Silver Old Person's Car

Many years ago, and I wish I had pictures already on the computer instead of having to go find them and scan them in, I put Josh in a Mother's Day Out in Bryan @ the Church of Christ. It was called Son-Shine School, and he really liked it. I only put him in for 1 semester before he started regular school, as we had just moved to Bryan at the beginning of the fall semester 1994, and I didn't know anyone or any good place yet. He went with our neighbor's little boy. I want to say it was from 9-1p. I know he had to bring a lunch, and he thought that was so cool. I started Lauren at the St. Thomas Early Learning Center (?), for a semester and a half before she started school. I wish I would have left her in longer, but for location and price and hours it was, it was way to expensive. She tells me now she hated it, and had no friends, but who knows. I thought she had fun because she always seemed to have fun. She loved her teacher, Ms. Joon, and she always came home with the cutest things. So after that, I just kept having baby after baby. Haha!! The kids just played with each other, and I didn't have to worry about paying for anything. We did do some playgroups here and there along the way, and all had fun.
Joey, age 4. Starting his first day of school.

Well, in the fall of 2009, all started school except Joey. He still had 3 years left at home!! 1st year was okay... he pretty much lived at Mamaw's & Papaw's house, but not this year. They are always gone now for appts, or they are taking naps, and so I never know when he can go over, so unless they call to see if he wants to come over, he stays with me. And he is bored with me. And I give in easy now. "Why yes, Joey, you can watch TV all day, or play DS all day!" Boy, what a great Mom I have turned out to be!! For the past year or so, I have been hearing only great things about the little pre-school that the Church of Christ has here in Ashdown. Last week was the end of my rope! I got a hold of the director of it (friend on Facebook... easy!), and she said that he could start today. Kayley found him a small backpack at Walmart for $5.00, and I got him a package of Pull-ups. He just won't use the bathroom for me... another reason I was at the end of my rope!! He started today, and has been in the same Pull-up all day!! He told me he even went potty at school!! I am so happy!! I told Ronda (director) that I needed help with potty-training!! LOL!! Funny story: I had to fill out all the papers for Joey to start, and it asked for all the people who could pick him up, and what type of cars they would be driving. I didn't know what kind of car my in-laws drive, but I do know it's silver. So I put down their names, and put down "silver old person's car." I wonder if she laughed? I need to ask. LOL!!!!
So he started school, and can't wait to go back!!

Braces!

Several years ago, I took Lauren in to start orthodontic work. Because she still had many teeth to lose, but her top 4 were permanent, and a mess, they decided to treat those to at least make them straighter. I allowed it to be done, not thinking it was going to take every bit of the insurance orthodontic allowance!! I was quite shocked!! Braces went off, and yes her top teeth are straighter, and yes we got new dental insurance so we now have her $2500 allowance back, but we switched orthodontics.

I took Lauren, Kayley & Jacob in last week. Lauren has since lost all of her baby teeth (we had the last one pulled in November!), and so now she is ready for braces. Not this coming weeks appt, but the appt after that, she will get them on. This next appt is when she gags, slobbers and whatnot as she is getting molds... haha!! Kayley had 4 spacers put in at the last appt and the $300 appliance that she is getting on next to hold her molars together will come out of dental insurance, not the orthodontic insurance, which is nice. Jacob is going to be a hold different story, as his jaw is not aligned right, and he will be the most expensive yet, but not until another year or so. After thinking about it all, for the next 11+ years, we will have kids in braces and probably will have paid Dr. Kurt Anderson abt $15k!

Our diabetes story

In December 2005, 7 year old Jacob was diagnosed with diabetes type 1. I still remember thinking how dumb I could have been for not knowing, even though way in the back of my mind I knew something was wrong with him. For years, he just didn't seem well, and it bothered me so much, that 2 times since he was about 3 I had his blood checked. Of course, it was only the finger stick, but I didn't know. Some of the things that had me worried: pupils dilated ALL THE TIME, started peeing the bed about age 5 when he was so easy to potty-train and NEVER had an accident once underwear was started, not even at night, and would throw-up at odd-times- like Easter Sunday morning, or in Sacrament Meeting during the opening song, telling me that his size 6 slim pants were now to big. The thing that got me real worried on that December morning was when I walked into his room, and standing naked wasn't Jacob, but a starving malnourished kid. I about died. I sent him to school though. I tried to make a doctor appt (this was a Friday), but none was available until Monday. I went to his classroom since I was the room mom for the Christmas Party that day. I was talking to his teacher who started asking me a few questions, like "do you ever notice he goes to the bathroom ALL day (um, no... he usually doesn't tell me he has to go at age 7), he fidgets in his seat (um, no again, because I don't ever see him in his seat at school), and that he is always thirsty (that I did notice, and summed it up as he was drinking way to much and so therefore was peeing the bed). She then mentioned diabetes, and something clicked in my head right then. DUH!?! How could I have not known this? I looked at Jacob sitting by 2 of his friends, and Jacob was gray!! He didn't even look good!! Good thing the party was about over, because I immediately took him home because I wanted Shawn to look at him before he left for work. Shawn took one look at him, and told me to call the doc immediately. As I was dialing, I was like I can't get an appt until Monday... but as soon as I asked for an appt immediately, they asked if I could be there in 45 minutes. Away we went to Texarkana to see Dr. Green. He took a look at him, and sent us to labs immediately. 30 minutes later, my worse fears were confirmed... his blood was 880, and that he needed to get to Children's in Little Rock (2 hrs away) immediately. Why he didn't send him to ER or had him admitted immediately, I don't know, but away to Little Rock we went. As soon as we got to ER at Children's, Jacob started throwing up, and was starting to go into... shoot I can't remember... but like coma-type. Of course, they rush him back, and in 1 hour... 1 HOUR... my Jacob looked normal!! He was up, alert and pink. I started crying a bit because I hadn't seen him pink for so long (I thought he looked normal before until I saw him and his friends). We were admitted to Children's for 3 days. Fast-forward: insulin, shots, tons of daily checks. It was awful. I started my research on something easier. I found out about the insulin pump. Doc in Little Rock REFUSED to have Jacob start on a pump at his 4 month check-up... "It'll be 10 years before he will ever get on a pump!" What?!?! I told him of 3 year olds with them, but he wouldn't listen. Shawn quit working at St. Michael's, and went back to St. Joseph's in Bryan. Insurance paid for a doc at Scott & White in Temple. Again, I asked the new doc about an insulin pump, and he said, "you have to attend 6- 2 hr classes held every Wednesday here, both you and your husband." What the he//? Don't you know I live 6 hrs away!! And eventually, Shawn quit St. Joseph's, and started working for Willis-Knighton in Shreveport in 2007. At the first appt we went to, I told Dr. McVie I wanted the insulin pump, and I wanted it yesterday! He gave us all the paperwork, and told me to call the phone number. And so I did. I will love Dr. McVie for the rest of my life! Any doctor that does not start their diabetic type 1 patients on an insulin pump immediately is doing the biggest disservice ever!! 1 week before we were to have the home health nurse come to start it all for us, we couldn't get Jacob's blood sugars up. Nothing we did was making him get out of the low range (40-50). He was admitted for 24 hrs at LSU. He was dehydrated. Of course with LSU being a training hospital, we saw lots of soon-to-be doctors!! I think we answered the same questions 100x times in a 24 hr period! And so the insulin pump was started, and this has been our life ever since.
Here is Jacob about to get his pump infusion site changed.
He has just ran out of insulin.

He stops the pump, and removes it from the site.

He takes off the fake site-

and then the site with the needle.

The new supplies that we have to use.

Filling the reservoir with insulin.

After filling it and getting everything ready.

Reservoir attached to tubing and sites.

Finding a place to stick it.
The red dot is where it was the last time.

It's stuck with really sticky stuff
(the needle is now in)!

An the fake site is stuck on now too. The fake site
helps the real needle from being pulled out.

Attaching the tubing to the fake site.

And the pump is back on, delivering a drop of insulin every second!

He has also been tested for Celiac's Disease, and so far his results have been negative. Dr. McVie is going to test him again at next appt. I have read things about Celiac's and nothing I have read about really fits Jacob. I am hoping for the best, because if I have to change everything to Gluten-free...
I might as well die now!

Stinkin' Deacon

Back in October, October 14th to be exact, Jacob turned 12. I can't remember much about that day except that I took his picture here. I just asked him what kind of cake I made him, and he can't remember, and neither can I.
See why we should update our blogs more often?

Shortly after school started, he got his cornet.
He is pretty awesome in the school band. There are 4 cornet players and 3 of them are named Jacob.

This is the day Jacob was ordained a Deacon in
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Always a joke of being called a Stinkin' Deacon.

Miss Relay For Life Pageant 2011

Small southern towns = pageants for everything!! This year was the 1st ever Miss Relay For Life Pageant. All monies that were paid into the pageant, either contestants or audience was donated to cancer research. Lauren decided to enter this one, and do the talent portion as well. She didn't place in beauty wise, even though we all know she should have won,
but won in talent for her age group.

Playing "Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera.

The girls in her group. The first one on the left won. The girl in blue was 1st runner up, and the 1st girl on the right was 2nd. Lighting was very bad except for Lauren (red) and the girl in blue (I think her name is Emily... or it could
be Madison, can't remember).

Lauren and her trophy for best talent.

Lauren really wants to model, or at least send her picture to a modeling agency. I have found a few- Ford, Kim Dawson. Kim Dawson is based out of Dallas. Call-backs are every Tuesday, so if I *were* to do it, it would have to be during the summer so we
can go without her missing school.
She is 5'8". What do you think?

And on Jan 25th, she got her official drivers permit.
She is so excited. Am I excited?!? Haha!!
She also landed a *very* part-time job with one of the flower
shops here in town. She starts Saturday.

SnOw DaYs, JaN 9-11

The snow started falling about 1:20pm on January 9th. It snowed hard for almost 5 hours, then off and on until the next morning. School was cancelled Monday and Tuesday, but kids went back Wednesday & Thursday, and they already had a scheduled day-off on Friday. Snow stayed on the ground until Saturday afternoon when it warmed up to the 40s-50s.
Front yard after 5 hours of snowing!

Krissy, Joey, Lindsey & Jacob trying to enjoy the cold and snow.

Lauren in the backyard.

Kayley in the backyard.

Snowman that was built on Monday.

Backyard after 5 hours of snowing.

Jacob

Krissy

Lindsey and Leo

Joey

Leo, Mex, Tex and Jacob

Shawn said this was the most snow he has ever seen here, and his parents have been on the land since 1971. It did snow last year, but nothing like this. Josh has been waiting for it to snow like this since we moved here in 2005, and only times so far have been the 2 times while he has been on his mission.

No top teeth

We tried to get Lindsey to have both teeth gone by Christmas, but that top left one would not budge even though it had been loose for 2 months!! Finally about 2 weeks ago,
she let me pull it out.
No crying + 35 cents + big smile = Priceless!

Hi, I'm Josh...

and I'm Mormon.