"I hate it here."

Yep.  We got that letter that all camp parents dread.  "I hate it here.  Come get me!".... that was the letter we got from Diabetes Camp two weeks ago, written in giant printed letters on heart stationary.  

She was there Sunday through Friday, and we didn't receive the letter until Thursday.  By then, we figured she had probably gotten over the homesickness-- after all, nobody from camp had called us.  We also realized that she had to have written the letter the very first night, based on the post mark.   So, while we worried a little, we also laughed just a little at the dramatic 9 year-old words. 

We dropped Rosie off on a Sunday afternoon.  None of us cried (I was most worried about me) and while Rosie looked nervous, she was smiling and talking to the girl on the bunk below her when we left.   The check-in process involved meeting one-on-one with the doctor and the nurse who was in charge of Rosie's cabin.  The nurse was wearing a Dex herself, just like Rosie.    As I looked around the room at check-in, I realized that nearly everyone there-- campers and counselors-- was wearing a pump.   Tubing stuck out of shirts and shorts all over, and nobody paid any attention to it.   That was really neat for me.... knowing that Rosie would have a whole week without a single person questioning her "robot parts" (as we call them) or staring at them. 

They went swimming in a lake, horseback riding, hiking, did a low ropes course, played games, learned some diabetes history, had a dance.... the list goes on and on.   Everything "regular" camps do, with just a few added things, like checking in with the nurse after eating to get your insulin.  Everyone had to poke their fingers at the same time, and everyone had to check in with the doctors and nurses before bolusing... it was all just routine, so there, nobody had to feel different.  I love that part.

They also took care of adjusting her basal rates to compensate for the extra activity level, and most important to me..... they DID do night checks.  With Rosie's history, nights are the scariest time for me.  I was quite relieved to learn at check-in that night checks would be a part of the routine. 

We picked Rosie up on that Friday night, and she was really happy to see us.  She said that she was really homesick the first two days, but after that, she had fun.   Her counselors told us that she was great, that at first they weren't sure she would stay all week, but once she warmed up, she had a lot of fun.

I think she'll want to go back again next year, though right now she's not so sure.  I think being another year older and knowing what to expect will make a big difference, too.  We'll see!
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