Busy Busy Busy

Wow - the Month of May has been crazy busy so far.  We went to the Today Tomorrow Conference hosted by the JDRF.  What a great place for information and support. Olivia was in the kids camp and had a ball.  It was quite moving to see all the kids sit down for lunch and pull out their meters at the lunch table.  Then the kids either adjusted their pumps or injected insulin. It was actually a nice experience for Olivia - Sad to say, she is definitely not alone.

We then sent Carly off to Chicago for a band trip.  She was gone for 2 days and came back with some great stories.  Four bus loads of kids going to Chicago - hmm - I gave the chaperones credit - they had a big job and pulled it off.

We - and I really mean "we"  - made it through 5th grade camp.  I was a little nervous at first. Did Olivia have enough supplies with her? - Did she have enough emergency food with her? Would the chaperones really know what to do in an emergency?  Well, I am happy to say, she survived (and so did I) and she had a great time.

May 11th , Carly turned 14 - Happy Birthday my independent child.  We celebrated at Black Rock - her favorite place.  Side note:  if you haven't been there, GET THERE!  It's fantastic.

Carly just got back from Washington DC with the 8th grade. What a trip!  I am continually hearing a new story about something that happened on the trip or something she saw. It was a long trip and  a lot of time spent on a bus, but I think she really had fun and learned quite a bit.

While Carly was in DC, Olivia, Al and I went to the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe and went to the Making Tracks for Celiacs 5k.  It was a beautiful sunny spring day. The outpouring of support was immeasurable.  What a great event for a great cause close to my heart.

This weekend is a holiday weekend and we aren't stopping yet - Olivia is Fa Le in Mulan at the Starlight Theater in Waterford.  She really enjoys the stage.  She will be performing three of the four day. 

So...  Do you see the pattern here?  My girls are traveling and doing exciting things, and I am writing about it!  But that's ok - I am so happy that they are both able to explore and have fun.  We are all going to Hershey PA the first weekend in June - maybe I can write about that and put me in on the fun!!

- Bits and Pieces for now!

Carly - My Culinary Artist!!

I woke up this morning appreciating the beautiful girls in my life - Carly is my sweet intense gem.  She is preparing herself for high school and college.  Yes she is almost 14 and is already thinking that way.  


We were shopping a few weeks ago and went into Sur la Table and met one of the culinary teachers from Schoolcraft College who happened to work there for fun. (her dream has been to go into Culinary Arts) He was a very nice man and engaged in quite a conversation with her.  He was giving Carly tips for cooking and also gave her the "in" to be truly prepared for classes at Schoolcraft. He also gave her his email - I told her to hang onto that - nice to have a contact so early on..... We are looking into her taking a culinary class at the college this summer. WOW! Can't believe I will be sending her there.  


Carly continues to amaze me - she looks up recipes and makes everything from "scratch".  Her Dutch Great Grandma would be so proud.  I came home from work about a week ago and Carly was making cookies - flour, sugar and eggs all over the counter :)  I asked her where she got the recipe and she said she made it up.  She then told me that all you need is flour sugar, butter, and water....  oh and a pinch of salt and you can make anything!  We didn't have enough flour so she substituted pancake mix for half of it and the cookies turned out GREAT!!


The nice part about Carly wanting to go into Culinary Arts is that we get to experience all of her creations.   She is going places......  :)

A little bit of T1D

I'm new to blogging  and thought it would be a good place for information and updates on our new  "normal".  so if you can hang in with me, you can learn about what's been going on in the Shay household.


For those of you who know - I apologize for the repeated information. Some of this may be redundant and some may be new.  


Olivia was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes (referred to as T1D) on December 14, 2011.  This date will never be forgotten.  Imagine the shock when I thought I was taking her to the doctors for a bladder infection and was immediately sent to Royal Oak Beaumont for an extended stay to be treated and taught about T1D.  All I had ever heard about ANY type of Diabetes was Type 2 - which will be clarified later, and it is NOT at all the same thing.  Also my adult nephew was diagnosed some 25+ years ago and was told not to eat sugar!! REALLY? Was that what I was going to deal with.


Surprisingly after meeting with the wonderful team of doctors, we were informed that they wanted us to wrap T1D around Olivia's life - not wrap Olivia around T1D. What that meant for us was that she can enjoy her birthday cake (which was 2 1/2 weeks after diagnosis) and we "cover" (give) it with insulin.  Wow - not so bad right?  Well, not so fast........


Olivia was able to enjoy her birthday and Christmas, CAREFULLY!


Fast forward....  It has been almost 4 1/2 months since Olivia was diagnosed. We have had our highs and VERY lows.  Some extremely scary moments that seem to last a lifetime.  Ha... lifetime.... nice segway to my next tidbit of information..


We have also unfortunately added Celiac Disease to her life - she is now not able to eat or touch anything containing gluten (wheat - barley - oats) Thank goodness there are new options available.  I have also started a gluten free life with her.


T1D is not curable (yet) I feel like this needs clarification from T2D.  Type 1 is an incurable autoimmune disease that affects the pancreas.  There is no diet plan to fix it and Olivia will be taking insulin and checking her glucose for the rest of her life.  Type 2 diabetes is curable and manageable with correct food intake and exercise.  These are two different things.  


We look forward to the day we are given the "OK" to try a pump for her bolus insulin - she will still need to administer her own basil dose and poke her finger for monitoring her blood sugar levels.


We have made many new friends along this journey that have picked us up when we are "down" or frustrated - most are in the same situation and can understand the emotions and terminology. 


Thank goodness Olivia is happy child ......  and the sun is shining today!




**next up......  Carly Shay!