Need your opinion

I am in need of 2 things from all the readers out there...
1.  What scale do you recommend for home use? And which do you recommend for travel use.  We need to get a serious scale.  Not that the one we have isnt serious... but it well isnt... So let me know the good the bad and the ugly about shopping for one.

2.  During D-Blog week someone posted what looked like great mini egg quiches made in a muffin tin they use for breakfast. I cant find the reciepe now can anyone help me out?

THANKS so much!!

Day 6- Diabetes Snapshots

Day 6 - Diabetes snapshots. Inspired by the Diabetes 365 project, let’s snap a few d-related pictures to share today. Post as many or as few as you’d like. Be creative! Feel free to blog your thoughts on or explanations of your pictures. Or leave out the written words and let the pictures speak for themselves.

This is hard for me as I haven't focused on the photo taking yet but thought Id post some I have. 

This is Joshua 24 hours after DX. He was notdoing well here.  Ill tell his story later but this is still in the PICU and we were still praying for everything to be okay.

This is his ER Doc in Blue and one of his nurses in Red that came back to check on him.  They almost lost him because no one expected him to be Diabetic. They thought he had a virus or head injury.  The Doctor is credited with saving his life as she "smelled" the diabetes. 

Before we left the PICU I had to do his shot!  This was very hard for me!  (as I know you are aware of)

our first night in our room.  I hated this thing on his arm!

our awesome doctor!! She ROCKS!

Our Hospital team!  Dr. G, Dr. Rachel Cohen (our amazing resident), Renee, our Nurse Educator, and the 1st year intern who I never got his name.  The staff learned quick to cover their scrubs so Joshua would let them near him!  He loved Rachel and so did I. She spent an amazing amount of time with me helping me come to terms with everything. 

Leaving the hospital after 7 long days!! IT WAS SO GREAT to go home!

This is the number of needles Joshua uses in 3 weeks!!

This is an image that I took for granted prior to 2/13/10.  I always assumed Id celebrate his big day with a birthday cake smashing. When we were in the hospital I remember crying myself to sleep one night because I didn't think my baby would be able to have birthday cake.  (not that I needed the cake smashing, but that it was something he COULD NOT have)  3 weeks later we had these taken and then had the biggest celebration party with birthday cake you can dream of.  We were so thankful that we were able to be with our baby! 

Day 5- Lets get Moving

Day 5- Let's get moving. Exercise . . . love it or hate it? Do you have a regular exercise routine? Or do you have trouble finding your exercise motivation? How do you manage your insulin and food to avoid bottoming out during your workout? Today is the day to tell us all about your exercise habits, or lack thereof.

Okay so I didnt quit I just got behind... I have a ton of excuses but this is not the time or the place:)  With Joshua being only 14 months old exercise is not a problem for us.  He is learning things everyday from climbing, to running, we have a gym class we go to every week plus he is following his big brother everywhere:)  This is a really easy one for us.

Day 4- To carb or not to carb . . .

Blog Week Thursday 5/13 - To carb or not to carb. Today let’s blog about what we eat. And perhaps what we don’t eat. Some believe a low carb diet is important in diabetes management, while others believe carbs are fine as long as they are counted and bolused for. Which side of the fence do you fall on? What kind of things do you eat for meals and snacks? What foods do you deem bolus-worthy? What other foodie wisdom would you like to share?



Okay this is an easy one. Since Joshua was only 11 months old (now 14 months) our doctor was very specific about this. She told us that in Joshua's case he need all the regular and normal food that every other child has. She has told me not to limit him at all since he is developing. She said later in life when things are different we can talk about carb control. I do of course take into thought that if he was high at check then to make sure to go lighter on the carbs at meal time. This being said we were strict with Jackson at this age on what he ate too. So we don’t have things like gummy worms every day or chips with every meal. Sweets go bad in our house before they get eaten. If I make a cake or cupcakes they go to work with my hubby after we have each had one or so. I don’t stock junk food. Jackson's snacks involve craisns, trail mix, goldfish and fruit. Both boys love steamed carrots and broccoli but I can not get Joshua to eat much more then that. Breakfast is usually, Eggs, Pancakes, cheerios, oatmeal. Lunch is PBJ (not Joshua for a few more months) turkey and cheese or quesadillas. Dinner is usually a meat, veggie and sometimes a starch. This can be a casserole or individual parts. I have only made one recipe from scratch since Dx as I am scared to mess it up and do the math wrong. It was a Mexican casserole that went over great!


I need help on figuring out great dinner meals that are not ready made (easy carb counting). I love to make casseroles but am struggling to find ways to count them and make it work for the entire family. I am not a separate meal chick. Any ideas??

My Biggest Supporter- Day 3

Wow, so this week is much harder to keep up with then I thought but I am proud that I am on day 3! I feel like I am back at Longwood doing my English 101 assignments... Thank God I am not being graded on them.
As Joanne said I don’t think Brian can count. He is my co-pilot in this life. We are both supported by so many people. Yes the day to day falls on me however the burden and the responsibility is 100% shared. So taking him out of this question~


This is a tough one to answer. There have been so many people who have supported us from the moment Joshua was rushed to the ER. I was at a conference in Maryland apx 5 hours away from home when it happened. I got the call and apx 20 creative memories consultants that I know and love and several more I don’t know, surrounded us in prayer. Then there was the West Family... my good dear friend Hillary who has suffered her own loss packed up her family and drove me the 5 long hours home, she got a ticket, missed the conference, her kids were back in the car less than 12 hours from when they arrived but she got me to the hospital. There was the doctors and nurses at the hospital explaining things, talking to my husband giving him the info to pass on to me via phone, the resident who when I arrived spent hours holding my hand and crying with me. The staff in our endo office who have time and time again answered the same questions 15 times for me. My brother and sister in law who arrived at the hospital to be with Brian until I could get there, who were just “there” for him.


My parents who picked up Jackson and took him to their house, shopped to get supplies in the house and are the sounding board when I am spinning. They have been there 24 hours a day for me to call and work through something with. My mom has done a lot of watching Jackson for appointments or watched Joshua in my van so I can have Jackson at an appointment but have Joshua close by. I am truly grateful for the strength they have taught me to have, without it I could not survive this.
My in-laws who like myself were not local when everything started but who drove 3 hours just to be there if needed, stayed at the house to help with Jackson if needed, made food for us and supported Brian in ways that only his parents can, have contributed financially to the insulin fund to help out, supported us with calls, encouragement and prayers!


There were the people who showed up at the hospital with food and goodies to keep us fed. There were the countless people who brought meals the house MWF for 2 months straight who just wanted to help make things easier... I can never thank them enough for that. The people who placed us on every prayer list they can. My brother in law and sister in law in Seattle that signed up for the walk within days of our DX, who began researching and finding things for us while we were still in the hospital. My other Brother and sister in law who has been strongest sounding board, she is a pharmacist so she answers each question I have, Mike is one of Joshua's God Fathers and he has been there for me to listen to me and remind me to take care of me. I have friends like you wouldn’t believe that have picked Jackson up for play dates, time for him to be a kid, talked with me for hours, are asking to be taught how to help care for Joshua should the need arise. These friends have helped me to feel normal on some of the most un-normal days.


The online community has been a life line for me without question. You all understand and know what I am going through better and before I do. I can’t thank you enough for all you have given me in this short time but there is one person who if not for her I would not have found you or connected the way I should have... My sister Sara.


Words cannot express the support she has given us. She may not even know what she has done. Many of you may have read her on this blog and have visited her site as well. You see Sara lives in Rochester, NY, I live in Chesapeake, VA we are apx 13 hours apart. This wasn’t a big deal when she moved. We weren’t that close. Now we have the relationship my parents dreamt we would have for years. She is my best friend. We talk usually 2 times a day. She is Joshua's God Mother and was with me in the delivery room the second he was born. When she heard what was happening her world was crashing around her, her job as an sign language interpreter was on the brink of being lost, she was planning a wonderful wedding for October, her fiancé was in his first year of residency and yet she didn’t hesitate for a second. She was on the next plane here for 2 WEEKS! She moved in to my small cozy home and slept on a sofa for the entire time. She became my "wife" while Brian had to go back to work. She cooked, cleaned, did laundry, took Jackson to school with me. She learned how to test, what was high, what was low, helped me set up the schedule and plan and let me cry. All so I could adjust to living with this game changer. Mom and Sara found you all and she pushed encouraged me to connect with you. She continues to support me in so many ways. Since she was here for so much early on she knows what to ask, understands when I say I just need to not think about D and when I just need to vent. She is my go to gal. I can’t find up or down if I haven’t talked to her in a day.

To all of you: it's only been 4 months since this took over our lives thank you for all you have done to help us find our new normal. We love you for it!

Making the lows go - Day 2

As you already know Joshua is only 14 months old so some of the suggestions they gave us at dx were not applicable. When we came home from the hospital, juice was our go to fix because that is what they told us. I didn’t know better and I was very distraught that my 11 month old was getting so much juice when my 4 year old only got juice starting at 2 it was watered down and still is. So, I started reading the "D mom's" blogs and heard about Bananas. Now he gets 1/2 banana and we are perfect. We still use juice for overnight since I can’t get him to eat and stay asleep. I will say I have learned banana's are hard to pack for a day out. I’m still on the search for a good snack for out and about.



THANKS again ladies for such support and help!

This post is on the topic “making the low go” as part of the Diabetes Blog Week 2010. For more participating blogs, visit Bitter-Sweet.

Day 1... A day in the life of Diabetes

So I am a little late getting started on this, but I am excited about the challenge of posting everyday and having a topic to write about. I’m even more excited about the 95 other bloggers I get to read their advice and supportive words. “A Day in the Life…With Diabetes” is a part of the Diabetes Blog Week 2010. For more participating blogs, visit Bitter-Sweet. In our house we have Jackson who is 4 and not diabetic and then Joshua who is 14 months and we are only 3 months in to our DX. So with a preschooler and a toddler the one thing I can tell you is that it is never routine.

I’m not sure the day ever really ends. To steal some things people have said Joanne at Death of a Pancreas compares it to the movie Ground Hog day and that is perfect! Someone else said you never really sleep it is just short naps around the clock. However for my log books we start at 7:00am so let’s start there:

7am- Wake up (usually by smooches from Jackson- he likes to wake the sleeping princess)
Test Joshua hope for anything over 100- we are still fighting lows we need to be between 100-200 and the Dr. prefers us to be high then low of course. For friends and family who don't know every test is a finger or toe prick for Joshua and more than one if the meter is acting up and gives an error. Joshua gets food first and insulin after since he is so young we don’t know how much he will eat. Breakfast is anything I can get him to eat. Usually he and Jackson split a banana, he might eat oatmeal, 1/2 frozen waffle, sausage no EGGS he spits them out every single time. Calculate carbs that he ate and didn’t throw on the ground. Give Lantus dose, and diluted insulin. This dose is vital as it sets the tone for the rest of our day. During this I am fighting with Jackson to eat quickly as I can already tell we are running late. Then I have to give Jackson his controller inhaler, brush teeth, get dressed and need be out the door by 8:30 to get Jackson to school.

8:45- running out the door (now we are going to be late) make sure I have the magic blue bag that as all of Joshua's essentials

8:47 run back in and put the dog inside... I saw her nose poking through the gate in the backyard

9:02 unbuckle both kids get Jackson inside and then get back to the car with Joshua. Praying Joshua didn’t fall asleep in the 15 mins it took to get there.

      Mondays we go to our kids class so we test before class to make sure I didn’t mess anything up enjoy class but deal with my used to be sweet and loveable child not wanting to go to anyone else. Ever since the hospital he is VERY CLINGY! 10:15- Class ends test again to make sure he didn’t go low... then he wants his milk (7.5 cbs= .5u) because he is exhausted as he still takes two naps. Figure out what I am going to do for the next hour because driving home and getting him out of the car is not an option just to turn around and get back in. This means he will only get 10 mins sleep. So I usually end up sitting in the car making phone calls for my business.

(Non Mondays)

9:30 Home from dropping Jackson off- try to do some house things done give Joshua milk for mid morning snack and he sleeps for 1 hour. Try to get house vacuumed, CM work done, Dishes done, shower, laundry, update log sheet for Dr.

11:15 leave to pick up Jackson-

11:30 realize I have to be at Jacksons by 11:45 and I have haven’t left yet... Get to Jackson's school Check to make sure he had a good day with no issues, explain that no we can’t go to McDonalds today with our friends (He would go everyday if we could)

12:00 Home to make lunch- TEST Joshua... is he high from the morning snack or just high..(it hasn’t been 3 hours yet hmm so should I correct??) Make Jackson lunch and figure out the carbs in Joshua's and do math-

1:00 Jackson to nap Joshua to play time with mommy- who cares that I have 50 emails and dishes and laundry and etc...

2:00-3:00 ish Joshua nap time, (if Jackson hasn’t woken up yet then I get to choose nap, work, or house work) hmmm what to choose

3:30-4:30ish Joshua starts to wake up TEST to make sure not low

6:00 Dinner ( I swear I want it to be earlier but it never is) TEST AGAIN! try to get a veggie and meat into Joshua (still struggling with Jackson probably because I haven’t spent enough time with him today) figure out how many carbs and dose.

7:00 Bath- Brian is helping a TON at this time (he usually does bath while I clean up from Dinner)

7:30-8:30 I put Joshua down while he does Jackson- Try and get Joshua to take 7.5cb milk =.5u if not HE WILL go low! Finished by 8:30 is usually now time for me to work on my job and business

10pm TEST to make sure nothing went wrong with dinner and milk dose.

12:00 am last test before we shut down for the night - if over 350 needs to dose. if under 150 must wake to feed as he will low.

3:00 am TEST if over 350 needs to dose. if under 150 must wake to feed as he will low. I have stayed up watching TV so that I don’t miss the 3 am test- although Brian and I are getting more use to the 3 am so we are waking up easier... I have hope that by next month can sleep at midnight.

** all of the above is based on no wake ups while testing, Jackson not causing a major meltdowns, no emergencies and no doctor appointments- we he had so many doctors appointments for so many things these days that it should be in our day in the life)