

Honestly honestly this was the most fun I have had in a very long time.

I had a massive girly fix and I can be a mom again and happily deal with the messes and stress around here.

The suitcase of new clothes helps too.

And just in case my husband ever thinks these trips are frivolous, here is some knowledge I picked while I was gone.  This trip was so educational it should have been categorized as a 'Mom CE Course' and therefore also be tax deductible. (love you Steve)

Here goes:

Eye cream is nonnegotiable...because the Bobby Brown make up counter lady said so.

Push-up bras are a necessity- no really, they are.

If you are going to shoe shop in Dillards, get a sales lady to carry around all your boxes.  It's better for your back.

Peanut butter cookies count as a healthy breakfast, but only if they are from Paradise cafe.

Diet Pepsi goes really well with that peanut butter cookie.

Lemon pound cake can be scammed for free from Starbucks if you go in late enough.

Two hundred dollar jeans really do feel and fit better than cheaper jeans.  I'm not lying.  But if anyone in my shopping party actually purchased a pair will remain a secret- I will take it to the grave.

The best eyeshadow colors out there only come with inappropriate names such as, "Birthday Suit", "In the Buff" and "Unmentionables"...the rest are too racy to put on a family friendly blog.

If the salesperson (gender can be a little tricky in this store) from Sephora has bright eyeshadow up over his/her eyebrows and hot pink lipstick on his/her teeth...do not, I repeat, do not let him/her do your make up.

And that goes double for the short, long haired salesman reapplying his lipstick.

(love that store...creeped out by the employees)

Sleep is overrated when you are watching stupid romantic movies and giggling with girlfriends.

Bacon and hashbrowns taste ten times better when you don't have to cook or clean up after.

Chocolate really is a food group if you think about it.

If you ever find light tan fabulous cowgirl boots from Aldo on sale...you NEVER pass them up, you just buy them.  (now repeat to self thirty times)

I'm back safe

I'm made it home today around 12:30 pm.

My trip was dreamy.

There was lots of shopping, even more eating...but hardly any sleeping.  I've never had a hangover, but I'm guessing three hours of sleep last night and two plane rides today might come close.

The kids were happy to see me.  Colby wins the prize of my favorite, as he actually hugged me tight and whined how he missed me.  Carter just wanted his present- funny boy.  Saylor looked at me in disbelief and then ran to me smiling.  But the crusty looks for two hours afterward bumped her off the favorite list.  Andrew is too cool to show loving emotion to his mother in an airport, so I'll forgive him.

Steve had the house picked up and laundry started.  He also told me how he didn't sit down for three days and how much he appreciated all I did in the house.  I think this might be the best part of me leaving...coming home missed and appreciated.

I took a two hour nap this afternoon and have spent the rest of the day just getting ready for the whiplash of normal life I'm going to experience tomorrow.  I'm really going to miss the hotel's hot all-you-can-eat breakfast that I did not have to prepare or clean up when I start my routine around 6:00 am tomorrow.  I think I could totally handle a personal chef and maid.  Really.

My girly high maintenance cup has been filled for the time being.

I'll post pictures tomorrow.

two years later

Were' going again.

Same place, same time, same girls, same mall.

(different hotel...this one is closer to the shopping and food)

I'll be on a plane in a little over twenty four hours and I can't wait!!

Bring on the sunshine Arizona because I'm coming.