Runamuck Ranch

Caboodle and Diabetes

Boo was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes 2 weeks before Caboodle was born.  Caboodle worships and copies her older sister and has only lived in a diabetic home.  She has definitely been effected....

• Caboodle has a fit if we do not put one of those little round bandages on her when we do Boo's infusion sets. 
• She holds Boo's hand while we put in an infusion set, pats her and says "it's OK."  She also requires Boo to hold her hand while she gets her fake infusion.  She does seem to think Boo is a wimp because that band aid doesn't hurt at all but she is still supportive.
• Caboodle requires us to look at her food and count out loud so she knows how many carbs to bolus.
• Her favorite teddy bear is Rover the diabetes bear.
• She uses a thermometer from a play doctors kit to take her blood sugar and also her baby's blood sugar.
• She is continually trying to steal Boo's insulin pump as she thinks it is a very cool fashion accessory.

We figure she will become an endocrinologist or a nurse.  The blessing is that she supports her sister's struggle with diabetes by making it cool and makes it OK for Boo in ways we never could.

The Dog Quilt

Boo's appointment went well today.  We carried the quilts from the parking garage to the lobby and were about done in when a doctor saved us and carried some of our load to the endocrinology department.  April was thrilled and she explained that she is trying to place the quilts with "children who need something to hang on to."

She told us the dog quilt we brought last time was given to a boy who had been in the hospital for nine months.  He was thrilled because he was missing his dog so much.  He snuggled that quilt until the end.  He did not get to go to his earthly home but is now at home with our Heavenly Father. 

Our quilts are not perfect nor are they complicated but like Mother Teresa said, " In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love."

I will post directions for the quilts and I encourage anyone who hears a whisper that this is something they should do to listen to that whisper and just start with a small thing.  Our family has been so blessed by these quilts.  We are so thankful for the gifts we have been given.

Seventeen Quilts For Seventeen Precious Children

Today Boo has her quarterly diabetes appointment at Phoenix Children's Hospital and we will be delivering 17 quilts for the children who need them most.  We have enlisted the help of April, a nutritionist at PCH, to let her heart guide her in placing each quilt.  We usually bring 2 - 4 quilts but we did a big push for the holidays.  My Mother in Love sewed 15 of the quilts and we tied them.

When we almost lost Boo we spent Thanksgiving in ICU and the holidays are tough at the hospital.  We wanted to provide extra quilts for extra comfort during this season.  This is our way of being our Savior's hands and wrapping each of these precious children in His love, comfort, and warmth.

While we give the quilts anonymously, through circumstances I have met two of the children who have received quilts.  One was a type 1 diabetic girl who is Boo's age and whose Dad just happens to be a seed salesman we buy seed from.  The other was a little girl named Samantha who has had 3 heart operations and was air evacuated to PCH one night with nothing and given a quilt which she sleeps with every night. 

When you are in the process of caring for a critically ill child the kindness of strangers really does feel like it is sent from heaven above.  So many were so kind to us.  We are so grateful to have the opportunity to pass it forward.

If it is on your heart to bless a child this Christmas you don't have to have an organization or sign up.  You can create something with love, go to a hospital and ask staff to place it for you.  So simple but so eternally important. 

Growing Like Sunflowers

I truly think that children go to bed and wake up an inch taller or several grade levels smarter in the morning.  It is not a gradual process and that is why this week we had to buy new boots and all new jeans for TT.  It is also why the Learning Adventures curriculum which had been so perfect suddenly became way too easy. 

This week in order that none of my children go shoeless, pantsless, or academically unchallenged we shopped for new clothes and new curriculum.  Thankfully, our feed store carries jeans for tall, slim, western type boys (men) so that was easy one stop shopping.  Curriculum was a bit tougher.

Finally, I think we have it figured out at least for a while.  TT will be doing Tapestry of Grace and actually finished  his first week of it thanks to their free lesson samples on their site.  Boo is living the dream and will be doing a year long unit study that uses the American Girl series as its core to study history and science.  She just finished her first week of Kaya and loved it. 

They are also beginning to learn Mvskoke which is the Creek native language thanks to a language program put out by OSU.   The disadvantage to learning Mvskoke is we are not near any native speakers.  The advantage, as my kiddos see it, is it is like our own secret language.  What is amazing is how fast Caboodle is picking it up.  I swear she speaks better Mvskoke than English. 

Why learn Mvskoke and not Spanish or French?  When Boo was diagnosed with Type I diabetes, the continuing medical costs were just about wiping us out financially - even with health insurance.  We took Boo to the Indian hospital and we have received the kindest and best care.  She will continue to receive that care her entire life as long as she stays near an Indian Health Services provider.  I am so grateful not only for the medical care but for the kindness shown to our family by the Gila River tribe - even though they are not our tribe.  Anyone who has gone through the frustration of trying to get care for a chronically ill child will understand that the gift of compassion and care is no small blesssing.

The least we can do as members of the  Creek nation who provides so many benefits to our family is to learn the language and the culture of that nation.  While done from gratitude and respect that learning is in turn blessing our family as well.

Today, our little trap club is having a joint shoot with the Dust Devils from Chandler.  It will be shooting, grilling, eating, shooting and lots of fun.  So I am off to make a really big batch of potato salad and brownies.  TT is so excited because their coach and a couple of kids on their team just returned from the US Olympic village in Colorado and their coach has promised to help him improve his olympic trap skills.

Pump Wear Site

Another diabetic family sent me a link to this site that has flannel pj bottoms with special pump pockets.  This company specializes in pump wear for children.  Here is the link Pump Wear.  To Ali - I hope this helps.

A Big Ballet Bag

A really big ballet bag for Boo I made from the stash in the studio. The little rose print was left over from fabric I used to make a maternity dress while I was pregnant with Boo.

Inside special pockets to hold diabetes supplies and ample room for tap shoes, ballet shoes, extra clothes and the kitchen sink. 

It is my mission to make Boo's diabetes paraphernalia so cool that all non-diabetics will be pea green with envy. 

One Way to Sew an Insulin Pump Pocket

Boo wears an insulin pump for her Type 1 diabetes.  She also loves dresses but struggles with not having a convenient and attractive way to wear her pump with dresses.  Our solution is to add a pump pocket to her dresses.  Basically it is big enough to hold her pump and has a large buttonhole to thread the cord through. 

First I cut from a double layer of fabric right sides together a square.

Using a 1/4 inch seam allowance sew three sides of the pocket.

Turn right side out, press, and turn under unsewn edges. 

Pin bottom of pocket to dress.

Pull back pocket and make a buttonhole in the dress  that is big enough for the infusion to fit through.

 

Sew pocket to dress on three sides leaving the top open.  Make sure that the side of the pocket that is just pressed under is on a side that will be sewn.

Usually I sew on a little snap or put on a button to keep the pocket closed with the weight of the pump. 

This also works great in a swim suit cover up so that she can hook up to her pump every so often and not worry about hooking it to a swim suit or the pump getting wet.

If you are sewing for a pumper yourself and have any questions, do not hesitate to let me know.  Type I families really need to stick together.