A Special Day For The Non's, In A House So Focused Around Diabetes

Today, thanks to my wonderful friend Alexis and writer of the Chronicles of D-Boy and Ribbon

today it is Special Sib of A D-Kid Day

We have dedicated one day of Diabetes Awareness Month to these special siblings! Whether you blog,Facebook, tweet or do You Tube videos you can participate! Tell us about this special Sib,what makes them special and how they support you or your D kid. Share pics, stories and more!
Feel free to share them on the Facebook page as well!


Living in a house that is so focused around diabetes is not easy when you DON'T HAVE DIABETES. 

Your parents are super stressed and extremely tired all the time. 

The whole house seems to run around the person with diabetes and HIS/HER schedule, when he/she needs to eat, what he/she needs or CAN eat...you might not get that special treat that you wanted all day because your type 1 sibling is running a bit high and your mom needs to get his/her blood sugar down before EVERYONE is allowed to eat (that is how it works in my house anyways). 

In a house so focused around diabetes you may hear a D-sib say "Why does (D-sib name here) have diabetes? I hate it!" when something important has to be missed due to a sick type 1 sibling and your plans go askew . There always seems to be little, tiny, life threatening emergencies that happen through out the days that take away any bit of priority that you, the non-D sibling may have had at that given time. 

Time with your parents is NOT shared equally between you and your D-sibling.  Many times that T1D-sibling has a monopoly over parent-time and there is nothing you or your parents can do to change it.

In a house so focused around diabetes you may hear D-siblings say "I wish I had diabetes" when candy/sugar is given to raise a blood sugar or when their D-sib gets a special gift for not crying/screaming or fighting during a site change.

However there are some positives to having diabetes in the house...at least in our house:
1. We get to go on vacations that we never would have gone on if Cara did not have diabetes to celebrate a wonderful year well done living and fighting diabetes on Cara's D-anniversary.
2. We get to be part of wonderful and fun activities/events that we would never have been part of if Cara did not have diabetes.  For example our WDD Photo Scavenger Hunt that we did with Connected in Motion and our JDRF Outreach has great events for the whole family about once every 3 months.
3. We have meet and made the most amazing friends in our diabetes community.  They have become our family.
4.  We have become closer as a family because we fight for one cause...to watch out and care for OUR Cara. To make sure that type 1 diabetes does not win, we work together and this makes us stronger and closer.

These siblings see the bigger picture, they understand the importance of this fight...this life.  They put their needs aside sometimes and stand up for their sibling with diabetes and they are proud when they do so. 

Yes, there may be some complaining, some sense of unfairness (I'm the parent and I feel like that sometimes) but at those times that is when we take a special second out from diabetes with that sibling and give them a great big hug, a gracious THANK YOU and tell them YOU ARE THE BEST SIBLING A TYPE 1 CAN EVER HAVE.

I love my kids for understanding, learning, loving, advocating and fighting for Cara.

In our house we have 5 special siblings of Cara's (our D-Kid) and they all seem to hold a different role in supporting and caring for their sister.

Kailyn is the advocator and the babysitter.  Trust me, you do NOT want to do wrong by Cara and diabetes if Kailyn is around.  She hates when Cara is mistreated because of her diabetes and she will not hesitate to let you know.  Kailyn has gone head to head with adults for her sister.  Also she is our babysitter, I trust she can handle T1D while we are away and as many of you know that is a life saver for any parent who has a child with type 1 diabetes.

Connor is our knowledge guy, from the moment Cara was diagnosed he had the do's and don't s all figured out.  He keeps us within the rules at all times.  If we forget to do something...say... count a carb or two he will make sure we know it.  He's also been known to keep an eye out for his sister.  He made sure Cara was not sneaking food (she went through a phase and Connor was there "telling" on her whenever he could). He is a great big brother.

Just like Connor, Kylie is on look out too however she plays a very needed and unique role for Cara.  Cara is very shy, always has been, Kylie and Kirstin for that matter are her side kicks.  They sandwich Cara, one on each side when they walk into a room.  However, Kylie holds a very important role, she is blunt, very matter of fact and one person with the wrong tone about diabetes Kylie is all over that making sure that Cara does not feel out of place or bullied in anyway.  Kids can be mean and sometimes they may have no idea they are being so.  All it would take is for a kid to say "oh, you have diabetes?" in a grossed-out kind of tone and Cara would shrink up and want to disappear  BUT not with her big sister around.  Kylie will diffuse the situation and answer for her "Yay, she does...SO WHAT?" and that is the end of that!

Kirstin, she is there for the fun of it!  Kirstin is Cara's younger sister and they are best of friends.  Cara can usually find some fun when she is around Kirstin.

And if she can't Cody is right there waiting to pick up where Kirstin left off. 

But most important ALL Cara's siblings make her feel NORMAL, they test her and make her achieve her best.  There is no "well, she can't do that because of diabetes" and they certainly don't go easy on her because of diabetes. Nope, she's not getting out that easy around here!! and that is what I love the most...she is one of them...and THAT'S FAMILY!
  
 HAPPY SPECIAL D-SIB DAY TO ALL THE AMAZING, OUTSTANDING SIBLINGS OUT THERE!

DIY, Going BLUE!

It is that time of year again...it is time to GO BLUE!

Our blue lights are going up outside but this year I wanted to try something a little different.

It is super FUN, CHEAP and EASY!!

1. Clean your window.  You need a clean window anywhere on your house.

2.  You will need some BLUE (or any colour) Acrylic paint.  I got mine at the dollar store.

3.  Mix the Acrylic paint with a little dish soap.  Now, I have never done this before so if this NEVER comes off your windows it is SOOOOO not  my fault!! hehehe...no for real! NOT MY FAULT!

The soap is added to help remove your art later. Now, make sure you don't use too much soap or your art will be all drippy. This happened to me at first and I had to start all over.  Just a few drops of soap will be fine.

4. Find a stencil.  For me at least it is much easier to use a stencil than to draw free hand (if you are talented go ahead, if not use a stencil) I used a pan lid for the outer circle (which had a handle on it so it made it easy to hold) and the bottom of a butter container for the inner circle.

5. Start painting and HAVE FUN and be creative because you don't just need to stick with Blue circles.

We have a big window over the door that we are going to write World Diabetes Day Nov 14th just waiting for a ladder.

So now you know, go ahead and decorate your house for WDD :)

Our WDD Photo Scavenger Hunt

We had the best time this year celebrating WDD a little early with a fun photo scavenger hunt brought to us by Connected In Motion.  Have you heard of them? They are based in Toronto Canada.

What They Do:  Connected in Motion’s mission is to foster a community of people living with Type 1 diabetes so that they may inspire one another to live life without limits.

"We are people with Type 1 diabetes who share a vision: To create a culture of support and engagement in diabetes self-management through peer-based experiential diabetes education, physical activity and outdoor adventure pursuits. By creating a community that is motivating, supporting and inspiring individuals to take charge of their health today, we are helping to improve the quality of life for people with diabetes now and tomorrow." (taken from Connected in Motion website)

While on facebook I saw some info about the Connected in Motion World Diabetes Day Scavenger Hunt and I thought WHAT A WONDERFUL AND FUN IDEA!! So of course I signed my family up.  The great thing about this scavenger hunt was, although I was not in T.O. I and my family could still participate.

And we had a blast!!

Entire team creating a human BLUE Circle...Check 25 points :)

Entire team participating in one activity on the CIM logo...Check 25 points

Entire team heading out on a bike ride.

Now this one took a lot of work!  Entire team jumping (everyone who can jump must be in mid air for picture to count)

So first we thought lets have everyone jump off the stairs because that should be easier...NO, NO it was not and ankles were starting to hurt!

(love Cody's squish face in this picture)

 So we moved to the grass

Good jumping Cara and Cody! (Look how high Cara is)

Not even close

1...2...threeee... a little too early!! p.s love my hubby's pose!!

And we have a winnerish (hope for 25 points??;)...I must say Cara, Kirstin and I rocked that jump!!  I mean look at that shit!! I don't know what happened to the other half of the team?? A few cuts may be made to this team by the end of the day!!

Now, after all that activity (bike riding and jumping and running around with the kids) it was time to enter the Big Blue Test. Have you heard of the Big Blue Test...I sure hope you have.  Join the movement! Exercise is good for you. You know that. But did you know that the average Big Blue Tester has seen their blood glucose level drop 20% after 14-20 minutes of exercise?  And if that isn’t enough reason to get active, every time you enter a Big Blue Test you help us get one step closer to our goal of 20,000 entries. If we hit our goal, the program sponsor will donate $100,000 to organizations that provide life-saving supplies and services to people with diabetes in need.
Do the test as often as you can between today and the end of November 14th. It’s easy:

	Test your blood glucose.
	Get active.
	Test again.

Each time you take a Big Blue Test, come to BigBlueTest.org (this site is mobile friendly too) and enter your results. Help others by taking the Big Blue Test often and by sharing your experience and encouraging your friends to join you.

Big Blue Test

Big Blue Test

Big Blue Test

Cara's Big Blue Test

Entire team reading the local newspaper...check (2 points)

I just took this picture because we do this all for her!  We do this to show her that diabetes can be fun, you get to do things that you never would have done without it, and that we (her family) are right there with her EVERY step of the way.

My most favorite item of the list #67.  Teammate discovering the cure for diabetes...1 million points! LOVE IT! and wish I could say CHECK!

Entire team with the snack with the most amount of carbohydrates...So what do you think? How many carbs for this monster ice cream and cone :) Check...25 points

Entire team at a facility that provides diabetes care/education...check 25 points

A work of chalk art created by your team in a public place to celebrate World Diabetes Day

They kids kept asking "are you sure we can do this"

Living on the wild side marking the side walk...Really the kids were a little freaked out!

"Who's on look out?"

DONE...25 points

Entire team doing something to better the community, cleaning up the park...DONE, YUCK! 25points

We took some time out for a little fun at the park

Kids on the slide!

The healthiest snack you can find, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" Check...25points

Now the last one was a little tricky, teammate harvesting islet cells...say what? This took a while to figure out! Half our team had NO IDEA what an islet cell was. So we came up with something a little fun...since Connor was sick for Halloween and did not get to dress up we jumped at the chance to get some good use out of that great costume. Throw in a sweet potato and a few syringes and voila...a teammate harvesting islet cells. hehehe 

Did someone call a Doctor?

Thanks Doc, get us some GOOOD islet cells!!

Happy WDD !!

 Thank you Connected in Motion we had a wonderful WDD Photo Scavenger Hunt!!
If you EVER have a chance to participate...DO IT!!

Lenny 1, Night Light Garbage...Thankfully

We love our Medtronic Lenny The Lion.

Cara received her great big Lenny when we were ordering her Medtronic Veo Pink Pump.  He has been a fixture in our house ever since.

When she is nervous she NEEDS a hug from Lenny, many times when poking fingers or doing site change Lenny is right beside her waiting for his turn.  You see, that is the cool thing about Lenny The Lion, he has diabetes too.  He takes shots and site changes and paw pokes like a champ.

Lenny makes Cara and many other children feel better because Lenny goes through it too, right along side of you. Lenny understands the pain of diabetes AND he is super cute, I mean look at that face...adorable!! But most of all he gives great hugs, he is amazingly cuddly.  It is because of this fact Cara loves to take Lenny to bed with her, cuddling under the covers especially after a hard diabetes day that he can only make better.

However a few nights ago all could have been lost.

Cara and her younger sister Kirstin share a room.  Cara and Kirstin are not fond of the dark, Cara also gets up a lot in the night to use the bathroom and I'm fumbling around at all times of the night trying not to wake the girls by turning on the lights to do a bg check so we use a night light to help us see a little better.  The night light is just above Cara mattress, which helps A LOT with seeing while I'm doing the bg checks in the dark.   

We have NEVER had a problem with it...until a few nights ago.

Cara walking into my room one early morning in tears holding Lenny. I automatically figured she was low and quickly picked up her meter from my side table however she handed me Lenny instead of her finger.


I was shocked with what I saw.

The burn holes from Cara's night light

The night light that burned a whole in Lenny's back

Lenny's fabric melted onto the night light and there are holes on his paw and back

   
During sometime that night (after her 2am bg check) , Lenny must have ended up lying directly on top of her night light.  The hole in his back is deep, it looks like the night light burnt a hole all the way through his back the same size and shape of the light.

We are so lucky and thankful that Lenny did not burst into flames while we were asleep.  Lenny was in Cara's bed and if Lenny would have caught on fire I'm sure Cara and maybe even Kirstin would not have made it out of there unscathed.

Cara is beside herself that her partner in diabetes care is burned, I'm just so thankful it was not worse.  We can patch Lenny, if he would have caught on fire...that damage, I'm sure we could not do the same.

P.S. we are finding a new and safer place for her new night light...so what if we can't see!!

P.S.S. We are also using the new OneTouch VerioIQ for night time checks now because it LIGHTS UP and HAS A LIGHT THAT SHINES...yes how amazing is that!!! Finally someone has made a meter for those pitch black,dark as night, eye straining, erroring producing, most frustrating (holy crap why has no one made a bloody meter with a frickin light on it) blood sugar checks.  Make sure to check them out.
(I will be writing a post soon, we love it)     

Cara + diabetes + running = amazingness

I have been wanting to write this post for a while but I really did not know how to attack it. 

So I guess I will start all the way at the beginning...at the very, very beginning.

My husband and I met 17 years ago at a cross country meet.  

I, an OK/average runner and he a very very talented runner.

Running was something that we both grew up doing and really enjoyed.

We got married and had a family...sorry no, that's not true!
We started a family, 2 babies first and THEN got married a little over 10 years ago.

Of course as every parent knows and maybe every parent does our love of running & dreams were then placed...or..."PASSED DOWN" to our children.

Kailyn our oldest, she CAN RUN, she is a great runner however she lacks the LOVE of running and therefore she does not...bummer!

Connor, well that guy is just NOT a runner and that is OK with us, we still love him!

Kylie, when she was younger I would not have said she was going to be a runner...far from it! However, as she gets older she is developing into a great runner, and she LOVES to run.

Kirstin and Cody the jury is still out...

but then there is Cara

The second she could walk/run I looked at my husband with the biggest smile and said "there is your runner".  The form that she has, the speed that she has, the endurance that she has...she is a natural and reminds me so much of her dad.

If she wants, I'm sure she will be an extremely talented runner.  

As she grew up we envision ourselves, the proud parents, cheering on our little racer as she is the first to cross the finish line.  With the crowd going wild and tears streaming down my face (yes I'm a little emotional) my heart filled with the utmost pride that all parents have for their kids.

Fast forward 3 years after Cara was born and we were in the hospital and Cara is being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

I remember it so clearly as I tried to deal with my grief and sadness, I just saw loss and everything that was not going to be because of diabetes.  I said to my husband

"well there goes your little runner" 

and 

"Of course, the one kid that is going to be our runner has diabetes, wonderful!  There goes that dream" 

However our newly met diabetes clinic nurses kept on saying 

"she can still do with diabetes anything any other child without diabetes can do"   

First thought..."ya right!" really, it was the first thing I thought but I smiled and nodded because I'm nice!

Fast forward another 3 years after "D-day", Cara is now 6 years old.  We have much more diabetes knowledge, much more understanding of diabetes, and there is nothing that is going to stop this dream of ours.
Cara IS still our little runner NO MATTER what...diabetes or NOT!

 Our dreams and excitement for Cara living out and following her natural talent and abilities are alive and well and nothing is going to stop this girl from being the STAR in whatever she decides to do (of course however we would love for it to be running)

    

and you want to know something?

There is something magical watching her run now, knowing what she is accomplishing, knowing what she is running with and against.  She is not just competing with all the other kids now she is also fighting diabetes all at the same time.

In a strange way diabetes has almost made her talent and her future accomplishments that much sweeter!
 I said to my husband after we watched her very first cross-country meet "I just wanted to hold up a sign while she ran saying  "She may have type 1 diabetes but she is still going to kick your ass" 
(yes I'm a little competitive)

This girl is going places and she is taking diabetes along for the ride...if it likes it or not!

we are so proud of her!!  

**warning before you watch this the video is ALL over the place because I don't just sit and watch I cheer and jump and yell and cry.  Second I have no idea what happened to some of the video it was clear when I was uploading and saving and now...not so much.**