Sadbh’s update – day 295 January 31st, 2012

Sadbh slept fairly well, although, according to Larissa, she had a bit of a rough patch from 1:30-2:30am.  Larissa said that every now and then Sadbh’s face would squish up as if in pain.  Maybe gas or maybe teeth?  Larissa was able to sooth Sadbh back to sleep and she slept on until 6am.  

Mommy took over at that point, gave Sadbh her early am breakfast and changed her nappy.  Sadbh then she closed her eyes and went back to sleep until almost 9am.

When Sadbh woke up, Mommy, Grandad and Su Jin were all in her room in no time.  At first Sadbh seemed a bit overwhelmed, but then she realized that it was playtime and she burst into a smile. 

Little did she know that two new friends (Molly and Kara) were soon to arrive.  Molly and Kara are two new nurses who will be looking after Sadbh and that Su Jin introduced to us.  For the next several hours, Sadbh enjoyed playing with Su Jin, Molly and Kara.

After that, it was time for trach care with Grandad and Su Jin.  Everything went smooth and Sadbh had a nice little nap afterwards.

Since it was such a beautiful day, once Sadbh woke up, Grandad and Su Jin decided to bundle her up and go for a nice long walk.  Sadbh looked like a little bear exploring the park.  Every time her eye caught an airplane overhead, Sadbh’s whole attention went to the plane and she watched it until it was not in site any more. 

Could Daddy be getting ready to get on one of those planes and come home?

When they got home from their walk, it was time to Skype with Daddy and then time for a late nap.

Shortly after Sadbh woke up from her nap, Mommy was home and it was time for supper.  Grandad fed her corn & butternut squash.

Sadbh is so excited every time she sees her Grandad.  He seems to know exactly what she wants and they communicate to each other in a special silent language.  We are so lucky and thankful to have Grandad Gerry here with us.  We’ve started calling him “Super Grandad” and Sadbh is waiting for him to put on his cape.

Sadbh wore the Passy Muir Valve (PMV) for over 30 min after supper and there were some small squeaky noises that could be heard.  We are not sure if these noises were coming from her trach or her mouth, but Sadbh is definitely getting more comfortable with the PMV and is able to tolerate it for longer and longer periods of time.

Then it was time for bed and although she was still very happy and content, she was also very tired.  Mommy bundled Sadbh up and even before her head was in the bed, she was fast asleep.   Another great day for Sadbh!

New photos.

Photos from Dec 1.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – day 294 January 30th, 2012

Sadbh woke up a little after 4am due to her pulse ox probe coming off her foot and causing her oximeter to falsely alarm. Mommy came down, nursed her, changed her and snuggled her.  Soon Sadbh’s eyes were heavy once again and she was back to sleep.

Daddy took over from Larissa at 6am and Sadbh and Mommy were able to sleep on until 8am at which time a proper breakfast was in order and then the playtime could begin!

Sadbh had a fantastic day playing with Grandad and Alibaba.  She even learned some new tricks and was showing off how she could push herself up and stand on her fingers and toes.  Alibaba thought it was a new yoga pose that Sadbh was practicing.

Daddy is on a business trip this week in St. Louis, Missouri and Sadbh misses him terribly.  Grandad Skyped with Daddy early in the evening when Sadbh was taking her afternoon nap.  Sadbh must have sensed Daddy’s presence since she immediately woke up and wanted to play. 

Later in the evening, after everyone had dinner, Sadbh got to Skype with Daddy again.  She was wondering why Daddy was in the computer, but she just loved seeing him and was over the moon with excitement every time he made a silly Daddy face.

Daddy helped get Sadbh’s nightclothes and a fresh nappy on (through Skype) and as soon after the Skyping fun was over, Sadbh was swaddled cozy in her bed and her eyes were closed.  She will sleep well tonight.

New photos.

Photos from November 30.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – day 293 January 29th, 2012

Sadbh slept great and was awake and ready for breakfast at 6am. Afterwards, she wanted to play for a while, however Katie and I were both really tired since we had stayed up late with my father watching movies.

We eventually got her back to sleep for a few more hours, and, by the time she woke up, she was eager to out of bed and downstairs to play with her toys.

Downstairs, she had her breakfast solids and afterwards, she got to play with her toys and Granddad.

After a couple of hours, she was tired enough for trach care, so Granddad and I started the trach care ritual, and Katie took a well earned nap.

Sadbh slept solid for two hours, and when she woke up, she was full of energy again.

We originally had planned to visit our friends Will and Sarah to celebrate their son Conor’s first birthday, however since Conor was on the tail end of a cold, we had to make the tough decision to cancel.

We felt terrible that we could not be there to wish Conor a happy 1^st birthday, however we want to make sure that Sadbh does not get sick again.

Happy birthday Conor!

It ended up being a very lazy day here and since the weather was very wet, Sadbh stayed home all day playing with all three of us.

Sadbh got to Skype with her cousins in Portland and she was completely entertained by them.  Lulu even dressed up as a chicken and did a chicken dance, much to Sadbh's delight.

Her pediatrician, Dr. Bowe, had advised us on Friday that we can start feeding Sadbh finger foods, like Cheerio’s and bananas, etc. Today we gave her some Cheerio’s and it was funny watching her try to get them into her mouth. She had good hand-eye coordination, but she definitely needs some practice getting food into her mouth.

She didn’t get to take another nap, and by the time 7pm rolled around, Sadbh was exhausted tired.

It was time for dinner and then as soon as she was done, we got her pajamas on, everyone got to kiss her goodnight and she was off to sleep.

Her night nurse Larissa is on tonight, so we hope Sadbh get’s a good night sleep and plenty of rest.

New photos.

Photos from November 29.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – day 292 January 28th, 2012

It was another rough night sleep for all three of us as Sadbh was restless and awake from 1am onwards.

We had a very busy day, and Sadbh spent most of it playing with Granddad.

At one stage during the day, we had a couple of contractors working in the kitchen and Sadbh couldn’t stop flirting. It’s either that or she is interested in learning how to be a plumber.

She got a chance to Skype with her aunt and two cousins in New Zealand. It was quite funny since she couldn't stop waving at her cousins. 

It's currently summer there and it looks such nice weather. A lot better than here in Seattle, that's for sure.

Later in the evening, we stopped by Smith Restaurant up on Capitol Hill for a bite to eat.

Sadbh had just woken up from a long nap and was in great form. She was very interested in what was going on all around her and happy checking out all the stuffed animals mounted on the walls.

It was dinnertime for Sadbh, so I fed her carrots and peas while she sat on my knee. During this time, our appetizer of squash fritters came out, so while I was feeding Sadbh, Katie was feeding me. It must have been quite the sight.

Shortly after we arrived home, we Skyped with our friends Barry, Kim and their son Finn in Sydney Australia.

Finn was really cute and blew kisses to Sadbh.

Straight afterwards, Sadbh got to Skype with her Aunt & three cousins in Singapore. Sadbh showed off her crawling skills, much to the delight of the three girls. Her eldest cousin Liberty then serenaded her by playing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star on her recorder and Sadbh was mesmerized.

As soon as she finished Skyping, it was time to head upstairs and off to bed. As I got her ready to be swaddled, I gave her a few tickles and she laughed hysterically. Since she cant vocalize, we can tell that she’s laughing because she exhales quite deeply and had a huge smile on her face.

Within moments of her head hitting her cot, she was fast asleep.

I really hope she has a good sleep tonight.

New photos.

Photos from November 28.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – day 291 January 27th, 2012

Sadbh had a restless night sleep and when she finally woke up around 5am for breakfast, she was soaking with sweat.

It took a while after she ate and changed her clothes, to get settled back down, but she got to snuggle with Katie for another few hours at least.

It was a busy day for Sadbh as she had her 9-month check up with Dr. Bowe, and she also received her second Hep-B shot.

She weighed in at 16 pounds, 10.5 ounces and she measured 27 inches long.

She’s still a bit on the small side, but she is growing exactly in line with her trajectory and Dr. Bowe was very pleased with her development.

She is getting so mobile now, and it takes a lot of energy to keep up with her. At one stage today, she dragged herself up the side of the couch until she was standing, and then she proceeded to walk along the length of the couch to the coffee table.

Later in the evening, we headed down to check out the boat show and Sadbh spent most of the time waving at all the people she passed.

We even bumped into our friends Keith and Charlene, who brought us out on the Seattle Christmas Ship Festival. In fact, Charlene gave Sadbh a gift of a very cute onesie from the boat show that had “NautiBaby” printed on the front.

As soon as she got home, it was time to change into her pajamas, a quick snack from mummy, and she was ready for sleep.

New photos.

Photos from November 27.

Have a great weekend,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – day 290 January 26th, 2012

Moments after my alarm went off, Katie got the call from Larissa that it was time for Sadbh’s breakfast.

It was 5am and Sadbh was hungry after a great night sleep.

Sadbh’s nurse today was Su Jin, and she loves to play and help Sadbh develop. Typically she is dealing with sick kids at Children’s Hospital, so she enjoys the opportunity to work with a healthy baby for a change.

Shortly after her shift started, she dressed Sadbh up in a cute little skirt and a pair of baby legs. The last time Sadbh wore baby legs was the day she came home from Children’s the first time.

Sadbh looked adorable and I think she was very comfortable in this outfit.

My father has succeeded in getting Sadbh used to her ladybird rocker, and today she spent quite some time playing on it. Honestly, the songs that are built into this toy are terrible, and I firmly believe that they are the cause of Sadbh’s initial discomfort.

The next opportunity that I get, I’m going to remove the batteries so she is no longer subjected to the dreadful sounds coming from this toy. I hope my father doesn’t notice.

Since she started eating solid foods a couple of months ago, Sadbh has tasted most of the main food groups. Today she had fish for the first time, and despite her initial reservations, she finished it all and seemed to like it.

She got to go on a nice long walk with my father and Su Jin, up to Capitol Hill and through the Seattle University campus. They even got to visit a couple of churches along the way, and Sadbh stayed awake for most of the journey.

Overall, Sadbh had a great day and since Katie is not working tomorrow, it looks like it is the start of a great weekend.

New photos.

Photos from November 26.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – day 289 January 25th, 2012

Sadbh had good night sleep, despite the windstorm that was blowing hard against the house almost waking her up a few times.

Larissa mentioned that Sadbh had a big poop during the night, and did not even wake up while she had her diaper changed.

Sadbh had another great day, playing with her two grandparents and apparently, all her toys.

She has acquired quite the collection of toys, from building blocks to stuffed dolls, and when my father is playing with her, she gets to play with all of them at the same time.

Recently she has started to hold up her hand when we ask for a high five, and tonight when I asked for a kiss, she leaned forward and gave me a kiss.

She kisses with her mouth open, so I need to teach her that she needs to close her mouth when she kisses.

She was very tired when it came time for bed, so it didn’t take long before she was fast asleep.

Larissa is working again tonight and I’m sure that she is going to be quite tired also, since it’s her fourth night in a row.

Su Jin is working tomorrow morning, so my father and Peggy will get a break and will be able to relax a little.

New photos.

Photos from November 25.

Take care,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – day 288 January 24th, 2012

Sadbh had a much better night sleep and did not budge until I came down at 5:30am. When I popped my head in through the door, she was lying there in her cot with a big smile.

It was breakfast time, so Katie was called down, and as soon as she walked in the door, Sadbh lost interest in me straight away.

The weather was not so good today, so Sadbh and my father were house bound for the day. Peggy came over to keep them company and to help out with trach care.

My father has done a great job getting Sadbh used to her ladybird rocker that she got from Santa for Christmas. She will now sit on it for a few moments, before getting scared and wanting to get away from it.

Sadbh was ready for a nap when I arrived home and slept for almost 45 minutes.

When she awoke, she was full of energy, so we got to play with a few of her toys.

It’s quite exhausting trying to keep up with her and with all the extra crawling around, I am surprised that she is adding weight rather than losing it.

It seems that she’s gone through a growth spurt in the last few days, although it’s mainly her belly that’s gotten much bigger.

She had a wonderful day today, however when it came time for bed, despite being very tired it took her quite some time to get to sleep and even then she was quite restless.

New photos.

Photos from November 24.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – day 287 January 23rd, 2012

Even though Sadbh had a nurse for the night, she had another restless night sleep, and her heart rate did not drop far enough to indicate that she had a deep sleep whatsoever.

Our nurse figured that it’s possible that Sadbh is either fighting a small bug, or could be teething.

Thankfully, Katie did get a good night sleep and didn’t wake up until 5:30 when we called her down to feed Sadbh. She was obviously in a very deep sleep, because when I called her down the third time, she answered by telling me that she had already been down.

It turned out that she had a very vivid dream where she had come down when I called her the first time and she had a full on conversation with the nurse.

We did not have a day nurse today, so Katie’s mother came over later in the morning to help my father with trach care and to hang out and play with Sadbh.

Later in the afternoon, my father got to take Sadbh out for a nice long walk up to Madrona and by the time he got there, she was fast asleep.

I got home a little later than usual today, and when I arrived, a very sleepy little girl greeted me. She had just woken up moments beforehand, and was ready for her bottle.

After her bottle, it was playtime and Sadbh was very busy crawling around playing with all her toys.

She was so excited to see Katie come through the door and couldn’t wait to get into her arms.

Just before bedtime, Katie read her a couple of bedtime stories, and even though she was very tired, she did not want to miss out on any of the action.

She was very interested in the stories that Katie read her and couldn’t keep her eyes off of her mum.

When it was time to go to bed, she did not object and was asleep in no time.

New photos.

Photos from November 23.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh. 

Sadbh’s update – day 286 January 22nd, 2012

Sadbh had a fairly restless night sleep and had to be tended to every 20 minutes or so from 1am onwards.

When she was finally ready to wake up, she was very eager to get out of bed and downstairs to play with her toys.

Even though she has been eating solids for a while now, her solids are always pureed, but today she got to eat her first apple slice. It was more that she sucked on it for awhile as she doesn’t have the teeth to chew it.

During breakfast, she Skyped with Kati in Munich and got to show off her apple slice.

After her call with Kati ended, she got to Skype with Breffini, Brian and Saoirse in Dublin. Saoirse reads the blog with her parents every morning, so it was fun for the two girls to get to see each other on the computer. We cannot wait for Sadbh to be well enough so she can get home to Ireland and get to go on a play date with Saorise.

It rained hard today here in Seattle, so Sadbh was housebound all day. Regardless, she had a fantastic day and took turns playing with Katie, my father and myself.

Sadbh’s night nurse Larissa is back on shift tonight, so we moved all of her equipment down to her bedroom, and we hope that she gets a better night sleep tonight.

New photos.

Photos from November 22.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – day 285 January 21st, 2012

It was another great nights sleep for Sadbh and she didn’t wake until 5:30am.

I headed off with a few of my friends for a day snowboarding, so I was glad to get to spend some time in the morning with my little princess.

Shortly after I left, both Sadbh and Katie got to snuggle up in bed, and off to sleep for another couple of hours.

Katie’s mom and step-dad, Peggy and Kirk came over to hang out and play for a while, and when it was time for Sadbh to take a nap, Peggy helped out with trach care.

Prior to trach care, Katie and Peggy were able to get a handprint from Sadbh in plaster. It was a difficult task since she wanted to grab the plaster and put it in her mouth.

Later in the afternoon, Katie and Aoife met up for dinner on Capitol Hill for a couple of hours. It was the first proper outing for Sadbh in a few days due to all the snow, and fortunately for her, she also got to hang out with her friend Conor.

Sadbh had woken up from her evening nap a few minutes before I arrived home and as soon as I pulled up outside the house, I could see Sadbh waving through the window at me. It was so very cute.

As soon as we had unloaded the car, I got to feed her dinner and afterwards we played with a bunch of her toys.

She really enjoys standing up and trying to walk, so it was a lot of fun watching her wobble and trying to keep her balance.

New photos.

Photos from November 21.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – day 284 January 20th, 2012

Sadbh slept great until 4am and then it was time for breakfast. Afterwards, she went back to sleep for another 3 hours.

She woke up around 7am for her next feeding, and despite our best efforts to get her back to sleep afterwards, she wasn’t having any of it and she was very eager to get the day started.

The streets were still quite bad from all the snow and ice, so I worked from home and got to enjoy my day in Sadbh’s company.

Katie usually has Friday’s off, however since she spent most of the week working from home due to the bad weather, she had to do some catching up today.

All in all, Sadbh had a great day and got to take turns playing with us all.

She had a very busy day Skyping people around the world, from her friend Clodagh in Wallingford, to Nini in Munich and her cousins in New Zealand.

We have started using the Passy Muir Valve on a daily basis, and we can easily tell that she is getting more and more used to it each and every day.

The PMV that we find works best for Sadbh is one with a 2mm hole punched in it, so I think we need to get another PMV with a 1mm hole so we can get her used to the extra resistance when she exhales.

New photos.

Photos from November 20.

Have a great weekend,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – day 283 January 19th, 2012

Due to the bad weather, our night nurse could not make it, so Sadbh slept upstairs with us.

She had a good night sleep and only woke up a couple of times. Each time, Katie was able to get her back to sleep reasonably quickly.

The conditions here in Seattle were far worse than the day before, so Katie and I worked from home again.

Sadbh had a great day playing with my father and he was having a tough time keeping up with her crawling.

It’s time to baby proof the house.

Early in the evening, my father and I were clearing snow from the path in the back yard. Next thing we heard a knock on the upstairs window and there was Katie and Sadbh looking out at us. Once we started waving, Sadbh got very excited and started waving back.

She is really enjoying her solid foods. We introduced red meat earlier in the week, so she has now tried most of the main food groups.

Her favorites so far are apples mixed with pears, peas or carrots.

When it came time for bed, Sadbh was exhausted. I learned a very valuable lesson tonight, and that is never to get your baby excited and all amped up at bedtime.

It’s taken a while to get her to sleep and unfortunately she isn’t very settled.

New photos.

Photos from November 19.

Take care,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh. 

Sadbh’s update – day 282 January 18th, 2012

Sadbh had a good night sleep, thanks to Larissa.

Since she slept so well, so did Katie and I. It wasn’t until 5:30am before she finally awoke and Katie was summoned for breakfast.

I know that the majority of babies tend to have a lot of gas, however it’s hilarious watching over Sadbh as she toots while she is sleeping.  

By the time Larissa’s shift was over, Seattle was covered in snow and the roads were in bad shape. Fortunately for Larissa, she was able to get home, however our day nurse was unable to make it in for her shift.

This worked out fine since Katie couldn’t make it to the office, and my father was able to help out.

The weather seemed to worsen throughout the day, so around noon I headed home from work.

My timing was perfect as Sadbh was just after waking up from her late morning nap.

She was feeding with Katie, and as soon as I walked in the door, she turned around and gave me a huge smile.

We tested the Passy Muir Valve on Sadbh for almost 30 minutes this evening, and with this training we hope that she starts to get used to the pressure of exhaled air forcing it’s way up through her vocal cords and out through her nose and mouth.

My father offered to baby-sit Sadbh for a couple of hours tonight, so Katie and I could head out for a bite to eat.

Sadbh and my father had a great evening together and got to knock over a whole bunch of building blocks, which is something she loves to do.

I’m optimistic that she will learn how to build them up rather than knock them down soon.

New photos.

Photos from November 18.

Take care,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – day 281 January 17th, 2012

Sadbh slept well until 3am, and then had another restless night, from then on. Thanks to Katie, she slept though the rest of the morning until shortly after 5am. After breakfast, the both fell back into a deep sleep together.

Most of the snow from the weekend had melted throughout the night, so our day nurse was able to make the journey and worked with my father to care for Sadbh throughout the day.

The both managed trach care early in the day, and Sadbh had a lot of fun playing and working on her crawling skills.

I arrived home close to 5pm, and Sadbh had just woken up from a nice nap. She was very excited when I walked through the door and within no time, she was in my arms drinking a bottle.

She was in a great mood and was very playful. Even when I had to lay her in her cot to suction her trach, she was full of smiles and merriment.

Soon afterwards, Katie arrived home and Sadbh grew extremely excited.

By the time she was ready for bed, she was exhausted, so we changed her into her pajamas, hooked up all her equipment and she was in a deep sleep in no time.

Despite the forecast for the worst snow storm within the last decade, our night nurse Larissa has confirmed that she will be here tonight to look after Sadbh, so if all goes well, Katie will be able to get a good night sleep.

New photos.

Photos from November 17.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – day 280 January 16th, 2012

Sadbh had a restless night sleep, and slept until 5am where she joined us in bed for breakfast and a lie in.

With all the snow we received yesterday, and the freezing temperatures, Katie and I couldn’t get to work, so we stayed in and worked from home.

It was a very full house, with Sadbh’s two granddads and Su Jin, her nurse for the day.

Sadbh had a great time playing with all three, and after quite a bit of coaxing, she even crawled forward a number of times.

Her night nurse, Larissa, is at the tail end of a head cold, so Sadbh is back upstairs with us tonight.

New photos.

Photos from November 16.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – day 279 January 15th, 2012

Sadbh slept great again last night.

I awoke this morning to a gentle tapping on my shoulder, and when I turned around, I found a smiling Sadbh, staring at me. As soon as we locked eyes she started clapping her hands with excitement.  

It had snowed throughout the night and into the day. Later on in the day we bundled Sadbh up, nice and warm and brought her out to play.

She was definitely intrigued and was quite content to eat a small snowball.

At one point, we thought she might be happy to make a snow angel, but it turned out that she didn’t, but it was a valiant effort regardless.

New photos.

Photos from November 15.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – day 278 January 14th, 2012

Sadbh had another great night’s sleep and slept right through until morning. She then joined us in bed after her breakfast, and slept soundly for another few hours.

Our friends, Sarah and Gerry’s son Dylan turned 1 on the 13^th, so we headed over to celebrate his first year birthday today. All of Sadbh’s friends were there and she had a great time hanging out.

Clodagh was so cute as she was happy pretending to be a pony while giving Sadbh a pony ride.

Since she had been awake for a few hours, we figured it would be best to keep her awake for the drive home so we could manage trach care when we got back to the house.

Her monthly trach change was scheduled for Sunday, so we decided to take care of it today as part of trach care.

We were successful in changing out her trach and she hardly budged throughout.

We are so lucky that Sadbh is used to our routine and usually sleeps throughout the ordeal.

Both Katie and I are part of a few trach baby e-mail groups, and a lot of kids fuss and fight while having trach care or even trach change carried out.

It’s already a very stressful thing to deal with, and I couldn’t imagine how much worse it could be if Sadbh was awake and resisting us.

Afterwards, all three of us took a nice nap.

She had a wonderful evening as she spent it playing with her two grandfathers.

New photos.

Photos from November 14.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.