Every town, has it's ups and downs...

...sometimes the ups, outnumber the downs......but not in Nottingham....

I love the Disney version of Robin Hood.   It is by far my favorite Disney film.  This song hit home this past week, as I dealt with yet another medical situation with Anastasia.  However this week has been such a roller coaster with ups and downs.  Tuesday was my lowest point.  We had just gotten our bad news and then I had to go chorus and focus at rehearsal because we had coaching.  

I cannot express how very hard it was for me to focus with this bad news dwelling on my mind.  Then Wednesday I had to work a long shift.  When I saw my phone and all the support I had gotten from my friends it brightened me (and in true fashion some of the support made me cry).  I cannot tell you how grateful I was for even the smallest prayer.  Wednesday night I found out a friend of mine was expecting, so happy for that good news!  The rest of the week was actually pretty dull after that, days off and work.  I got to spend some quality time with Anastasia today and Thursday which was nice.  

I am slowly introducing Anastasia to Nick Jr shows, as I am pretty sure I have seen almost every episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Sofia the First, & Doc McStuffins.  She has taken a liking to the Wonder Pets, and Blues Clues...probably because the songs are easy and repetitive.  

I also gained a member to my March of Dimes team, Amanda I cannot tell you how excited I am for you to join us this year!!!!!!

I am blessed by my friends and family, and if I continue to remember this the ups will outnumber the downs....

And now for something else different..

So the past month we have noticed that Anastasia's hair has been thinning a lot.  Almost to the point where she has bald spots.  We finally went to the doctor today and it is possible that my 2 year old may have alopecia.  Great...guess what could have caused it...yup T1 diabetes.  Even better we don't even have an answer if her hair will grow back. 

I miss fixing her hair.  I hate how this disease keeps changing our life. 

I am sorry for the vent but I just am so upset about it. 

When it hits close to home..

This blog post is written today with a heavy heart.  I have had a lot of craziness the past few days but I felt it was important to get this message in particular to my Facebook and blog followers.

You often hear about pet shops, of dog brokers who sell animals who are ill, sometimes they recover other times they don't.  A while back I remember a former boss of mine getting a dog for their family.  After a bit of time I asked how the dog was and they told me it had passed away.  That story has been on mind as of recent especially now.

A long time friend of mine (Girl Scout sister to be precise) received a Mini English Bull Dog who she named Bruno.  The following is paraphrased from her Facebook Wall.

Bruno was born November 9, 2014 in Missouri, my friend became his human mommy on January 11, 2015.  He had a respiratory emergency on January 17th, just shy of being 10 weeks old.  On January 24th he was admitted to the hospital.  On January 28th he was transported to an Animal Emergency center as he was in respiratory crisis.  He was required to stay in an oxygen tank 24/7.

Bruno passed away yesterday February 18th, 2015.  My friend knows for a fact that this didn't have to happen.  During his stay at the emergency center there were many tests done on him.  The one infection that ultimately led to his passing was Comamonas Testosteroni, which is not common in the  United States!!!!

So either of the following scenarios caused this-

1)  Bruno was either transported from Missouri to New York with cargo that included exotic animals from overseas that were not quarantined for the required amount of time.

2)  The broken in Westchester (where he was purchased) houses/sells exotic animals and did not quarantine them for the required amount of time.

Either way someone is at fault and it is not fair that my friend has to suffer the loss of her fur baby!

But she is a woman of action, which is what I love most about her.  She is raising money in memory of Bruno three ways.  This I am copying and pasting from her page, because it is just easier for me.  Please keep my friend and her family in your thoughts and prayers as I am sure this is not an easy time for them at all.  Bruno had many people praying for him.  I only wish the outcome was better.

The following is from my friend's Facebook page and is how she is going to make some good out of this tragedy---

1.) The 1st Fundraiser is via One Hope and will not only benefit our Charity of Choice ( Take Me Home Pet Rescue ), but with every purchase you are able to pick the charity of YOUR choice to receive a donation as well.

All you have to do is click on this link and place an order:http://www.viaonehope.com/sites/neta-lamas

2.) The 2nd way to help is by placing an online Party Lite order, which will benefit "Bruno's Buddies." I was very blessed throughout this process to have people help me cover the over $20,000 in veterinary bills and hospital costs. Had I not had somebody step up to help me try and help Bruno... he would have been gone weeks ago. I want to be able to pay this forward, by establishing a fund for somebody in need of an emergent procedure, exam, or medicine for their dog.

So how do you help?
Go to: http://www.partylite.biz/sites/nlamas
look for the box that says "Placing an Order for a Party"
Click that. Enter: Bruno Cortijo, as your host
Shop away.

100% of the profits of this event will go to Bruno's Buddies!

3.) The last way you can help is by helping us CELEBRATE each adoption / rescue at Take Me Home Pet Rescue! We are collecting NEW Blankets, Toys, Food, Clothes, Bowls, Towels, Buckets, Baskets, Treats, Leashes, Harness, etc. We want to make sure that each puppy has an easy transition to their forever home and the rescue has supplies that they need to continue to do the AMAZING work that they do (which is ALL completely based on DONATIONS)! 

Author's note-If you are interested in the third option please contact me either through my blog or my Facebook and I will make arrangements with my friend to get this done.

To Pump or Not to Pump

This is a decision that has been weighing heavily on our minds since Anastasia's diagnosis back in June.  At that point we were like ok it will make everything easier, no needles just moving an injection site every couple of days.  Done deal!

Then I was told the cost, and I just about choked....for 3 months worth of supplies and the pump it was just about $2,900!  For those of you who know me and my husband you know we do not have that money just laying around.  So we decided no.

Now Anastasia's numbers are fluctuating  a little too much and her endocrinologist feels it is time to put her on a pump.  I honestly feel that way too.  She has her good days and bad days when it's time to get her insulin.  The bad days make me feel horrible, but then I remember she is still 2 and she doesn't really understand what is going on yet.  

So now we save money, and pray that insurance will cover a little more than what they were going to cover 6 months ago and see what happens.  If she takes to it great, if not we can always try again...

A Thankful Heart

It's about 2 days before Thanksgiving, a day we are to give thanks for everything we have.  Reflecting over the past year I have a lot to be thankful for.  For one thing I am thankful that Anastasia is still here.  In June when she was not so healthy we could have lost her. I am also thankful for the support many many many people have given us since our diagnosis.  Whether its just someone asking how we are, to someone allowing me to vent.  Without that support system I probably would be insane by now.

I am also so thankful for my family who have taken on the challenge of caring for Anastasia when Alex & I have to work.  It is not easy anymore and I applaud them for helping us care for our girl.

Will the other shoe drop?

It's been about 5 months since our diagnosis and I keep waiting for the next bad thing to happen to our family.  A situation has presented itself to us and its not a good one.  I cannot go into details at this time but please if you are reading and following this blog pray or send us positive thoughts. 

Eventually I may be able to talk about this in detail but not on an open forum.  So please just pray...because the worst case scenario is not what we need at all.

And we are potty training!!!!!!!!!

.  

Ok so I don't have a picture of Anastasia on the potty for obvious reasons, but I figured I'd share one of the shorts we have seen on Disney Jr that has to deal with the potty.  

When Anastasia was diagnosed back in June, we hadn't been real serious about potty training her.  She would go on her potty occasionally, but we weren't strict about it.  We were told not to worry about it, especially since as a diabetic she drinks so much!

Imagine our surprise in late August when she asked us to go potty.  That turned out to be a one day thing, but now more and more she is asking or telling us that she has to go.  She has 1.5 rows of her potty chart filled, who knows how long this journey will take but at least it is one that makes me so proud.