Think ahead about donations in the form of garage sale items, crafts, plants, and baked goods for the sale in May.
Thank you for all your support of JDRF and Hannah.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Walk to Cure Diabetes
Think ahead about donations in the form of garage sale items, crafts, plants, and baked goods for the sale in May.
Thank you for all your support of JDRF and Hannah.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
4 years, 1 month and counting
Made it through another diabetes appointment--- totally unexpected, but Hannah had annual labs drawn today. Typically we do it the begnning of the year, but last year was in March, so they figured it would be good to do today instead of wait until April this year.....It was good and bad-- Hannah didn't have 3 months to fret about it and didn't get upset UNTIL she heard we were doing it today. Last year was aweful in that she had herself so worked up on the way and such too. It went much better this year and they numbed her arms up , but she still was quite upset and said it hurt just as bad. A1C --6.5% Vitamin D deficient from last year , so we will see what the result is this year, but have her on a script of 50,000 units of Vitamin D that she will take once a month. Higher vitamin D levels will help her utilize her insulin better.
All in all she is still doing very well. Diabetes management is pretty well under control, we just changed her lunch setting slightly.
Talked about trying different site areas, since the butt area is starting with some slight scar tissue. Still to thin in the stomach area, but may move up higher on the bum or hip area.
We got a new Ketone testing meter that tests ketones in the blood-- which ketones pick up much quicker in the blood vs the urine. Might explain some of the tummy aches she has after high blood sugars. We have never tested postive for ketones in the urine since she was diagnosed, and I rarely remember to test for ketones, but with the blood meter we now have another better option.
--Her weight continues to climb-- every 3 months she is a pound or 2 heavier, 77lbs and 4' 10" tall still thin, but growing well. We need to work on her nutrition, but she rarely likes to deviate from her normal foods. We try and that's all we can do but it's frustrating.
She is still enjoying dance and learning the flute, and starts JO Volleyball in February and is really looking forward to practicing and playing some games and tournaments.
The Walk to Cure Diabetes is coming up in Feb 23 at the Mall of America and she always looks forward to that day...it's an awesome day of support focusing on Hannah and what she deals with daily. Consider a donation to JDRF online www.walk.jdrf.org or send us a check made out to JDRF.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
JDRF Fundraising for the Walk to Cure Diabetes
Greetings-- Happy New Year!!
Wanted to post in advance about my upcoming JDRF fundraising/garage sale in May. Exact date to be determined, but it will be early May or possibly late April. JDRF has a Walk to Cure Diabetes in Appleton, WI mid May which we will be attending, and last years attempt to raise more funds for JDRF was, in my terms, a great success, with my first annual garage/bake/plant sale. I want to add crafts this year and know many talented people who I know would help out with donating crafts and baked goods to sell to benefit JDRF. This is your heads up to start planning. It doesn't have to be alot, just a small sample of items, or baked goods would be helpful. Looking for a good variety more than anything this year and we can see what items sell well. I made about $140 last year with just plant and baked goods...this year I want to expand our efforts to benefit JDRF research and help all those living with type 1 diabetes.
Also if you live in MN, and ever go to Casey's for gas or otherwise, consider stopping inside and they are helping JDRF raise funds with donations. Your name goes on a paper sneaker for $1. Every dollar matters!! :) Consider making a donation to our family team as well either online at http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR?px=1003242&fr_id=2141&pg=personal, or send a check made out to JDRF to: PO BOX 294 Dassel, MN 55325.
Will take all donations of garage sale items, plants -- indoor or outdoor--(please have potted somehow), baked goods, and crafts. Will keep those interested in helping out updated on the exact dates.
Thanks for the help and support.
ssbh.emery4@hotmail.com
Wanted to post in advance about my upcoming JDRF fundraising/garage sale in May. Exact date to be determined, but it will be early May or possibly late April. JDRF has a Walk to Cure Diabetes in Appleton, WI mid May which we will be attending, and last years attempt to raise more funds for JDRF was, in my terms, a great success, with my first annual garage/bake/plant sale. I want to add crafts this year and know many talented people who I know would help out with donating crafts and baked goods to sell to benefit JDRF. This is your heads up to start planning. It doesn't have to be alot, just a small sample of items, or baked goods would be helpful. Looking for a good variety more than anything this year and we can see what items sell well. I made about $140 last year with just plant and baked goods...this year I want to expand our efforts to benefit JDRF research and help all those living with type 1 diabetes.
Also if you live in MN, and ever go to Casey's for gas or otherwise, consider stopping inside and they are helping JDRF raise funds with donations. Your name goes on a paper sneaker for $1. Every dollar matters!! :) Consider making a donation to our family team as well either online at http://www2.jdrf.org/site/TR?px=1003242&fr_id=2141&pg=personal, or send a check made out to JDRF to: PO BOX 294 Dassel, MN 55325.
Will take all donations of garage sale items, plants -- indoor or outdoor--(please have potted somehow), baked goods, and crafts. Will keep those interested in helping out updated on the exact dates.
Thanks for the help and support.
ssbh.emery4@hotmail.com
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Diabetes Awareness month....it leaves alot of little bumps in the road.
Hannah had a situation happen to her this summer where she was in the care of strangers ( to her) at a Vacation Bible School at her cousins church. The plan was to have her uncle come help Hannah at "snack time" to make sure her blodd sugar was tested, the correct carbs were counted and insulin was given. Before he could get there, snack time was already in progress, and the teacher knew she has diabetes. So she offered Hannah a different snack than everyone else. Instead of Oreo's she got Goldfish crackers. This is just an instance of someone that is uninformed . I dont blame her for not wanting to give Hannah sugar, but Gold fish crackers have CARBS, which turns into sugar in the body. Hannah's pancreas can not process carbs, and does not produce any insulin ( type 1).
Therefore she needs insulin for Goldfish crackers just as she would for Oreo's. I know she would have much rather had Oreos, but she didn't speak up. So she got crackers without getting insulin. It all worked out in the end, since diabetes is not a perfect science, so at lunch time things were corrected in her insulin doses, and Hannah did just fine and had fun. I always hope as she grows that she speaks up and can educated others on what type 1 diabetes is and tell someone, I can have those Oreo's too as long as I know the carbs and give myself insulin for them.
It's not just a matter of watching her sugar intake, even so called sugar free foods have carbs!!!! She needs insulin for everything that has carbohydates in them. So all in all, people view diabetes as one catagory, but type 1 and type 2 are totally different, even though they both have the hormone insulin in common.
I also am concerned about what could have happened, if things just don't work out and Hannah doesn't speak up, not getting insulin for carbs could potentially have negative side effects, but in this case it was a small snack, and not a full meal and either way it could have caused issues, but thankful it worked out, not every time will it work out though, and that is why I want to make people aware the structure of a type 1 diabetic.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I copied and pasted a blog entry I read that really got to me-- it was taken from http://t1family.blogspot.com/. They have a girl around Hannah's age, who is a type 1 diabetic. I find many similarities when I read her stories. Hannah also has told me several times that she has to eat fast at lunchtime at school, but never have I known Hannah to have something happen to the degree it did in the blog below and would hope and pray that is never does happen to her. I felt the emotions this mom did as if it were my daughter, the anger, the frustration....... I have always told Hannah, since I know they often times get very little time to eat lunch, that she always needs to eat what she was given insulin for, and if she is not allowed to she needs to tell the nurse or her teacher.
Read below what this other mother wrote.
***************************************************
"This has been a rough week.
Numbers all over the place.
Almost zero sleep.
The fatigue. The emotions. Expending so much effort 24 hours a day.
Complete exhaustion and seriously, I just need a freakin break.
Thursday: I rush home in between meetings to pick the girls up from school in order to get everything ready for the babysitter. I am greeted with Jessica visibly upset. "Get me out of here...I just want to go home." I quickly usher her out of the building. She is in tears before we reach the car. In the safety of the car, the floodgates open.
"They told me I couldn't finish my lunch. They told me I had to throw out my food. I told them I had Type 1 diabetes, and I needed to eat my lunch, but they wouldn't listen. My friends told them I had Type 1. She said she knew I had Type 1, but lunch was over and I had to throw out my food. Mom, I had over 30 grams of carbs left...I was afraid if I didn't eat it I would get so low I would pass out." More tears. "I was so scared, mom."
Jessica stood strong. She refused to throw out her food. And, so, the lunch aid went to her teacher.
Luckily, her teacher handled the situation appropriately and took her to the nurse, where she finished her lunch. Although, why she couldn't have just finished it on the way to her classroom is beyond me.
The day devastated Jessica. Having to stand up to an adult and say no. At the age of ten, this is not an easy feat. She was so upset by the time her teacher came, that she cried in front of her class. Embarrassment, Humiliation, Fear. All over some uneducated adult's decision not to listen to a child who knows her own health condition better than anyone else.
I was filled with so many emotions. Extreme Anger. It took all I could to go home and write a polite but assertive email, rather than rushing into the building and screaming and yelling. But, also Pride. Jessica knew what the right thing to do was. And, when challenged she held her ground. She did what she needed to do to make sure she was safe. And, although it cost her humiliation, fear, and embarrassment...she did it.
But, it angers me she had to. Despite all the hours and effort we have put into making sure she is safe at school, things like this still occur. And, they will continue to. Her school is amazing. Her teacher, the nurse, and even the principal handled it well. The principal even came to check on her later in the day and make sure she was ok.
And, it is not the first time she has been treated wrongly at school. At her old school she was forced to check her blood sugar in stairways. The nurse would psychoanalyze her sugars..."Now, Jessica...what do you think could have happened to make you 200?"
We have always responded quickly and assertively, but the truth is that these things will continue to happen and I know it. A 504 plan, while a good start, can not fully protect our children when we are not there.
November is National Diabetes Month. A time to remember to educate, advocate, and fundraise. These are the tools we have to help our children. We must educate those who don't understand. Many will never "get it," but we at least need to know that they have enough knowledge to keep our children safe when we are not there. And, we must advocate. We need faster FDA approval, we need more funds dedicated to Type 1 research, we need life and health insurance policies that are fair and not based on lumping life expectancies of Type 2 and Type 1 diabetics together. We need school policies that keep our kids safe, and that don't allow discrimination based on a health condition that is difficult to control. And, we must fundraise towards a cure.
But, until then, we must support each other in this journey. We cannot do it alone. We are stronger, and our kids are stronger when we stick together. Our life was changed by finding Children With Diabetes. I wait impatiently for the next conference in February, where for one weekend we will once again be enveloped in support. And, where we will have the chance to support others.
Together, our children will grow up healthy and strong.
Together, we will support each other.
Together, we will find a cure."
************************************************************
Another bump in the road for Hannah...............
Sunday night into Monday Hannah had a rough time. We changed her pump site on Sunday afternoon, it was supposed to happen Saturday sometime, but we were out and about and not able to get it done until Sunday. It all worked out. But then Sunday night, around bedtime (of course), she started climb higher with her blood sugars. At first I generally dont count one high number a big deal, we correct it with insulin and move on. At 7:45pm was the first indication something was wrong....BS was 375. I just figured I counted carbs wrong at supper, which I think I really did. She had these crescent rolls that was hard to figure out since I cut each roll in half and she ate more than I thought....but anyway... we corrected for that at 7:45, but then had her typical bedtime snack of ice cream. Typically this isn't an issue, but in this case I think it was the wrong choice for a snack.
I tested her again, just as she went to bed at 9pm she jumped to 449 within the hour. UGH!! was my reaction I believe. So I put her to bed gave her another dose of insulin to correct her high,( it was a small correction since it only had been an hour since last insulin dose, but felt I had to do something more being that she was in the mid 400's) and just said it's gonna be a long night.
When I tested her at 11pm, she was 371, so basiclly things didn't change much, although it was lower, it still was not good at all. At 2am she was back up to 443. I shoulda at this moment changed her pump site, but its 2am and I still wanted to hold out hope that we have never had a failed site with these type of sites since we started using them over a year and a half, I just had a hard time believeing that our problem was a failed site. So another correction was given and back to bed for another hour. 3:30 am came really fast and she tested at 327, so dropping....at 3:30 am and being extremely tired, and probably not thinking the best I thought that was a good drop in less than 2 hrs....still not good but still had hope that things would normalize soon.....back to bed. Another hour later 4:30 am and she was 306. At this point I pretty much realized our problem was she was not getting insulin through her site I think I might have tried another correction and I decided to let us sleep until 6:15am, get up for school and hope things were better. At 6:20am her blood sugar was 367.....we were both exhausted from the night. It was time to take action though. I gave her an injection of 3.5 units at 6:30am.....this should have been done probably around the 2am mark, but I didn't want her to go low either, always thinking that the pump was working and she was getting at least some insulin.
Decided at 6:30am that the site was in fact NOT working. She resisted the injection, but I told her we waited too long already and this is what she needed NOW. I reassured her it would be a quick poke, and it would be over. I had to sort of just do it with her kinda of in "not ready" mode, but she let me do it, and it was over quickly. Deep breath as she finally had insulin in her after probably not much of it in 10 hrs. I am guessing she had a small amount of ketones starting, but never got the chance to check since I would rememeber to check after she had already peed. She was drinking alot and peeing alot several times during the night.
Within the hour we had the new site in and pump reattached. At 7:30am we checked again and she was 268. So we are going in the right direction now, and she ate breakfast. At 9:15am she was 203 and by 10:45am was the glorious affirmation that we were on the right track at 104. Her tummy always hurts after a long night of being high, plus she was just so tired. She took a nap. At 11:45am she was 143 and she ate a small lunch. She spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and sleeping as I had to go to work. Steve was home a few hours after I left and she felt well enough to go to dance later. All her numbers since 10:45am yesterday have been good. Such a wonderful relief. Diabetes always surpises us even though things were going so well, we had another little bump in the road.
Therefore she needs insulin for Goldfish crackers just as she would for Oreo's. I know she would have much rather had Oreos, but she didn't speak up. So she got crackers without getting insulin. It all worked out in the end, since diabetes is not a perfect science, so at lunch time things were corrected in her insulin doses, and Hannah did just fine and had fun. I always hope as she grows that she speaks up and can educated others on what type 1 diabetes is and tell someone, I can have those Oreo's too as long as I know the carbs and give myself insulin for them.
It's not just a matter of watching her sugar intake, even so called sugar free foods have carbs!!!! She needs insulin for everything that has carbohydates in them. So all in all, people view diabetes as one catagory, but type 1 and type 2 are totally different, even though they both have the hormone insulin in common.
I also am concerned about what could have happened, if things just don't work out and Hannah doesn't speak up, not getting insulin for carbs could potentially have negative side effects, but in this case it was a small snack, and not a full meal and either way it could have caused issues, but thankful it worked out, not every time will it work out though, and that is why I want to make people aware the structure of a type 1 diabetic.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I copied and pasted a blog entry I read that really got to me-- it was taken from http://t1family.blogspot.com/. They have a girl around Hannah's age, who is a type 1 diabetic. I find many similarities when I read her stories. Hannah also has told me several times that she has to eat fast at lunchtime at school, but never have I known Hannah to have something happen to the degree it did in the blog below and would hope and pray that is never does happen to her. I felt the emotions this mom did as if it were my daughter, the anger, the frustration....... I have always told Hannah, since I know they often times get very little time to eat lunch, that she always needs to eat what she was given insulin for, and if she is not allowed to she needs to tell the nurse or her teacher.
Read below what this other mother wrote.
***************************************************
"This has been a rough week.
Numbers all over the place.
Almost zero sleep.
The fatigue. The emotions. Expending so much effort 24 hours a day.
Complete exhaustion and seriously, I just need a freakin break.
Thursday: I rush home in between meetings to pick the girls up from school in order to get everything ready for the babysitter. I am greeted with Jessica visibly upset. "Get me out of here...I just want to go home." I quickly usher her out of the building. She is in tears before we reach the car. In the safety of the car, the floodgates open.
"They told me I couldn't finish my lunch. They told me I had to throw out my food. I told them I had Type 1 diabetes, and I needed to eat my lunch, but they wouldn't listen. My friends told them I had Type 1. She said she knew I had Type 1, but lunch was over and I had to throw out my food. Mom, I had over 30 grams of carbs left...I was afraid if I didn't eat it I would get so low I would pass out." More tears. "I was so scared, mom."
Jessica stood strong. She refused to throw out her food. And, so, the lunch aid went to her teacher.
Luckily, her teacher handled the situation appropriately and took her to the nurse, where she finished her lunch. Although, why she couldn't have just finished it on the way to her classroom is beyond me.
The day devastated Jessica. Having to stand up to an adult and say no. At the age of ten, this is not an easy feat. She was so upset by the time her teacher came, that she cried in front of her class. Embarrassment, Humiliation, Fear. All over some uneducated adult's decision not to listen to a child who knows her own health condition better than anyone else.
I was filled with so many emotions. Extreme Anger. It took all I could to go home and write a polite but assertive email, rather than rushing into the building and screaming and yelling. But, also Pride. Jessica knew what the right thing to do was. And, when challenged she held her ground. She did what she needed to do to make sure she was safe. And, although it cost her humiliation, fear, and embarrassment...she did it.
But, it angers me she had to. Despite all the hours and effort we have put into making sure she is safe at school, things like this still occur. And, they will continue to. Her school is amazing. Her teacher, the nurse, and even the principal handled it well. The principal even came to check on her later in the day and make sure she was ok.
And, it is not the first time she has been treated wrongly at school. At her old school she was forced to check her blood sugar in stairways. The nurse would psychoanalyze her sugars..."Now, Jessica...what do you think could have happened to make you 200?"
We have always responded quickly and assertively, but the truth is that these things will continue to happen and I know it. A 504 plan, while a good start, can not fully protect our children when we are not there.
November is National Diabetes Month. A time to remember to educate, advocate, and fundraise. These are the tools we have to help our children. We must educate those who don't understand. Many will never "get it," but we at least need to know that they have enough knowledge to keep our children safe when we are not there. And, we must advocate. We need faster FDA approval, we need more funds dedicated to Type 1 research, we need life and health insurance policies that are fair and not based on lumping life expectancies of Type 2 and Type 1 diabetics together. We need school policies that keep our kids safe, and that don't allow discrimination based on a health condition that is difficult to control. And, we must fundraise towards a cure.
But, until then, we must support each other in this journey. We cannot do it alone. We are stronger, and our kids are stronger when we stick together. Our life was changed by finding Children With Diabetes. I wait impatiently for the next conference in February, where for one weekend we will once again be enveloped in support. And, where we will have the chance to support others.
Together, our children will grow up healthy and strong.
Together, we will support each other.
Together, we will find a cure."
************************************************************
Another bump in the road for Hannah...............
Sunday night into Monday Hannah had a rough time. We changed her pump site on Sunday afternoon, it was supposed to happen Saturday sometime, but we were out and about and not able to get it done until Sunday. It all worked out. But then Sunday night, around bedtime (of course), she started climb higher with her blood sugars. At first I generally dont count one high number a big deal, we correct it with insulin and move on. At 7:45pm was the first indication something was wrong....BS was 375. I just figured I counted carbs wrong at supper, which I think I really did. She had these crescent rolls that was hard to figure out since I cut each roll in half and she ate more than I thought....but anyway... we corrected for that at 7:45, but then had her typical bedtime snack of ice cream. Typically this isn't an issue, but in this case I think it was the wrong choice for a snack.
I tested her again, just as she went to bed at 9pm she jumped to 449 within the hour. UGH!! was my reaction I believe. So I put her to bed gave her another dose of insulin to correct her high,( it was a small correction since it only had been an hour since last insulin dose, but felt I had to do something more being that she was in the mid 400's) and just said it's gonna be a long night.
When I tested her at 11pm, she was 371, so basiclly things didn't change much, although it was lower, it still was not good at all. At 2am she was back up to 443. I shoulda at this moment changed her pump site, but its 2am and I still wanted to hold out hope that we have never had a failed site with these type of sites since we started using them over a year and a half, I just had a hard time believeing that our problem was a failed site. So another correction was given and back to bed for another hour. 3:30 am came really fast and she tested at 327, so dropping....at 3:30 am and being extremely tired, and probably not thinking the best I thought that was a good drop in less than 2 hrs....still not good but still had hope that things would normalize soon.....back to bed. Another hour later 4:30 am and she was 306. At this point I pretty much realized our problem was she was not getting insulin through her site I think I might have tried another correction and I decided to let us sleep until 6:15am, get up for school and hope things were better. At 6:20am her blood sugar was 367.....we were both exhausted from the night. It was time to take action though. I gave her an injection of 3.5 units at 6:30am.....this should have been done probably around the 2am mark, but I didn't want her to go low either, always thinking that the pump was working and she was getting at least some insulin.
Decided at 6:30am that the site was in fact NOT working. She resisted the injection, but I told her we waited too long already and this is what she needed NOW. I reassured her it would be a quick poke, and it would be over. I had to sort of just do it with her kinda of in "not ready" mode, but she let me do it, and it was over quickly. Deep breath as she finally had insulin in her after probably not much of it in 10 hrs. I am guessing she had a small amount of ketones starting, but never got the chance to check since I would rememeber to check after she had already peed. She was drinking alot and peeing alot several times during the night.
Within the hour we had the new site in and pump reattached. At 7:30am we checked again and she was 268. So we are going in the right direction now, and she ate breakfast. At 9:15am she was 203 and by 10:45am was the glorious affirmation that we were on the right track at 104. Her tummy always hurts after a long night of being high, plus she was just so tired. She took a nap. At 11:45am she was 143 and she ate a small lunch. She spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and sleeping as I had to go to work. Steve was home a few hours after I left and she felt well enough to go to dance later. All her numbers since 10:45am yesterday have been good. Such a wonderful relief. Diabetes always surpises us even though things were going so well, we had another little bump in the road.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
another part of the family.......never say never
Hannah has talked about getting her own dog for the last several years. Even going as far as planning on saving enough money to purchase it and buy everything it needs...... Of course I have always dismissed it as "her dream", knowing that she would never be able to afford the cost of a small dog being only 9, 10 or 11 yrs old. Plus, I wasn't about to get another animal any time soon. She always talked about her dream dog being a chihuahua. That wasn't in my plans at all. Never was fond of small dogs, but I am a vet tech and all animals have a special place in my heart, maybe just not in my home.
I have my own house now, my own family and I loved the idea of being able to choose my own pets and told her that as well, when she is grown and has her own house she can choose her own pets.... HA!!
I choose Lou, but wasn't able to name him, that was left to my 4 year old son and actually Lou's registered name is Bailey's Captian Lou.
My cats Keaton and Wylie are my babies, they were mine, I named them. Steve made sure I had Keaton for my own when he adopted him for me when I lived in an apartment. Keaton was at my school when I was studying to be a vet tech, I was responsible for him my last semester, and I learned from practicing procedures with/on him. I was also a part of his neuter and declaw surgery. I lost Keaton recently to kidney failure at age 18. I got him when he was 2. I miss Keaton dearly and there will never be another cat like him as close to my heart. Wylie I got when he was 7 wks old and was born in a barn -- a neighbor of the veterinarian I worked for in Minnetonka. He was such a wild kitten, thus how he got his name.
Wylie and Keaton grew up together and were buddies throughout the years, and he has changed since Keaton has been gone and spends his days upstairs in our bed. He is now 15 yrs. He used to lay with Keaton in the sun on the top of the couch. He will come down on occassion to eat, or to check things out. He is more active at night, as cats should be I suppose, and keeps busy hauling socks, cat toys and whatever else he can carry in his mouth, either up the stairs and lays them in the hallway or down stairs and drops them wherever..meowing the whole time, I guess letting us know and seems proud that he has done such a thing. I even had to hide all of Hannah's socks from a drawer under her bed as Wylie would be able to somehow get in there and there would be several pairs of socks hauled downstairs daily.
Our other 2 cats, Stella and Bamboo are sisters that showed up in our garage 2 years ago as 8 week old kittens. They were the cutest things ever, with polydactyl toes-- they have 5 toes on each paw and both kids were in love with them, despite their huge paws. I insisted they stay in the porch at first , they had ear mites and a upper respiratory infection. I said we were taking them to the shelter as soon as possible. HA!! Slowly.... or quickly, however you look at it, after a vet visit and being treated for ear mites we allowed them in the house and Hannah named them and that was that.
They are 2 very good cats, very easy going playful and they keep each other company. I love how they snuggle, play, and look out for each other. Sister's forever!!
Now, since Sat. we add into the picture Hannah's dream. Remember--- chihuahua. Somehow out of no where, I saw an ad for chihuahua's on the online sale site I visit often on Facebook. I was drawn to the fact that they were "older" chihuahua's...meaning they weren't just weaned and ready to go as 7-8 week old puppies-- these puppies were 4mo-1 yr old. This breeder typically keeps her pups past 12 weeks, and seaches for ideal homes for her "babies". She said it's hard to find good homes. I liked the idea of a several month old puppy and well..... the breed got my attention, and reminded me of Hannah. These dogs looked so sweet , just like my daughter. She has been through so much over the years with diabetes, and just wanted to seek out the chance to make a childhood dream come true. Things happened kinda fast and the breeder wanted to know more about potential families that were interested, so I explained our family, including our pets and my daughter's interest. We talked back and forth on FB for awhile and finally a phone call. Within 7-10 days of me seeing the photos we were meeting them half way-- in Alexandria, MN-- to see a few of the puppies that Hannah was interested in. Hannah could hardly wait when she knew we were going to look at them. The breeder brought 3 of them with her. 2 girls and a boy. Hannah fell in love with the small petite girl-- Cerena-- and it didn't take long for her to decide. Hannah used her birthday money and the chore money she had been saving up to buy her puppy and I had to chip in a little extra-- but all in all a good deal for a small breed pure bred dog. Was I ready for this...certainly not, did I feel a bit crazy-- certainly did. What did I get myself into. I am a vet tech and a animal lover-- how can I go wrong. It was a good decision and Hannah was so happy to finally have her chihuahua. Seeing them together melted my heart.
Hannah spent Sunday with her, pretty much either holding her taking her outside or trying to get her to play. She was pretty content in Hannah's arms and was pretty scared otherwise. By Monday and Tuesday when I spent the mornings with her, I let her explore more and she opened up big time. Her personality really came out. She is very playful, and was checking out everywhere. The cats are all scared of her for now, but are slowly coming out to check things out. She will bark at them and they will run away. Lou and Cerena, are very tolerable of each other. Lou just likes to make sure he doesn't miss out on attention, toys, or food. He will let her cuddle by him or climb on him if he is resting.
We do have to be careful though, if Lou is wound up and playful that he doesn't hurt her by accident. The size difference is huge. Wed ( today as I type this) Steve spent the day at home and I got home from work at 1:30pm. Cerena got used to Steve quick as he spent the morning with her. She really has a wonderful personality and am hoping that it sticks around. She is doing good pottying outside, but getting her ready to go out includes a sweater, a halter and a leash. It's not as easy as letting her out the door...she is way too tiny. A bird of prey might think she is dinner and we are not taking any chances of that happening or loosing her because of her size.
We are very happy that she is a part of our family.
I have my own house now, my own family and I loved the idea of being able to choose my own pets and told her that as well, when she is grown and has her own house she can choose her own pets.... HA!!
I choose Lou, but wasn't able to name him, that was left to my 4 year old son and actually Lou's registered name is Bailey's Captian Lou.
My cats Keaton and Wylie are my babies, they were mine, I named them. Steve made sure I had Keaton for my own when he adopted him for me when I lived in an apartment. Keaton was at my school when I was studying to be a vet tech, I was responsible for him my last semester, and I learned from practicing procedures with/on him. I was also a part of his neuter and declaw surgery. I lost Keaton recently to kidney failure at age 18. I got him when he was 2. I miss Keaton dearly and there will never be another cat like him as close to my heart. Wylie I got when he was 7 wks old and was born in a barn -- a neighbor of the veterinarian I worked for in Minnetonka. He was such a wild kitten, thus how he got his name.
Wylie and Keaton grew up together and were buddies throughout the years, and he has changed since Keaton has been gone and spends his days upstairs in our bed. He is now 15 yrs. He used to lay with Keaton in the sun on the top of the couch. He will come down on occassion to eat, or to check things out. He is more active at night, as cats should be I suppose, and keeps busy hauling socks, cat toys and whatever else he can carry in his mouth, either up the stairs and lays them in the hallway or down stairs and drops them wherever..meowing the whole time, I guess letting us know and seems proud that he has done such a thing. I even had to hide all of Hannah's socks from a drawer under her bed as Wylie would be able to somehow get in there and there would be several pairs of socks hauled downstairs daily.
Our other 2 cats, Stella and Bamboo are sisters that showed up in our garage 2 years ago as 8 week old kittens. They were the cutest things ever, with polydactyl toes-- they have 5 toes on each paw and both kids were in love with them, despite their huge paws. I insisted they stay in the porch at first , they had ear mites and a upper respiratory infection. I said we were taking them to the shelter as soon as possible. HA!! Slowly.... or quickly, however you look at it, after a vet visit and being treated for ear mites we allowed them in the house and Hannah named them and that was that.
They are 2 very good cats, very easy going playful and they keep each other company. I love how they snuggle, play, and look out for each other. Sister's forever!!
Now, since Sat. we add into the picture Hannah's dream. Remember--- chihuahua. Somehow out of no where, I saw an ad for chihuahua's on the online sale site I visit often on Facebook. I was drawn to the fact that they were "older" chihuahua's...meaning they weren't just weaned and ready to go as 7-8 week old puppies-- these puppies were 4mo-1 yr old. This breeder typically keeps her pups past 12 weeks, and seaches for ideal homes for her "babies". She said it's hard to find good homes. I liked the idea of a several month old puppy and well..... the breed got my attention, and reminded me of Hannah. These dogs looked so sweet , just like my daughter. She has been through so much over the years with diabetes, and just wanted to seek out the chance to make a childhood dream come true. Things happened kinda fast and the breeder wanted to know more about potential families that were interested, so I explained our family, including our pets and my daughter's interest. We talked back and forth on FB for awhile and finally a phone call. Within 7-10 days of me seeing the photos we were meeting them half way-- in Alexandria, MN-- to see a few of the puppies that Hannah was interested in. Hannah could hardly wait when she knew we were going to look at them. The breeder brought 3 of them with her. 2 girls and a boy. Hannah fell in love with the small petite girl-- Cerena-- and it didn't take long for her to decide. Hannah used her birthday money and the chore money she had been saving up to buy her puppy and I had to chip in a little extra-- but all in all a good deal for a small breed pure bred dog. Was I ready for this...certainly not, did I feel a bit crazy-- certainly did. What did I get myself into. I am a vet tech and a animal lover-- how can I go wrong. It was a good decision and Hannah was so happy to finally have her chihuahua. Seeing them together melted my heart.
We do have to be careful though, if Lou is wound up and playful that he doesn't hurt her by accident. The size difference is huge. Wed ( today as I type this) Steve spent the day at home and I got home from work at 1:30pm. Cerena got used to Steve quick as he spent the morning with her. She really has a wonderful personality and am hoping that it sticks around. She is doing good pottying outside, but getting her ready to go out includes a sweater, a halter and a leash. It's not as easy as letting her out the door...she is way too tiny. A bird of prey might think she is dinner and we are not taking any chances of that happening or loosing her because of her size.We are very happy that she is a part of our family.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Hannah's Hair
Hannah's hair is getting long and she let me braid it today. She is very particular about her hair and likes to do it herself. She never did like me messing with it much, so this was a treat that she let me do it. I musta did a good job, because she said she loved it.
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Seasons of change
I love the fall weather, but as the days get shorter and cooler, I do miss the warm sunny days of summer. I hate freezing, which now days is the norm. Steve won't let us turn the heat on just yet. So sweatshirts and 3 blankets to sleep is typical right now. There is alot of yard clean up to get done and usually I am on top of that and don't mind it. Now that I work at the vet clinic every day -- half days-- I try to do a little bit every day, but it's piling up, literally.... leaves every where, and lots to be cleaned up and put away for the winter. I have this weekend off, so if its nice enough, I will tackling some of my outdoor stuff. I am just getting over a 5 week bout of something, bronchities or pneumonia. It was pretty bad for a couple of weeks, lots of conjestion. Lost my sense of taste and smell and breathing was tough, espically laying down-- did lots of coughing, and blowing for a few weeks, and slept on the couch propped up. I never felt to terribly bad, and continued on with my daily duties. Only felt maybe a little tired the days I wasn't sleeping well at night. I got weekly adjustments at the chiropractor, and was on a couple supplements to help. They worked really well and I took nothing OTC or Rx to help kick this thing. It mighta taken it's own sweet time, but my body was able to fight it off without any help. Still coughing some-- but I feel good and amazed and proud of the fact I am getting better naturally.
Kids are off to a good start in school, and havent had any issues with them adjusting to the high school or middle school. Things have been going really well..... as far as I know. Bailey likes high school life much better than the middle school. More freedom, feeling more grown up, making more decisions...... and able to get ice cream at lunch is a plus for him. Don't really understand the ice cream at lunch thing, since they are trying to serve them more healthy lunches, but yet offer ice cream and nacho's etc. ( for a extra cost of course). He is enjoying the football season and likes to go to the varsity games on Friday nights. He is doing well in all his classes, but struggles in science-- he says he doesn't like the class, but hoping he tries his best, he is in high school now, and all his grades will affect his future. He is in German and is having fun learning a new language. I took 2 years of German in HS too, so it's intersting to see how much I remember--which isn't much. He also has a class called Wildlife and is learning lots of interesting things, even going to do a project of taxidermy of a bird in class. Bailey started hockey this week and he will be going strong for about the next month with practices just about every day. I think in the next month he will get maybe 2 days off. Tryouts are next week and games start early Novemeber. They have a couple of scrimmages scheduled and the first one is tomorrow vs Hutchinson. Bailey also had about a 4-5 week bout with some sinus , cold stuff before school even started. I think that is pretty much gone and didn't get quite as complicated as my stuff, but he also was on a supplement ( vitamin) and we did the chiropractor once a week....... but now he has been struggling with some sort of hip pain. It started when he got checked in hockey during one of his last games up in St Cloud. Sept 6, I remember because it was Hannah's b-day. He started with some hip pain, and that went away for a few days and then moved to the back of his leg, like hamstring area, just below his butt. It hurt to sit. That was his only complaint. It was pretty severe for awhile, so I brought him to chiropractor. He couldn't really figure it out, as he tried to reproduce the pain, by twisting and turning and rotating his leg/pelvis/hip. It didn't hurt at all, and doesn't hurt to walk, run, skate etc.....just sitting hurts. So we limited it to a pulled muscle, possibly a bone bruise, but there was no real swelling, so not sure what we were dealing with. He had 2 adjustments with no improvement. So he suggested gettting an xray of his pelvis/hip. So we did and that showed nothing abnormal, nothing broken. So at least we knew we weren't dealing with a fracture. It has been about 4-5 weeks now, and even though the discomfort comes and goes, he has always said there is not much change. It hurts to sit. I think it is getting better as time goes on. He was so uncomfortable in the beginning, couldn't sit comfortably in the car, in class, in church etc. Now it seems somewhat better but he still says it hurts. We did another chiro adjustment last week, and we'll see how it goes. Hockey doesn't bother it or so he says, so that might be some good physical therapy for it. The clinic wanted us to get him in PT, but I know that's all they had to offer him, so with time I am hoping it gets better.
Hannah is doing well too and I think she likes the middle school although she will still say she dosen't like school much. She is having fun being around her friends on a constant basis. School in general is more of a struggle for her, she has a hard time staying focused, and remembering things, but in general is doing very well and I am not too worried yet. I am just a big part of keeping her focused at home, so when she is at school away from me, she has to think on her own and that is teaching her to take some responsibility. We've had to run back to school to get assignments she forgot one Friday, and another night she rememebered she had homework to do at 8:30 at night, which is basiclly bedtime, so I helped her, but didn't really have a clue on how she was taught to get the math answers, we got through it, but not without a tad bit of frustration, yelling, and crying and a few deep breaths and a late bedtime. Math is her "hard subject", and at times just doesn't get it. I think she follows me in that respect, where as Bailey has Steve's math skills. Bailey is doing some pretty complicated algebra and getting a A so far. Middle school is the first time grades are given, so we will see this year how well she understand the concepts of her subjects, math hovering around the C level right now, while all her other subjects are A's. Hannah is in band this year and has choosen the flute to play. It's a hard instrument to learn.....the first step is getting it to make a sound when you blow into it.....its not as easy as it looks. I tried and couldn't get it to make a sound. There is a certain way to blow. She has been working hard at it, and can play a handful of notes now. The 5th grade band and choir concert is Nov 29 , so they have about a month and a half to put together a few more notes and a possible song. Hannah and I plan do some clarinet-flute duets in the future, maybe by christmas she will have learned Jingle Bells. She continues to do the Just For Kix dance classes on Monday nights with her friend Elizabeth. Since both us mom's/dad's work late on Monday nights, a friend of the family of Elizabeth's is taking the girls to Hutchinson and back-- which is VERY much appreciated. I am so glad they can still go and they love it. After about another month, Elizabeth's mom's schedule opens up and also Steve will have more free time to get the girls to dance. Her first performance is December 15, the Winter Show, come watch if you can.
I am enjoying my new job at the Annandale Veterinary Clinic. It's a very busy place. I have gotton into a good routine with it all and it seems to be working out fantastic for now. I only work half days, but its a every day commitment. Mon, Tues and Thurs I work 1pm-6:45-7pm or so. I typically leave the house just before 12:30, and get home about 7:15ish. I am the last one at the clinic those days, and most everyone else leaves between 3:30-5:30pm. I close the clinic at 6pm and then spend about 45min- 1 hr cleaning. I start the cleaning about 5ish though, as the last appt is at 4:45pm, and then it's just wrapping up the day, clients can still pick up their surgery animals until 6pm, or pick up meds and food and such, and still answering phones until 6pm. On Wed & Friday's I leave the house about 7-7:15am and start working at 7:30-7:45am. I am then done at 1pm. I really like my schedule so far. The hours there go by quick. They are getting into a "slower season", after the fall hunting/ allergy season, I suspect the winter months they slow down some more, until it picks back up in March again for all the spring updates, and such.
I have seen alot happen in the last month being there. A Lab ate a golf ball and became obstructed, surgery required to remove gold ball from intestines, 3 new cases of Lyme disease, several new and continued cases of diabetes, I weighed in a diabetic cat that was 21 lbs...good Lord. Have had a hand full of animals hit by a car, couple didn't make it. A large number of euthansia's or PTS as we call them ( put to sleep). Usually that doesn't bother me too much, but a few have gotton me choked up. A 10 yr old golden retriever was one of them, just yesterday :( We had a severe case of animal abuse, which involved the cops, the dog had to be put down in the end. It had the clinic and those involved stressed for about a week just because of the threats and people involved in the case, lots of itchy dogs ( allergies), Lou is going through his own bout of it too, crabby cats, lots of lumps, bumps and tumors, dog came in with a torn ACL, ear hematoma's, lacerations, vomitting and diarrhea, IV fluids, 2 "plugged" male cats, as it's called-- no urine output and a bunch more stuff....... but I have seen a good share of kittens and puppies, and just plain ole healthy happy animals as well. It's been interesting getting back into the swing of things.
I am not a big fan of answering phones, but getting pretty good at it. I am hoping to do more Tech things in the future, but as of now am busy enough keeping the clinic moving along up at the front.
Steve is still busy as always this time of year. Thankful. He has travelled up to north western MN for a few jobs and has been gone 2-3 nights, he still has plans to travel and to do one more coming up next week. Otherwise, not much new with him, he continues to work hard and has stayed healthy....... besides his normal aches from roofing and aging-- ha ha. He still avoids all doctors, dentists, chiropractors and the like.
May God bless you as we change seasons and in all seasons of your life.
Kids are off to a good start in school, and havent had any issues with them adjusting to the high school or middle school. Things have been going really well..... as far as I know. Bailey likes high school life much better than the middle school. More freedom, feeling more grown up, making more decisions...... and able to get ice cream at lunch is a plus for him. Don't really understand the ice cream at lunch thing, since they are trying to serve them more healthy lunches, but yet offer ice cream and nacho's etc. ( for a extra cost of course). He is enjoying the football season and likes to go to the varsity games on Friday nights. He is doing well in all his classes, but struggles in science-- he says he doesn't like the class, but hoping he tries his best, he is in high school now, and all his grades will affect his future. He is in German and is having fun learning a new language. I took 2 years of German in HS too, so it's intersting to see how much I remember--which isn't much. He also has a class called Wildlife and is learning lots of interesting things, even going to do a project of taxidermy of a bird in class. Bailey started hockey this week and he will be going strong for about the next month with practices just about every day. I think in the next month he will get maybe 2 days off. Tryouts are next week and games start early Novemeber. They have a couple of scrimmages scheduled and the first one is tomorrow vs Hutchinson. Bailey also had about a 4-5 week bout with some sinus , cold stuff before school even started. I think that is pretty much gone and didn't get quite as complicated as my stuff, but he also was on a supplement ( vitamin) and we did the chiropractor once a week....... but now he has been struggling with some sort of hip pain. It started when he got checked in hockey during one of his last games up in St Cloud. Sept 6, I remember because it was Hannah's b-day. He started with some hip pain, and that went away for a few days and then moved to the back of his leg, like hamstring area, just below his butt. It hurt to sit. That was his only complaint. It was pretty severe for awhile, so I brought him to chiropractor. He couldn't really figure it out, as he tried to reproduce the pain, by twisting and turning and rotating his leg/pelvis/hip. It didn't hurt at all, and doesn't hurt to walk, run, skate etc.....just sitting hurts. So we limited it to a pulled muscle, possibly a bone bruise, but there was no real swelling, so not sure what we were dealing with. He had 2 adjustments with no improvement. So he suggested gettting an xray of his pelvis/hip. So we did and that showed nothing abnormal, nothing broken. So at least we knew we weren't dealing with a fracture. It has been about 4-5 weeks now, and even though the discomfort comes and goes, he has always said there is not much change. It hurts to sit. I think it is getting better as time goes on. He was so uncomfortable in the beginning, couldn't sit comfortably in the car, in class, in church etc. Now it seems somewhat better but he still says it hurts. We did another chiro adjustment last week, and we'll see how it goes. Hockey doesn't bother it or so he says, so that might be some good physical therapy for it. The clinic wanted us to get him in PT, but I know that's all they had to offer him, so with time I am hoping it gets better.
Hannah is doing well too and I think she likes the middle school although she will still say she dosen't like school much. She is having fun being around her friends on a constant basis. School in general is more of a struggle for her, she has a hard time staying focused, and remembering things, but in general is doing very well and I am not too worried yet. I am just a big part of keeping her focused at home, so when she is at school away from me, she has to think on her own and that is teaching her to take some responsibility. We've had to run back to school to get assignments she forgot one Friday, and another night she rememebered she had homework to do at 8:30 at night, which is basiclly bedtime, so I helped her, but didn't really have a clue on how she was taught to get the math answers, we got through it, but not without a tad bit of frustration, yelling, and crying and a few deep breaths and a late bedtime. Math is her "hard subject", and at times just doesn't get it. I think she follows me in that respect, where as Bailey has Steve's math skills. Bailey is doing some pretty complicated algebra and getting a A so far. Middle school is the first time grades are given, so we will see this year how well she understand the concepts of her subjects, math hovering around the C level right now, while all her other subjects are A's. Hannah is in band this year and has choosen the flute to play. It's a hard instrument to learn.....the first step is getting it to make a sound when you blow into it.....its not as easy as it looks. I tried and couldn't get it to make a sound. There is a certain way to blow. She has been working hard at it, and can play a handful of notes now. The 5th grade band and choir concert is Nov 29 , so they have about a month and a half to put together a few more notes and a possible song. Hannah and I plan do some clarinet-flute duets in the future, maybe by christmas she will have learned Jingle Bells. She continues to do the Just For Kix dance classes on Monday nights with her friend Elizabeth. Since both us mom's/dad's work late on Monday nights, a friend of the family of Elizabeth's is taking the girls to Hutchinson and back-- which is VERY much appreciated. I am so glad they can still go and they love it. After about another month, Elizabeth's mom's schedule opens up and also Steve will have more free time to get the girls to dance. Her first performance is December 15, the Winter Show, come watch if you can.
I am enjoying my new job at the Annandale Veterinary Clinic. It's a very busy place. I have gotton into a good routine with it all and it seems to be working out fantastic for now. I only work half days, but its a every day commitment. Mon, Tues and Thurs I work 1pm-6:45-7pm or so. I typically leave the house just before 12:30, and get home about 7:15ish. I am the last one at the clinic those days, and most everyone else leaves between 3:30-5:30pm. I close the clinic at 6pm and then spend about 45min- 1 hr cleaning. I start the cleaning about 5ish though, as the last appt is at 4:45pm, and then it's just wrapping up the day, clients can still pick up their surgery animals until 6pm, or pick up meds and food and such, and still answering phones until 6pm. On Wed & Friday's I leave the house about 7-7:15am and start working at 7:30-7:45am. I am then done at 1pm. I really like my schedule so far. The hours there go by quick. They are getting into a "slower season", after the fall hunting/ allergy season, I suspect the winter months they slow down some more, until it picks back up in March again for all the spring updates, and such.
I have seen alot happen in the last month being there. A Lab ate a golf ball and became obstructed, surgery required to remove gold ball from intestines, 3 new cases of Lyme disease, several new and continued cases of diabetes, I weighed in a diabetic cat that was 21 lbs...good Lord. Have had a hand full of animals hit by a car, couple didn't make it. A large number of euthansia's or PTS as we call them ( put to sleep). Usually that doesn't bother me too much, but a few have gotton me choked up. A 10 yr old golden retriever was one of them, just yesterday :( We had a severe case of animal abuse, which involved the cops, the dog had to be put down in the end. It had the clinic and those involved stressed for about a week just because of the threats and people involved in the case, lots of itchy dogs ( allergies), Lou is going through his own bout of it too, crabby cats, lots of lumps, bumps and tumors, dog came in with a torn ACL, ear hematoma's, lacerations, vomitting and diarrhea, IV fluids, 2 "plugged" male cats, as it's called-- no urine output and a bunch more stuff....... but I have seen a good share of kittens and puppies, and just plain ole healthy happy animals as well. It's been interesting getting back into the swing of things.
I am not a big fan of answering phones, but getting pretty good at it. I am hoping to do more Tech things in the future, but as of now am busy enough keeping the clinic moving along up at the front.
Steve is still busy as always this time of year. Thankful. He has travelled up to north western MN for a few jobs and has been gone 2-3 nights, he still has plans to travel and to do one more coming up next week. Otherwise, not much new with him, he continues to work hard and has stayed healthy....... besides his normal aches from roofing and aging-- ha ha. He still avoids all doctors, dentists, chiropractors and the like.
May God bless you as we change seasons and in all seasons of your life.
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