Tuesday, October 29, 2013

BABY MAYA - AGED 2 WEEKS -UNBELIEVABLY CUTE

 Here are the latest photos of Maya, sent from her breeder. She is starting to look more like a puppy and less of a guinea pig. She is still bigger than her brothers.
 How adorable are her little paws? Her fur is thickening up and she is becoming more chubby. I just want to cuddle her and wrap her up in a blanket like a little baby. The kids and I keep arguing who is going to get to cuddle her first, ha ha!  She will be flying to the airport for us to collect. Can you imagine how anxious we will be waiting to have our first glimpse of her.
 It is unbelievable how fast a puppy can grow in the span of 7 days. She is developing a snout and a cute little black nose.
All I can think about are puppies nowdays. I have quite a collection of puppy supplies and dog toys awaiting her. Then there's Christmas 2 weeks after we collect her, so will have to start searching for gifts for her. I know I sound a little nuts, but even though we haven't met her yet, we love her and know how much joy she is going to bring to our son. Only 6 more weeks until she is ours.

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Baby Maya -1 week old





Maya's breeder sent me some photos of her, aged 1 week. She is starting to get her black border collie nose.

Here she is with her two brothers. Maya is the pup on the right. She is actually putting on weight faster than the boys, which is a good sign she is healthy.
And here is her Mum, just chilling and taking a break from childcare duties. Too much cuteness!
Only 6 weeks and 5 days until we adopt her.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Sweet Little Maya

 Here is Maya, aged 4 days old.
 She looks so tiny and helpless, it's hard to believe that one day she will have a huge responsibility, in watching over my son. Border Collies have been selectively bred to become working dogs and instinctively want to please their owner, so I already know she will be a wonderful diabetic alert dog.
 
I can't help it, but I am going to be one of those bloggers who obsesses about their puppy, and thinks their dog is the cutest and the smartest in the world. I'm really looking forward to having a little baby in the house again.


Thursday, October 17, 2013

GOD SENT US A FURRY ANGEL

The past year has been the absolute worst of my life.  My son was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes last November. This is an incurable deadly disease. Every night, my husband and I set our alarms to get up in the middle of the night to test his blood and make sure he is still breathing. Diabetic children can die silently in their sleep. 

During the day, he has to test his blood at least 7 times. Every time he eats or drinks something, he needs to inject himself with insulin. All his food must be accurately weighed, and the amount of carbohydrate and protein must be calculated so he knows how much insulin to inject. He can't ever just have a bite of something, without thinking about it.
 If his blood glucose levels are too high, it will lead to dreadful complications in the future, such as blindness or kidney failure.  If his blood glucose goes to low, he can go into a coma and die.  That's the nightmare we live every day.

Since the day he was diagnosed, I launched into some serious research about nutrition and diabetes.  It turns out, that diabetics should eat very little carbohydrate, however it seems that dieticians do not know this, and still promote a high carb/low fat diet, which is actually what will eventually kill a diabetic. Unbelievable, I know.  So, I have essentially had to work out on my own, the correct way to manage the disease. So far, I have been very successful in keeping his blood glucose levels fairly stable.

But still, night times are always scary for us, and he can never be left on his own in case of a low blood glucose event.  Someone always needs to be with him in case an ambulance needs to be called.

During my research, I found out about diabetic alert dogs. These are service dogs which are trained to smell the changes in a diabetic's breath and sweat when the blood glucose goes high or low. The dog then alerts the person and can get their blood tester and juice and get help from another family member. This is especially vital at night time when the diabetic is asleep, and so cannot feel if he is going low. The dog sleeps in the room or bed with the person, and will wake them if she smell a high or low blood level. They can also be trained to awaken the parents. They are just like a guardian angel for a diabetic.

In Australia, diabetic alert dogs are very rare, but in USA there are many agencies which train the dogs for diabetics to buy (for about $20,000)  Therefore, I have decided to train my own diabetic alert dog, and have been educating myself with books and videos of the training methods. 

As we do not own a dog, I needed to purchase one, and chose a border collie, because they are the most intelligent breed, and when I was younger, I owned the most beautiful and funny border collie.  SO, I prayed that a dog would be available at the start of December, which is when our summer holidays start, so I would leave 2 months free to start the training.  Also, it is our son's birthday at the start of December.  Thank you Jesus, for the perfect baby girl puppy, who was born 2 days ago, and will be ready for us to adopt EXACTLY on my son's birthday!
So, here she is - "Maya" the future diabetic alert dog!
 Maya with her lovely mother.
We just saw her picture tonight, and we love her already. She will be a little ray of sunshine in my son's life. Every time I look at her photo I cry. We can't wait to cuddle her and bring her home.

Friday, October 11, 2013

BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE - LOW CARB

 Cheesecake is a great dessert to take when invited to a social event, and you know there will not be any low carb food options available. Don't tell anyone it's low carb, and they will never know.

INGREDIENTS:

BASE:
 75 gm finely chopped pecans
75 gm almond meal
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons xylitol or stevia
Mix all ingredients, and press into the base of a springform cake tin (lined with silicon baking paper)
Bake in moderate oven for about 20 minutes, until golden.
Allow to cool

BERRY SAUCE
250 gm berries (I use frozen ones)
1/2 packet berry diet jelly
Cook berries on a low heat until soft and liquefied
Mix in the diet jelly - set aside whilst you make the filling

FILLING
500 gm Philadelphia cream cheese (full fat) - at room temperature or softened in the microwave
300 ml full fat cream
1 teaspoon vanilla bean extract
3 tablespoons xylitol or stevia
3 teaspoons gelatin dissolved in 1/4 cup hot lemon juice

Whip the cream, vanilla and xylitol to soft peak stage
Whip the cheese until soft and creamy - about 1 minute
Add the cream and lemon mixture to the cheese and beat until combined.

Alternate spoonfuls of the cheese mix and berry sauce on top of the base, and swirl with a knife
Allow to set in the fridge for several hours.


 So divine!


Friday, October 4, 2013

Japanese Dinner and Farewell Buddy

 We had a lovely night out at a Japanese restaurant recently to celebrate our daughter's 18th birthday.
 This beef was so tender and tasty.

 
Definitely NOT diabetic friendly, but it was a special occasion after all.


 Custard with plum wine.
Mochi.
 
Sadly, my favourite Hawthorn player has decided to move to a rival club for next season. Ended the football year on a sour note for me. I know it made his fans feel as if he were betraying the Hawthorn family.  But, I guess you would jump at the chance to change jobs for a huge pay rise. Thanks for all the entertainment you gave us Buddy over the years. We are really going to miss you.