First, I woke up in the morning to the lovely sounds of whispers in the distance. Only they weren't whispers so much as roars and the distance was only about 5 feet! What was the problem, you may ask? Well, of course it was the hair straightener and that dreaded act of waiting for it! Somehow, it escalated to World War 2,627 and woke up TJ- poor kid, never needs to set an alarm. This was followed by something about wearing jeans or shoes without permission, me liking one better than the other, why don't we ever have anything good to eat, where are my car keys, can I have some money...you get the idea. Finally, I escaped out the door to work with a little bit of self-esteem and patience remaining. You would have thought I was safe!
At work, the first order of business was a presentation by two young boys with Cerebral Palsy. Considering my emotional morning and the girls impending appointments with the CDE, the timing was bad. It is never good when the teacher is in the back of the room crying. I was never at any point thinking, "Oh, my kids could have it so much worse." Instead, I was thinking of those boys' parents, of how exhausting some days can be, the constant list of needs and appointments and frustration. As the presentation ended, they showed a slide show of the boys - in their wheelchairs- doing things like riding in a boat, skiing, sledding, fishing and above all smiling, always smiling. They did not let their chairs slow them down, just as mine do not let their pumps get in the way. Realistically, I know they do not smile everyday, just as my children do not. But, it struck my as amazing that despite all they do and go through just to get up and get ready for a day, that they choose to smile.
With renewed optimism I set about looking for a a possible solution to stop the incessant fighting at my house. For the last year or so, we have been trying to figure out how to put a 5th bedroom in our semi-finished basement so that Tessa and Taya would not have to share. While my homebase kids were reading, I was also reading- about DIY projects. Just when I am thinking I have found a solution, my email dings. Did TJ bring a lunch today? It's pasta and his teacher is concerned. Of course! I knew I had to leave for work early in the morning so I packed it the night before and left it in the fridge- where it still was apparently sitting! GRRR- off to find that bag and deliver it before lunch ! It was beginning to feel like a Monday on a Wednesday and some of my new found optimism diminished.
Meanwhile, regarding the Diabetes Educator after school, Tylie was going to go by herself to the appointment as it was just a pump check up and I couldn't get out of work to be there at 3:00. Taya, I planned to meet for her appointment at 4:00. Through the course of the morning, she had informed me that she did not want me to go. I was okay with Tylie by herself as she is almost 18 and will need to learn to do some of these things independently over the next few years (OMG, scary, another blog!). But, I didn't want Taya to go alone. For one thing, she keeps too much of her feelings inside and I don't want her to think of it as being alone. Secondly, I am just not ready for her to be that independent. So, we are having a mad text messaging war and finally, she admits she doesn't want me to come because she knows it will be bad. Again, this is exactly why I want to be there and she agrees to let me go. She was right, it wasn't awesome, but it wasn't the worst either. Our CDE is so good with her. She never fails to find one positive every time we see her. A few years ago, we had an educator that was like a military drill sergeant and when even Troy cried at an appointment and refused to go back, it was time for a change. My dream, however, is still to get through an appointment without tears- well, that and a cure so we wouldn't have to be there at all!
Next on the agenda was to take Taya shopping for some "new room" items, followed by another doctor visit for Tylie. Pneumonia take three for her this winter! I won't list all of our winter ailments on top of the usual scheduled visits but honestly, I should get paid for my time in the Sanford waiting rooms and the pharmacy. This was followed by a shopping trip to make sure Tylie and Taya (and their dad!) had all the food supplies they will need for their weekend in Minneapolis. At 8 pm, I pulled into the driveway. Thank goodness Tessa had found the perfect track shoe the previous night so I could actually go home! It was time to kick back and put my feet up! Ha ha ha- of course not! We double checked set changes, insulin, strips, batteries and meters for the trip. Then we went back to the store to pick up the big item for the bedroom we couldn't fit in the car the first time around and a new Sioux sweatshirt for TJ for the big game today. Lucky for me, this trip was just Troy and me and it ended with a margarita and an appetizer!
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