Trev and Vic Plus Eight

"The cat - Sophie"

Okay, I know we don't have eight kids, but if you count the pets it adds up!

"Gypsy - AKA - Jip"

Besides,  having two children with the big D is kinda like having 3 extra kids, but for the record we have five great kids! One dog, one cat, and finally, chuck the bunny who happens to be the only other boy so I feel a special kinship to the little dude.

Diabetes keeps us busy but family keeps it real!

Our mornings are like the scene from "Home Alone" (Six Until Me's recent Blog Pic inspired this thought) when they are scrambling in the morning to catch the flight after sleeping in, organized chaos!

 Crazy. Don't tell anyone but we once forgot our middle child in a Chucky Cheese restaurant  while out for dinner with extended family.  We realized we were one kid short when we got onto the road. We immediately turned around, ran into the restaurant and Grace didn't even realize we'd left her there. She was having a blast.  Oops!  Moving along.....

I thought I'd share some pics of our personal team of non-D helpers in the fam! They are crucial to the health of the D's in the house.



"Da Mom"

Mom(pic)is Rowan's at home diabetes manager(Mine too), and when Rowan is at school I am the primary contact for questions, like; "Mr Wizard is telling me to bolus this, does that sound right to you" The school team is really awesome too with Rowan's care.

 I would likely be an unhealthy PWD with out this amazing, beautiful, caring, smart, open minded, supportive lady.  She is the co-founder of our crazy house full of kids!

I tend to manage Dareian's Diabetes, by reminding her to submit her Blood glucose readings in her diary every Thursday for her week-end get-a-way pass.

But in general we all work together as a team, which is essential for diabetes management.

"The Baby Goob AKA Cadee"

Now the other kids, are great too, and learning the ways of carb counting, insulin, sugar tests, and general diabetes management stuff.  The "Goob" is a little too small, so we simply keep her away from the sharps, and equipment so to speak. 

Meet the Goob, we could wipe her face with a cloth and two minutes later she is goob-ilicious, hence the name.  She keeps everyone amused, she is the busiest and most curious of the bunch, but the most huggy and free loving gal in the family.

"The Abigalian and her Bunny,
my Buddy Chuck"

Meet Abigail, another middle child.  AKA the abigalian, and happygail. She is the most creative one in the crew, and also the most abstract in her thinking.  She is the kid that would give you everything she owns, she'd make the Dahli Lama proud with her selflessness. 

"The Optimist"

Grace was mentioned above, and she is the family mediator and an eternal optimist. It could be the lousiest circumstance and she'd say "Well at least we have each other." She could fall down the stairs and get up, smile and she'd say, "At least I only fell down half the stairs!" smile and carry on.  Totally resilient.

As for Dareian well she is the natural born leader, which is handy when dealing with diabetes! She is social, athletic, and is developing quite the sense of humour. The family couldn't ask for a better eldest child.


"Dareian - The Athletic Baker"

"Rowan - The Fashionable One"

Rowan, sweet little Kid. Quiet, reserved, but the bravest kid in the house. She is the kid with her "Mr Wizard" and has Quite the taste for fashion.  She amazes me daily.  Well, really, they all do.

Well there you have it.  The most important group of people in my life. My family motivates me as a PWD to lead by example, keep healthy and manage my diabetes to the best of my ability.  They are my motivation and inspire me everyday! Thanks for letting me share.

Even though we don't have our own reality show, this is a glimpse of our reality!

Cheers!

Trev





Kids Don't Come with Instructions

Wish they did though!

Parenting a child or in my case children with Type 1 D is like parenting any other kid, but with a catch.

Whats the catch? 

Well when they are irritable beyond the point of what we perceive as normal kid behaviour we have to ask ourselves; "Is the mood swing related to the diabetes or is it them just being a kid?" 

I know other parents with diabetes in their family can relate.  So what do we do.

Depends on the kid of course but for the 6 year old we always do a quick finger poke to check her level, then if it is normal we send her straight away to the naughty bench and let the temper tantrum proceed, telling ourselves, well that is simply her being an emotionally dis regulated kid. You know, the old 1 min per year rule on the bench. 

The dilemma rises when her glucose reading is high.  Then the act of discipline (to teach) is a little more comprehensive.  We have to explain that her glucose is high, but this is still not an excuse to beat your sister with the barbie(kidding)but true.  It is not as simple, like most things with diabetes, eating, exercise, whatever, there is way more extra thought involved. 

Our goal with our 6 year old is to teach her boundaries, appropriate behaviour and coping strategies for dealing with her feelings.  But we also have to teach her that high blood sugar can effect her physical and mental well being.  It is a tedious and challenging process, especially for a child as young as six.  

Disciplining my 13 year old Type 1 involves allot of the same principles. Although the Naughty bench has lost its effect.  Key differences include; her increased self awareness, and her ability to self-test.  I do however notice a trend (not too often) when she uses her glucose level as an excuse.  Once again this requires us parents to have a discussion about making different decisions when feeling unwell.  We recommend she test, correct, let us know, and spend some quiet time in her room. This of course is not always the case.  There are the verbal outbursts "That's not fair" or "It was her fault!!!" accompanied by stomping feet, and the occasional door slam.

Disciplining children with DM is really the same as any other kid; but always ask yourself is this the Diabetes talking or is it just the kid?

Then teach your child how to cope and deal with the situation, feelings, and behaviour.

Unfortunately they don't come with instruction books.  Like Diabetes, each kid needs to be treated slightly different.  Some days you wish they came with a receipt, to return them when their behaviour has pushed you to the brink of insanity.  But then they go to bed, and you think, man they drive me mad but I love em more then life itself.

Trev