Our unexpected trip

Some days just end up being not what you had thought.  It goes back to making plans.  So many days our plans work out and the schedule is followed and all seems right.  Then there are other days.

Days when you recognize the plans are just tentative in the big scheme of life.  Days when you come face to face with what is really important.  Days when you recognize that you really aren't in control at all.  Days when your vision shifts and you see more clearly what was true all along.

    Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.  Proverbs 19:21

Last Thursday, Joshua got sick.  I thought it was a stomach bug and we treated it as such.  As the day went on though, things just didn't get better.  And by night time things were really bad.  I had been out with the other children at a play (Rebecca was performing) and when I returned and looked at Joshua, I just knew.

We were going to be headed out.

I talked with the doctor on call to confirm what I thought was best and then Joshua and I headed out.  He was miserable.  Very dehydrated (unable to keep things down despite our best efforts).   High ketones.  Very high blood sugars.  (Again,  just not coming down.)  I didn't take a picture of him in this state.  It just didn't seem right somehow.  He looked bad enough that one of the nurses even asked if this was his normal skin color.  (No, it wasn't.)

We went to UNC hospital.  Its where he is seen for clinic visits.  He was admitted to the peds ER and quickly diagnosed with what I already knew he had.  

DKA

Diabetic Ketoacidosis - a potentially life-threatening  condition results from dehydration combined with high blood sugars and acids called ketones.  

That's the simple definition (well, maybe).  Ketones are dangerous because they can wreak havoc on the whole body causing damage to other organs in the body.  

We spent hours in the ER as they tested and started treatment and we waited for a room.  Joshua was moved up to the PICU at about 4:30 in the morning.  

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’Isaiah 41:10

We found out the following morning that the attending doctor was a friend.  That was a sweet surprise.  He was wonderful!  As were all of the nurses that cared for Joshua.  We could not have asked for better care!

Joshua stayed several days in the PICU - less than originally anticipated as he responded quickly to the treatment.  He was hooked up to a number of things - several IVs, pulse ox, blood pressure, heart, etc.  And obviously had his blood taken or tested many times.

 One afternoon, when he was feeling better, a volunteer came by to see if he would like to play a Wii game.  He loved this distraction!  What a great opportunity for a volunteer too!

 Wonderful nurse Daniel taking great care of Joshua.  He really went above and beyond the regular care to make Joshua comfortable and also to make him laugh.

 Not many visitors in the PICU as you had to be 13 or older.  He was happy to see his Nana (my mom) and his sister one afternoon.  And another sweet friend that brought a balloon, game, snacks and cards from her kids.  (Joshua loved these and said it made his night.)

 He skyped with his younger siblings which was a great option all the way around!  You  have to love modern technology!

 We filled the time reading a good book (The Westing Game), playing games (he won most of them!) and just talking.

 On Saturday night, he was moved to the regular floor.  He was so excited to lose some of the many cords and to have the freedom to get out of bed.  Interestingly, he was moved to the same room that he had when he was diagnosed.  We both recognized it immediately.  (And so did one of his brothers too.)

The next day was his final day there and he had more visitors.  Christopher and Emily.

 His younger brothers too.  (Eliana had a runny nose so she stayed home.)

Friends too.  The stay in this room was short - less than 24 hours.  Soon it was time to head home.

While we were in PICU, I saw a number of Life Flight helicopters.  The landing pad must have been near the window.  Reminded me to pray often for someone coming in needing critical care.  Joshua was not able to see them due to where his bed was in relation to the window.  We did see one coming in from his regular room though.  I'm thankful for this system that I know helps to save many lives!

 We headed home with his numbers in a better range.  Changes were made to his rates and hopefully this will help to keep this from happening again.  Puberty and diabetes are a hard combination.  I've heard this often and I've seen it too.

 This was a scary reminder of how serious this disease can be.  I'm thankful for the many strides that have been made in helping to manage diabetes.  Praying though for a care because insulin is not a cure. Its a band-aid to help until a cure is found.

This disease stinks!  And that is putting it mildly.  I'm so very thankful though to live when we do so that Joshua has the opportunity to live a full life while managing his blood sugars.

Through it all, God is in control.  I could see His hands in so many things.  His peace, His care, His protection.

Its hard to know how much to write when you are sharing about something hard and it involves your teen-aged child.  I want to share - and he was fine with this too.  I want others to know what we (and others with diabetes) are dealing with.  This disease is relentless and just never takes a rest.  You can't forget about it for even one day.  Its there all the time.

There is still much for which to give thanks.  I'm so very thankful to live close to such an amazing hospital with doctors and nurses that are outstanding in so many ways!  I'm thankful for the level of care that we receive.  I'm thankful to live now so that Joshua has choices and options that the opportunities to live his life as fully as possible.  I'm thankful for family and friends who supported us through this with meals, rides, visits, emails, txts, phone calls and prayers.

I'm thankful for my precious son.

Thankful for the One who gave His Son.

We are still resting and trying to recover.  Joshua has picked up a cold/cough along the way.  So far, his numbers at home have all been good except for one.  Hoping to continue to see great numbers and no spiking or rebounding.

Thank you again for your prayers and support.

Love
Leslie

Changes ... surprises ...

So often I walk through my days and make plans.  Things I want to accomplish each day or during the week (or even further).  My mind swirlls with plans and dreams and to do lists at times.  In the midst of all of that I can sometimes forget that I'm really not in control.  Not ultimately.  Its not that I shouldn't plan, but that I need to remember that the One who created me, holds me and knows what each day entails.

As I walk through my days, I can get so distracted by the cares, the excitements and even the mundane.  I can forget where my strength for everything comes from. 

This week, my plans were changed.  I had planned on sharing more about our trip, but other things have taken precedence. 

On Thursday Joshua became sick.  By night time, it was apparent that we were heading into the hospital.  He was in a state of DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis).  It was pretty bad.  He has been in the PICU and tonight should be transferred to a regular room.  We may also be going home tomorrow!

There is so much more to say, but just not the time right now.  The care we have received here - UNC hospital - has been outstanding!  Really above and beyond what we could have hoped for.  The doctors and nurses have been caring and cheerful and willing to go the extra mile to help Joshua's stay to be as pleasant as possible.  I can't say enough good things.

So while this wasn't in the plans that I had made, I can see God's hand in the details. 

I am so very thankful to live where and when we do so that Joshua could receive the care that he needed.  I'm thankful for insulin.  I'm thankful for all of the advances in medical care that have been made.  I'm thankful for friends that have served us, cared for our children, brought food, prayed for us and more.  I'm thankful that God is holding us through it all.

More sometime on our trip.  In the meantime though, we'll focus on getting Joshua well.

with a grateful heart,
Leslie

An amazing field trip

I know I post a lot about field trips.  I do love them!  Hands-on learning where you can see and touch and experience just seem like the best way to learn.  I know experiencing something is so much better for me to learn something!  I know it has been great for my children too!

We finished up rowing the Beyond book, Cricket in Times Square, and then set off on a field trip.  It started with me hinting about it to some friends in the co-op.  One then told me later that if I was serious, that she was in.  Soon, it grew and 5 families were in!

I bet you are already guessing our destination, right?  I wondered if it was crazy.  Not sure how it would be to take my younger ones, but knew that this would be a great experience!  We decided to go for it.  I would not have done it on my own, but with friends going, it seemed manageable.  Then Roger decided to join us too which made it even easier.  Well, maybe easy isn't the right word.  Doable.

We have studied so much about this site this year.  Really delving into the history, sites and locations.  This was a natural way to end the book in so many ways.  (Not that we have done this in the past, but the timing was good.)  I'm so glad we did this!!!

So have you guessed?  Or maybe you have seen the pictures already?

I've been wanting to post more about this, but since I was late in my posts, by the time I got close to being ready to post, disaster had hit and it just didn't seem right to post anything then.  We were so thankful to be able to visit and our hearts were so touched by all that went on there since we had just been there too.

You've probably guessed by now.

New York City!

We headed out to see Times Square.  To look at the subway station where the story takes place.  To explore the city.

We drove to NYC on a Friday morning.  When we arrived at our hotel and got settled, we were ready to do some exploring.  We stayed in NJ and there was a bus stop right in front of our hotel.  Very convenient!

We hopped on the bus and headed in.

 It took a long time to get in due to rush hour traffic.

 Arriving at the bus station and then working to find out way out into the city.  Thankfully we had a few people in the group that had been here before and knew their way around.

 Excited and ready to see Times Square at night!

 LOTS of lights.

 Lots of people.

 Some we even recognized.

 So much to see and yet also hold tightly to little hands.

 We made it to Times Square - to the big red bleachers and met more of our friends there!

 We saw ourselves on the Jumbotron.  Can you see me there?  I'm in the center near the bottom - with a camera in front of my face.  LOL

 We decided just to spend the evening walking around.  It was so much fun to be there with friends.

 These two little buddies enjoyed hanging out.

 And I still love pictures from the back.  Aren't they cute?!

 We walked from Times Square toward Rockefeller Center.  And saw some sites along the way.

 Seeing the Lego store was on the list for some in our group.  This sign was made from lots of mini figures!  Lots of them!

 Picture of the group - there were just 3 families with us this night.  Cracked me up how they lined up.  Almost by height!

 The statue and soon to be ice rink.

 Loved all the flags and lights.

 This is a replica of the Rockefeller Center made from Legos.

 It was fun and the details were great.  They enjoyed spotting some of the superheroes in various spots too!  Inside the store was a copy of the statue Atlas made from Legos.  I couldn't get a picture because we arrived just as they were closing.  (We made it the next day.)

 We walked a little farther to Saint Patrick's Cathedral.  I couldn't get a good picture of the outside because they are renovating and there was a lot of scaffolding around.  Here is a link if you want to see a  picture.

 We went inside and looked around a bit before they closed.  What a beautiful and huge church.

 Just some silliness outside.

Daniel nudged me when we were walking outside to show me what he had found just across the street from the church.  Do you see it?  

Its the statue of Atlas.  Just like the one in the Lego store!  He was so excited.  I thought it was pretty neat too!

 We walked down 5th Avenue and did some window shopping.  It was so tempting to go into the American Girl store!  Maybe on another trip!  We made it back to the bus station and some of the guys posed for a photo for me.  I wanted one in front of a newsstand!  Though this is a much larger stand than the one we read about in our book.

Due to the volume of photos, I'm going to split up this trip into several posts.  I hope you enjoy seeing some of our fun in the Big Apple.

We loved our visit there.  We were there just two weeks before Sandy hit the area.  We are still praying for the many affected by this storm.

I'll post more tomorrow (or soon) about our next day in the city!

Blessings
Leslie

NC Botanical Garden - field trip

We have been so blessed to have so many beautiful days for our field trips.  This one was no exception!  We visited the NC Botanical Gardens in Chapel Hill.  They have grown a lot since the last time that we were here.  More trails, a huge education center and some neat areas for younger children too.  The only challenge was parking as there was not enough of it for all the people there to enjoy it that day.  We parked at a nearby location and walked which wasn't a problem.

We were divided into small groups of 10 or less children.  This is one of the groups - all boys!  :-)  

 They spent time exploring the different types of soil in North Carolina as they walked through the gardens.  They were also able to dissect a Pitcher plant (a carnivorous plant) in order to see what it had eaten?  Pretty neat, huh?  I have no pictures of that though as I was trailing a busy girl at that time.

 The youngest children explored on their own.  There were a number of interesting statues and pieces of art distributed throughout the garden.  This was part of a movable piece near the entrance to the garden.

 I love pictures of paths.  So much symbolism.  So many thoughts swirl through my mind as I ponder beginnings and traveling.  Life is a journey and its sweetest when travelled with those that you love.

 Checking out the map - up close.  Its always good to know where you are and where you are heading. True in a new place and also in a literal was as we walk through our daily lives.

 This is part of the children's area with the new education building in the background.

 Couldn't get these two to look and smile at the same time.  Reminds me of life too.  How it can be hard to get things lined up just the way that you want them.  Sometimes you just have to move on.  Or change your perspectives.  Or just accept that this is the way that things are and give thanks in that moment.

 My little princess doesn't mind the obstacles that she can skirt under and I think rather fancies that she can fit into small places.

 This is a fun game.  The large pieces are always intriguing to kids of all ages.

 She just looks like she is getting so big to me in this photo.

 I love fall skies.  Beautiful clear blues.  Leaves not yet changed.  (This is early Oct.)

 We wandered around the garden looking at various plants, flowers and other interesting things.  We caught up with the boys and were with them for the end of their program.

 This was one of my favorite parts of the garden.  Love the tall flowers on both sides of the path.

 Sweet group - even with the rabbit ears.

 This is a bigger shot of the entry way to the garden and the art piece there.  The children loved spinning it around.

We stayed for lunch and were surprised by a visit from Roger.  :-)  After eating, we headed home to pack up for our next big outing.  :-)

More soon!

Blessings

Leslie