"I need to test her"

As some of you know when Dylan has high sugar levels or is sick we have to check his urine for ketones. In simple terms ketones are sugars that dump into urine. And usually we have to tell him to wait to pee until we get in the bathroom because we need to test him (his urine).

Well for Christmas Aidan got a Little People bath toy that has a girl, a raft, and a dolphin. Since the Little People person is made for the bath she has an extra hole underneath to help drain the water out. Well last night in the tub we were playing with her and I noted to Dylan that when the water came out it looked like she was peeing. Well a few minutes later Dylan was playing with her and while the water was draining out Dylan said, "I need to test her". Dave and I thought it was pretty funny.

Christmas gifts

It was a wonderful Christmas and we all had a wonderful day. Dylan is at that lovely age where he thinks it is all about him and getting, getting, getting. But all in all he was good (besides having a terrible congested cough) and did very well for himself. Thanks to all :)

I too did very well this Christmas but wanted to post about two of my favorite gifts this year. One of them is the nomination charm I got from Dave. It says "I Love Someone With Diabetes". Not sure why, but it made me tear up. And the other gift that I truly love and that made me cry is the necklace Dylan got for me. At his school they have a Santa sale where the kids bring in money and can buy gifts for relatives. The volunteer parents wrap them and everything. On Christmas morning he handed me a jewelery gift box and when I opened it there was beautiful heart necklace in there. It was the sweetest gift. It just brought tears to my eyes to know that he picked it out himself for me.

Aidan's finally saying.....

"mama"!!!! YAY!!!!!

Though he doesn't always say it for calling me, but I am just super excited that he is finally making the effort and can say it. I was starting to worry about when he would start talking and if it would be an issue at the next doctor appointment, but he is really starting to try to say different words and make different animal sounds.

Yay, for Aidan!!

No luck this time of year for us

Well as you all know Dylan was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes last December and now we have another family member that has been struck ill at this time of year. Yesterday we woke up and noticed that Baxter was limping and not putting pressure on his front left paw. We thought maybe it was just bruised so we let him relax yesterday. Last night it still wasn't better and during the night he was shaking at times, especially when he inhaled. I was quite upset not knowing what was wrong. The shaking did stop but this morning he was still limping.

I decided not to put it off any longer and called the vet. We, yes, we meaning all four of us, took him to the vet. The vet examined him and said his ankle was a bit swollen and he had a bit of a temperature. He said it could be lymes disease and that they could do a quick 15 minute test to see if that was what it was. If not then they would move on and do an xray. Well we waited 15 minutes and the vet came out with the tester and showed us it was positive for lymes disease. Luckily it is treatable with antibiotics but he did say that some people believe you can't really cure it and about 20% of dogs will have recurring cases. So we just pray that after 21 days of the antibiotic he is all better.

It just bugs me because we use Frontline (a flea and tick preventive medicine) on him and he hasn't really been anywhere in the past few months except our backyard and the boarding kennel where he could get a tick on him. A gentleman in the waiting room did tell us that birds tend to carry the deer ticks around as well so maybe that is how one got in our backyard. Dave and I are going to be so much more deligint about checking the boys even when they are in our own backyard.

It's SNOWING!!!

Who could ask for a more perfect backdrop to us decorating the tree today. Just wanted to share :)

December 1st---a date we will always remember

Hard, and sad, to believe that tomorrow marks one year since Dylan was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. I didn't think I would be one of those moms that thinks about the pre-D days, but for the past few days I have been thinking about those days and the days leading up to his diagnosis. I will never forget that shocked feeling I had when I took him to his pediatrician and he told me the news. It was utter shock and I don't think I understood the huge turn our lives were about to take. And then seeing my poor little boy spend the next 5 days in the hospital.

Luckily we are spending the weekend busy with Christmas decorating so it won't be such a downer of a weekend. We have plans to have portraits taken tomorrow, visit with Santa either tomorrow or Sunday, decorate the tree Sunday and build a gingerbread house. Quite a busy weekend but at least we won't be thinking about what a horrible time it was for us a year ago.

I just hope that soon we will be able to remember a more important date----the date he gets a cure.

Our first fever

Well it finally happened, one of the boys has a fever. Aidan woke up several times last night and we thought it was just from his teething. So Dave would go in and give him back his pacifier since he was having a hard time finding it. Around midnight nothing Dave did could console him so I went in to see if there was anything I could do. I sat down in the glider with him and immediately could tell he was really warm. At first I thought that maybe it was because Dave was holding him (Dave tends to run on the warmer side) but after a few minutes he was still warm. We gave him some motrin and took his temp. It was 101.8 degrees.

Since this was our first experience with one of them having a fever we weren't sure what constitutes a high fever so we called the on-call nurse and she told us it was a low grade fever and to continue to give him motrin. She said the fever could spike again before it goes away and that it could be the result of his flu booster shot he got yesterday.

He had a hard time sleeping last night so he slept with us from 3:30 on and was acting fine today besides being a little cranky (probably from the fever and fatigue). He has eaten okay, not great, and is nursing fine. His temp at 9:00 this morning was 101.2 degrees. Hoping it continues to go down and is back to himself soon. He fell asleep early for his nap and hopefully it will be a nice long one to help him get better.

"Trick-or-Treat; what's this?"

So yesterday was Halloween and Dylan was all excited about going trick-or-treating. He knew exactly what to do: knock on the door and say trick-or-treat. We told him that after he got the candy/treat he had to say thank you. Well, instead Dylan would get the candy and ask, "what's this?". And it wasn't just the first few houses, it was every single time he got something (unless it was M&Ms which he recognizes). After awhile we told him to say thank you and then come down to me or Dave (whomever was down at the sidewalk) and ask us what it was. He said, "okay". But of course he never did. He continued to say "what's this?" Dave or I would answer him and then he would say thank you.

Another funny note about the evening was toward the end we went to a house and the owner put the bowl out for them to pick something. There was a bunch of candy in the bowl and some juice boxes. Dylan said, "ooooh, a juice box, yay!" and grabbed a juice box. As we were walking away I reminded him that he can't have juice. He said, "I know unless I am low". Dave and I chuckled and told him that he was correct and he could have some when he was low.

All in all it was a fun night and they both got to sample a treat or two while we were out and about.

A Sweet Moment

Every night when Dave or I put Dylan to bed we sing him some songs before leaving the room. On Saturday night Dylan wanted both Dave and I to sing to him. So Dave was standing in his room and I was standing by the doorway. Dylan said, "No, Mommy stand IN my room". So I moved into the room next to Dave and, with our arms around each other, we started singing. Dylan then said, "I have an idea. I will sing with you" and proceeded to stand up in his bed so we could hold him. So, both Dave and I held Dylan up and together in a big hug the three of us sang Dylan's bedtime songs. It was a really sweet moment for Dave and I.

Boy it sure has been a long time since I posted. And since I have a quick moment without Aidan hanging on me by the computer I can sit and post.

This past Thursday Dylan had his Halloween party at school and I signed up to help in the class. I got to be there the whole 2 1/2 hours he is there and watch him with the other kids. It was a lot of fun. I helped the kids glue together a witch craft and then they got to make a pumpkin with a rice cake, orange icing, and candy corn. I was worried about what would happen when the other kids ate theirs and Dylan wouldn't or only would get a piece of it. Well lucky for us they don't allow the kids to eat them (or other food projects) because of allergies that some kids might have. They pack them up and send them home. It was such a relief and it makes me more comfortable for future party crafts if I am not able to be there. I also got to witness him dance around with the other kids. It was a nice experience and hopefully I will be able to do it again. I was thankful Grandpa was able to watch Aidan for me so I could do it.

Well that is it for my post for now because Aidan is whining in the living room which means that Dylan is probably trying to take something away from him.

Next week Dylan gets to dress up in his Halloween costume and partake in a Halloween parade at school.