Thursday, January 29, 2009
Big Happy Birthday wishes to our Bailey boy !!
Bailey turns 11 years old today. Just a little remembering of my chunky, baby boy with some pictures....
Bailey at 8 months old.
Bailey on his first Halloween- 9 months-- one of my favorite pictures of him.
Bailey's 1st Birthday !!
Bailey at 8 months old.
Bailey on his first Halloween- 9 months-- one of my favorite pictures of him.
Bailey's 1st Birthday !!
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Bailey's conference.
Bailey had a teacher's conference last night, and it was student led. Bailey had to take me through all he has been learning and how he thinks he is doing, etc.
He practiced beforehand in class, but nonetheless he was still nervous, although he will tell you he wasn't. He did fine. His teacher only injected a few things, otherwise, Bailey spent the entire 15 min leading the conference. The MCA tests are coming up this spring again, and he went through what his scores were the past 2 years.
His communications class which involves; vocabulary,grammar and spelling, he is doing very well in, the communications grade is a B+, and spelling tests is an A+,@ 101%, he gets the challenge words right too. Woo Hoo!!
Math is another story....he has been learning mutiplication, division, fractions, scientific notation, base ten, shorthand, average, order of operations....don't even ask me what some of that is. It just must be a hard class, as he is getting a D+
(77%), but she based that on using only 4 assignments/tests she has graded. She doesn't grade homework, as it is practice for them, and hasn't added into consideration yet a few other tests or attendance and participation. So she fully expects his grade to get to a C fairly easily, but still....The class average is a C for the class, how tough is that for a 5th grader. Bailey says he understands most of it, but struggles with some concepts. I told him he needs to ask more questions then. I asked her about how we never really see any math homework come home to maybe help him with it, and his teacher explained that they do most of it during class or homework free-time, because alot of the concepts that they teach now days the parents can't help much.....I agreed with her, and put Bailey into her hands to help him understand math. I know what it's like to struggle in math, so I hope he asks questions now and gets a grap on these concepts, to make future math classes better....it doesn't get any easier. I think by the end of the year he'll come out of it a little better.
Science is going well and he is at the class average with 83% which is a B. They have learned alot about the solar system recently and Bailey enjoys that.
Finally, there is Social Studies, which he is getting a 90% (A-). He says the class is boring, but likes the teacher, Mr Schmidt, so I guess that can help some.
He is passing Phy-ed, Music, and Keyboarding.( he finished Art and went into Keyboarding now). Gosh I wasn't in keyboarding--well we called it typing back then--until 9th or 10th grade. He also says he doesn't like that class, but as long as he tries his best. He just finished up swimming in Phy-ed which was the last 3 weeks, which he hated--he is so nervous about not being as good of a swimmer as his classmates, but he got through it fine. Next on the agenda is floor hockey, I believe- he's happy about that!!
Band he is getting what looks to be a B. I'm not sure how the grading works, as we didn't get a chance to talk to Mr Roser, but he is doing well.
Bailey has decided he doesn't want to do band anymore and has been restating this several times in the last month or so. He has to continue on this year, because it's required, and he made the decision and commitment to play. I'm not really sure what changed his mind, he just says he doesn't like it anymore and it's getting too hard. I'm kinda bummed that he might just quit after only 1 year and I'm hoping he'll change his mind....he knows we can't afford the trumpet if he quits, so we'll have to return it....I guess for now, he will continue on, and we'll see what next school year brings. His next concert is February 24 @ 7pm, so for now we are looking forward to that.
He practiced beforehand in class, but nonetheless he was still nervous, although he will tell you he wasn't. He did fine. His teacher only injected a few things, otherwise, Bailey spent the entire 15 min leading the conference. The MCA tests are coming up this spring again, and he went through what his scores were the past 2 years.
His communications class which involves; vocabulary,grammar and spelling, he is doing very well in, the communications grade is a B+, and spelling tests is an A+,@ 101%, he gets the challenge words right too. Woo Hoo!!
Math is another story....he has been learning mutiplication, division, fractions, scientific notation, base ten, shorthand, average, order of operations....don't even ask me what some of that is. It just must be a hard class, as he is getting a D+
(77%), but she based that on using only 4 assignments/tests she has graded. She doesn't grade homework, as it is practice for them, and hasn't added into consideration yet a few other tests or attendance and participation. So she fully expects his grade to get to a C fairly easily, but still....The class average is a C for the class, how tough is that for a 5th grader. Bailey says he understands most of it, but struggles with some concepts. I told him he needs to ask more questions then. I asked her about how we never really see any math homework come home to maybe help him with it, and his teacher explained that they do most of it during class or homework free-time, because alot of the concepts that they teach now days the parents can't help much.....I agreed with her, and put Bailey into her hands to help him understand math. I know what it's like to struggle in math, so I hope he asks questions now and gets a grap on these concepts, to make future math classes better....it doesn't get any easier. I think by the end of the year he'll come out of it a little better.
Science is going well and he is at the class average with 83% which is a B. They have learned alot about the solar system recently and Bailey enjoys that.
Finally, there is Social Studies, which he is getting a 90% (A-). He says the class is boring, but likes the teacher, Mr Schmidt, so I guess that can help some.
He is passing Phy-ed, Music, and Keyboarding.( he finished Art and went into Keyboarding now). Gosh I wasn't in keyboarding--well we called it typing back then--until 9th or 10th grade. He also says he doesn't like that class, but as long as he tries his best. He just finished up swimming in Phy-ed which was the last 3 weeks, which he hated--he is so nervous about not being as good of a swimmer as his classmates, but he got through it fine. Next on the agenda is floor hockey, I believe- he's happy about that!!
Band he is getting what looks to be a B. I'm not sure how the grading works, as we didn't get a chance to talk to Mr Roser, but he is doing well.
Bailey has decided he doesn't want to do band anymore and has been restating this several times in the last month or so. He has to continue on this year, because it's required, and he made the decision and commitment to play. I'm not really sure what changed his mind, he just says he doesn't like it anymore and it's getting too hard. I'm kinda bummed that he might just quit after only 1 year and I'm hoping he'll change his mind....he knows we can't afford the trumpet if he quits, so we'll have to return it....I guess for now, he will continue on, and we'll see what next school year brings. His next concert is February 24 @ 7pm, so for now we are looking forward to that.
Monday, January 26, 2009
A workin' man, a cousin's night, and a birthday boy.
Yea!! Steve has worked 2 days in a row!! Well Friday and now today (Monday). He had the weekend off like a normal person, to get Bailey to hockey. So that was nice.... I had to work all weekend, so I didn't have much time to do anything but do a little laundry and such. I wasted most of Sat and Sunday just waiting to go to work. It's gettin a little tight with money around here( ok alot!)-- so I'm glad he has something to do. Although I am a little bummed that he will be missing Bailey's teacher conference tonight. Bailey gets to lead the conference, and tell us about everything with the guidence of the teacher. Bailey is nervous.
We had the cousins sleepover one night too. The kids really enjoy having someone over to play with. Steve played "Mr. Mom" with all the kids while I worked. The girls need to learn that every toy and item Hannah owns doesn't need to be brought out. Some of the things I haven't seen Hannah play with in ages, but it's all over her floor now. She had to make a path to get to her bed last night. Hannah doesn't play well by herself, in fact she rarely plays anything she has, unless someone plays with her, so rarely will I ever see a mess like that in her room. She will be spending the next days or however long it takes her, to clean it all up. She will not be happy with me, when I am insistant. I'm afraid to go upstairs as if I look at it too much or think about it, I will end up cleaning it up--just the thought of it makes me wanna run up and get it clean. I hate messes.
This week on Thursday, is Bailey's birthday, and he turns 11, and by the weekend we will be headed up to Grand Rapids on Friday to Bailey's hockey tournament. Bailey is excited for both. My parents will head directly to Grand Rapids from WI and are spending the weekend with us in the hotel for Bailey's birthday and hockey.
Have a good week !! God Bless.
We had the cousins sleepover one night too. The kids really enjoy having someone over to play with. Steve played "Mr. Mom" with all the kids while I worked. The girls need to learn that every toy and item Hannah owns doesn't need to be brought out. Some of the things I haven't seen Hannah play with in ages, but it's all over her floor now. She had to make a path to get to her bed last night. Hannah doesn't play well by herself, in fact she rarely plays anything she has, unless someone plays with her, so rarely will I ever see a mess like that in her room. She will be spending the next days or however long it takes her, to clean it all up. She will not be happy with me, when I am insistant. I'm afraid to go upstairs as if I look at it too much or think about it, I will end up cleaning it up--just the thought of it makes me wanna run up and get it clean. I hate messes.
This week on Thursday, is Bailey's birthday, and he turns 11, and by the weekend we will be headed up to Grand Rapids on Friday to Bailey's hockey tournament. Bailey is excited for both. My parents will head directly to Grand Rapids from WI and are spending the weekend with us in the hotel for Bailey's birthday and hockey.
Have a good week !! God Bless.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Vigilance is imparative, perfection impossible
We had Hannah's 6 week check up on Wednesday this week, at the McNeeley Pediatric Diabetes Clinic in St Paul. It's actually been 7 weeks already since diagnosis. It seems like it was just yesterday, although I realize we have come a long way since then, but it's all still so new to us.
Hannah and diabetes is a reality, a reality of our current lives and forever. We pray nightly for a cure and hope in the years to come to be more involved in the JDRF.
We are still in the process of learning. We had our last scheduled diabetes education class on Wed, which was on the topic of Pattern Management. Which in other words is teaching us the steps to follow to adjust Hannah's doses on our own. Up until now we've had to call the clinic with adjustments each time. It will take some practice and some more learning how to do this, but I believe we now have the steps to make the decisions on our own, but always have the support of the doctors and nurses.
Hannah is really doing well as far as her blood sugar levels, we finally seem to have a good dose for the time being. Although it can change in an instant as she changes and adjusts to different situations in life. Diabetes is never the same every day, our goal is to keep her blood sugar in her target range as often as possible. Vigilance is imparative, but perfection is impossible.
She has gained another pound, and is up to 49 lbs and has grown almost an inch in a few months. She was down to 42 lbs at the time of diagnosis, so she has come a long way in a short time.
Everything seems to be going along, and each day we deal with it, we do what needs to be done. Some days are better, some are hard, some are just plain overwhelming.
How do you deal with the emotions of a 7 yr old, plus your own emotions? We try to put in all in perspective and move on.
Hannah is still struggling to take it all in, but then as I think of us doing this routine, which seems like we've been doing it all forever now, I realize it's only been less than 2 months, and I may be expecting too much from her. She is very interested in seeing other kids with diabetes, and watching and learning about diabetes from the websites online. There is a site with videos of other kids and she loved watching them and how they deal with diabetes....she can really relate to them. All those kids have had diabetes for a few years or have the pump, etc, and she is facianated by them and how far they've come with dealing with it, but then she realizes she is not at that point yet. There was a video of a 4 yr old girl who was bascily doing it all, testing her blood sugar, and getting her pump site ready, and such. Hannah has been off and on with helping me with everything. One day she'll be all excited to be the grown up and set it all up and other days not so much.
She has taken another step though in her care and has been loading the test strip with her blood. Soon I bet she will be able to poke her finger.
The insulin shots are always a stalling tactic yet. It takes her like 10 min to get ready for the shot(s). The alcohol wipe we apply to her leg has to dry first, so she makes that take as long as possible, then she has to "get ready", by usually having her blanket snuggled up close, and will most likely whine until it's all over, even if it doesn't hurt. Soemtimes it will hurt a little more, but other times she will say that didnt' even hurt, but whines beforehand nonetheless.
We have to get her a little out of her routine at some point, because as of now will only take her insulin in her right thigh, it's how it always has been done and I almost wish they would have tried different spots in the hospital, because now she is so comfortable with the leg, she will not think of trying the back of her arm, butt, or tummy. We watched videos of kids getting the insulin in the arm, and tummy, and it looks so much easier, esp., when she gets to the point of doing it herself or possibly getting the pump in the future, which most likely will go on her tummy. The pump, which she is not interested in yet, probably because she doesn't know much about it yet, will elminate all the injections, as she can bolus herself or we can with the push of a button. The pump site would need to be changed weekly, but one poke would be better than 30-40 injections in a week. I'm kinda looking forward to that for her. But for now we just have to watch her leg/thigh, so she doesn't get red lumps or fat build up from overuse of the same spot, we try not to hit the exact same spot each time and move it around, but her leg is only so big.
Hannah is still in a strong "honeymoon phase", as they call it. Her pancreas is still producing insulin to some degree, in the reamining beta cells in her body, it helps her body out some, and right now is on very low doses of insulin because of that. As the months pass those cells will die out leaving her pancreas and the cells non-insulin producing at all. The honeymoon phase can last a few weeks up to a year. There is no test to determine how long this will last. We know Hannah is in this phase by her relatively low insulin amounts needed right now.
Hannah is doing well physically, emotionally we still have some things to work out with her....she can be so happy and loving at one point, but then some days, and this may just be Hannah, but she can be so crabby about something so simple, like having to dress herself can throw her into a angry fit, or listening to instructions from me, will bring her to a mad frustration instantly. There have been a few handfuls of situations we've had to deal with her, that have seemed to escalate from her typical whiney self and now adding diabetes to her life hasn't helped. I pray that this is just still so new to her and it will get better soon.
We are all done at the St Paul location for now, as they also have a clinic in Minnetonka off 494 which is a little closer for us to go, so on April 2, we will have her 1st 3 month doctor visit with the endocrinologist at Children's West. They will also test her A1C level for the first time since diagnosis, which back then it was over 10%. It will be tested every 3 months for accurate blood suagar levels over the previous 3 months. It is recommended that the % be 6.5-7%, so that will be our goal over her life now.
Things will get a little hectic again as we will be planning and enjoying a week in Mexcio soon !! I hope we can find some time to relax and have fun, but I suspect that this vacation will have it's share of stress and frustration as well.
Still looking forward to the memories, however they play out.
Hannah and diabetes is a reality, a reality of our current lives and forever. We pray nightly for a cure and hope in the years to come to be more involved in the JDRF.
We are still in the process of learning. We had our last scheduled diabetes education class on Wed, which was on the topic of Pattern Management. Which in other words is teaching us the steps to follow to adjust Hannah's doses on our own. Up until now we've had to call the clinic with adjustments each time. It will take some practice and some more learning how to do this, but I believe we now have the steps to make the decisions on our own, but always have the support of the doctors and nurses.
Hannah is really doing well as far as her blood sugar levels, we finally seem to have a good dose for the time being. Although it can change in an instant as she changes and adjusts to different situations in life. Diabetes is never the same every day, our goal is to keep her blood sugar in her target range as often as possible. Vigilance is imparative, but perfection is impossible.
She has gained another pound, and is up to 49 lbs and has grown almost an inch in a few months. She was down to 42 lbs at the time of diagnosis, so she has come a long way in a short time.
Everything seems to be going along, and each day we deal with it, we do what needs to be done. Some days are better, some are hard, some are just plain overwhelming.
How do you deal with the emotions of a 7 yr old, plus your own emotions? We try to put in all in perspective and move on.
Hannah is still struggling to take it all in, but then as I think of us doing this routine, which seems like we've been doing it all forever now, I realize it's only been less than 2 months, and I may be expecting too much from her. She is very interested in seeing other kids with diabetes, and watching and learning about diabetes from the websites online. There is a site with videos of other kids and she loved watching them and how they deal with diabetes....she can really relate to them. All those kids have had diabetes for a few years or have the pump, etc, and she is facianated by them and how far they've come with dealing with it, but then she realizes she is not at that point yet. There was a video of a 4 yr old girl who was bascily doing it all, testing her blood sugar, and getting her pump site ready, and such. Hannah has been off and on with helping me with everything. One day she'll be all excited to be the grown up and set it all up and other days not so much.
She has taken another step though in her care and has been loading the test strip with her blood. Soon I bet she will be able to poke her finger.
The insulin shots are always a stalling tactic yet. It takes her like 10 min to get ready for the shot(s). The alcohol wipe we apply to her leg has to dry first, so she makes that take as long as possible, then she has to "get ready", by usually having her blanket snuggled up close, and will most likely whine until it's all over, even if it doesn't hurt. Soemtimes it will hurt a little more, but other times she will say that didnt' even hurt, but whines beforehand nonetheless.
We have to get her a little out of her routine at some point, because as of now will only take her insulin in her right thigh, it's how it always has been done and I almost wish they would have tried different spots in the hospital, because now she is so comfortable with the leg, she will not think of trying the back of her arm, butt, or tummy. We watched videos of kids getting the insulin in the arm, and tummy, and it looks so much easier, esp., when she gets to the point of doing it herself or possibly getting the pump in the future, which most likely will go on her tummy. The pump, which she is not interested in yet, probably because she doesn't know much about it yet, will elminate all the injections, as she can bolus herself or we can with the push of a button. The pump site would need to be changed weekly, but one poke would be better than 30-40 injections in a week. I'm kinda looking forward to that for her. But for now we just have to watch her leg/thigh, so she doesn't get red lumps or fat build up from overuse of the same spot, we try not to hit the exact same spot each time and move it around, but her leg is only so big.
Hannah is still in a strong "honeymoon phase", as they call it. Her pancreas is still producing insulin to some degree, in the reamining beta cells in her body, it helps her body out some, and right now is on very low doses of insulin because of that. As the months pass those cells will die out leaving her pancreas and the cells non-insulin producing at all. The honeymoon phase can last a few weeks up to a year. There is no test to determine how long this will last. We know Hannah is in this phase by her relatively low insulin amounts needed right now.
Hannah is doing well physically, emotionally we still have some things to work out with her....she can be so happy and loving at one point, but then some days, and this may just be Hannah, but she can be so crabby about something so simple, like having to dress herself can throw her into a angry fit, or listening to instructions from me, will bring her to a mad frustration instantly. There have been a few handfuls of situations we've had to deal with her, that have seemed to escalate from her typical whiney self and now adding diabetes to her life hasn't helped. I pray that this is just still so new to her and it will get better soon.
We are all done at the St Paul location for now, as they also have a clinic in Minnetonka off 494 which is a little closer for us to go, so on April 2, we will have her 1st 3 month doctor visit with the endocrinologist at Children's West. They will also test her A1C level for the first time since diagnosis, which back then it was over 10%. It will be tested every 3 months for accurate blood suagar levels over the previous 3 months. It is recommended that the % be 6.5-7%, so that will be our goal over her life now.
Things will get a little hectic again as we will be planning and enjoying a week in Mexcio soon !! I hope we can find some time to relax and have fun, but I suspect that this vacation will have it's share of stress and frustration as well.
Still looking forward to the memories, however they play out.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
motivation
Are you interested in your goals, or are you fully committed? One of the most common complaints among goal setters nowadays is that there’s just not enough time to get to the ones that “really matter.” The real culprit is that most people don’t raise their goals beyond the level of general interest. They’re waiting for a vague time in the future when other things won’t get in the way or when they wrap things up. In other words, when it’s more convenient. And of course, that time never comes, does it? If your goals are truly that important to you, don’t let anything stand in your way. You have the power to say ‘no’ and to set your priorities. Make that commitment and you automatically create an obligation that you’re bound to fulfill.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Team Captian for a week
Bailey had a great hockey scrimmage on Sunday, which I was unable to attend because I had to work. So from what others have said....
They played River Lakes, which is a team they have played a few times already this year....we tend to scrimmage them alot for some game practice. It has always been some close games againest them.
Bailey apparently had a great game, and the team played well together... although we gave up 3 goals, Bailey came through and scored the game winning goal in the 3rd period for a 4-3 finish. I'm so glad the team was able to pull off a win in the final period, something they struggle with...they get nervous and usually end up loosing. I am really impressed with Bailey's increasing confidence this year, and hopefully they do just as well againest Delano on Saturday. Bailey has been given the big "C" to wear this week, as they pick a different kid to be captian after each game for the week until the next game. WAY TO GO LDC!!
I'll get a pic on here of his captian status as soon as I get one. :)
They played River Lakes, which is a team they have played a few times already this year....we tend to scrimmage them alot for some game practice. It has always been some close games againest them.
Bailey apparently had a great game, and the team played well together... although we gave up 3 goals, Bailey came through and scored the game winning goal in the 3rd period for a 4-3 finish. I'm so glad the team was able to pull off a win in the final period, something they struggle with...they get nervous and usually end up loosing. I am really impressed with Bailey's increasing confidence this year, and hopefully they do just as well againest Delano on Saturday. Bailey has been given the big "C" to wear this week, as they pick a different kid to be captian after each game for the week until the next game. WAY TO GO LDC!!
I'll get a pic on here of his captian status as soon as I get one. :)
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