Saturday, June 30, 2012

Sadbh’s update – June 30th, 2012


It was a rough night sleep and by 4 am Sadbh was awake coughing like crazy. She had a very high temperature and her heart rate was almost 200 bpm.
She seemed to relax somewhat after giving her Tylenol to help reduce her temperature, but we still had to suction constantly for the next few hours.

We had scheduled to change out Sadbh’s trach today, but since she was dealing with a cold, we figured that we would wait until later in the week when she was feeling better.

Sadbh had a huge appetite for breakfast and devoured everything that was served up. Unfortunately, after she was done, she had a coughing fit and puked everything back up.

Ali-Baba and Kirk stopped by later in the morning to see Sadbh and help out with trach care. Despite being ill, Sadbh was in a great mood and was eager to play with Ali-Baba.
She had a great morning and was exhausted when it came time for trach care.
Everything went well, but she woke up afterwards and had to be nursed back to sleep.
It required a lot of effort on Katie’s part to get Sadbh back to sleep and they ended up taking a nap together until almost 4pm.

Since she was cooped up in the house all day, Katie and I took her for a walk up to Capitol Hill.
Sadbh was very happy hanging out in her stroller and was very excited checking everything out.

When it came time for bed, she had a series of coughing fits and puked up a number of times.
It was quite scary for us since her breathing was very labored.
After changing her pajamas and bundling her up for bed, she crawled over onto her belly, stuck her bum into the air and dropped off to sleep.

Katie and I know that we have a long night ahead of us, but hopefully Sadbh will have a comfortable sleep and more importantly, will feel much better tomorrow.



All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Friday, June 29, 2012

Sadbh’s update – June 29th, 2012


Sadbh had another sound sleep and did not need any attention from Larissa all night. Even though she sleeps great while Larissa is looking after her, it’s comforting to us all that Larissa is quick to react if Sadbh needs any help whatsoever.

When I stopped in to see how she was doing this morning, Sadbh rolled over, opened her eyes and waved good morning to me.
She was in such a good mood and was ready for the day to start.

Sadbh was excited when Kara arrived and since she had not seen her in a while, it was time to show off all her latest skills.
The three ladies had a tea and dance party in the living room and it was so much fun. Sadbh loved it and she ended up dancing so much that she did a great job at tiring herself out.

Trach care was very straight-forward since Sadbh was in such a deep sleep, unfortunately she only slept for twenty minutes.

After lunch, it was time for a walk up to Trader Joes and Sadbh was thrilled to be out of the house.
She was in her element checking out all the cars and busses that went by and eventually she dropped off to sleep in her stroller.

Her evening was spent getting driven around the house in her red wagon and any time I would stop, she would give me the sign for car letting me know that it was time for another few laps around.
This went on for almost an hour.

Later on we headed outside and Sadbh got to hang out with Maya who lives a couple of doors down.
Sadbh was fascinated with Maya and her two dogs and could not stop hugging Maya. Both girls had a lot of fun, but eventually it was time to head in home for dinner and bed.

As Katie was putting Sadbh to sleep tonight, I leaned in to give her a kiss good night and she gave me the royal wave. Such a princess!



All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Sadbh’s update – June 28th, 2012

Sadbh slept great last night, but was very active and doing lots of acrobatics throughout the night.
She slept until 6, just as Larissa was finishing up her shift.

It was an early start for Sadbh but she had a big appetite and was eager to start playing as soon as she could.

Nadia was working today and Sadbh was delighted to see her.
Since Germany was playing in the semi-finals for the Euro Cup, Nini and Nadia took care of trach care earlier than normal and Nini was able to join some friends to watch the game.

Nadia is great with Sadbh and after Sadbh woke up, she tried on the Passy Muir Valve and they headed out for a walk. Sadbh tolerated the PMV for more than 2 hours and did great the whole time. It was very impressive.

Sadbh had a very hard time going to sleep this evening. She fought hard and would not go to sleep no matter what.
Eventually she dropped off and when she was placed in her cot, she lay face down with her butt in the air.
Just in time for Larissa’s shift to start.



All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Sadbh’s update – June 27th, 2012


Sadbh slept like a log, thanks to Larissa who was working last night. She did not budge all night and she held on tightly to her little lamb blanket.

She woke up at 7am and was ready for breakfast and some baby signing lessons on her DVD.
Sadbh did not have a nurse today so Nini was working solo again.

It was a gorgeous day, so Nini took Sadbh out for a walk and Sadbh really enjoyed herself. She waved at everyone she passed and was delighted to be out of the house.

After a couple of hours, Sadbh started to get tired so Nini had to rush home so she could start trach care. She received a lot of odd looks from people as she passed since she was trying desperately to keep Sadbh awake.
Ali-Baba arrived moments after Sadbh and Nini arrived home and immediately they started trach care.
Sadbh was great and slept throughout the entire procedure. She was obviously very tired since she slept for almost an hour and a half afterwards.

After lunch, it was time to practice on her Passy Muir Valve and she managed it very well. She made a bunch of sounds and even burped a couple of times.

This afternoon she was in for a surprise when her friend Conor and his mum Aoife stopped by for a play date.
She is very fond of the boys and could not keep her hands off of Conor. I’m going to have to have a serious chat with her since she was even photographed trying to sneak a couple of kisses from Conor.
Both she and Conor had a great time playing outside in the back garden for the afternoon.



All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Sadbh’s update – June 26th, 2012


Sadbh was very restless last night and was flopping all over the place.
Around 4 she joined us in bed and by 6 she had wriggled almost all the way to the foot of the bed.

She finally woke up at 8 and it was time for breakfast.
Unfortunately, she did not have a nurse working today, so Nini did not have any support.
Sadbh had a huge appetite and devoured her breakfast. As soon as she was done, it was time for the fun and games to begin.

Ali-Baba stopped by later in the morning to help Nini and to play with Sadbh. They tested out the Passy Muir Valve and Ali-Baba was beside herself with emotion with all the sounds that Sadbh was making.

Ali-Baba has this beautiful ring and she decided when Sadbh was born that she was going to inherit it. For the past year or so, Ali-Baba shows Sadbh the ring and says “Do you see your ring?” Lately, when she asks, Sadbh sticks her hand out as if she is showing off her ring finger. Today Sadbh got to try on Ali-Baba’s ring and she looked so impressed.
When Sadbh turns out to be a complete diva, I’m going to blame Ali-Baba.

Eventually Sadbh grew tired, so it was time for the trach care ritual to begin.
Sadbh really enjoyed her bath and immediately afterwards she enjoyed a bedtime story as she was dried off.
Trach care went well and Sadbh slept for over an hour.

After lunch, Sadbh and Nini went for a long walk through the neighborhood. Sadbh got to see a few goats for the first time. A neighbor a couple of blocks away had rented some to manage their garden and Sadbh was impressed.
Later it started to rain so Nini and Sadbh took shelter under a large tree.
It was all very exciting for Sadbh.

Her evening was spent playing with her toys and showing off how good she is at walking without holding anyone’s hand.

Sadbh was exhausted tired and a little cranky when it came time for bed.
Thankfully she dozed off eventually and fell into a nice deep sleep.



All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Sadbh’s update – June 25th, 2012


Larissa called in sick last night, so Sadbh spent the night upstairs with Katie and myself. She did great and only woke-up a couple of times throughout the night.
She finally got up at 7 and played with Katie for a while before it was time to head downstairs for breakfast.

Nadia was working today and when she arrived, Sadbh greeted her by doing the baby sign for Nadia.

It was a sunny day, so after Sadbh had breakfast Nini and Nadia took Sadbh out for a walk through the neighborhood. They ended up in a lovely park and Sadbh was able to walk through the grass and touch the flowers.

Nini noticed that Sadbh started to get tired, so it was time to head back to the house and start trach care.
Trach care went really well and Sadbh slept for an hour afterwards.

When Sadbh was done with lunch, Nini tried out the modified Passy Muir Valve and immediately Sadbh started to make a lot of sounds. Eventually the hole in the valve rotated to a point where it got covered and Sadbh tolerated it without any problem. Usually when the hole in the valve moves so it’s covered, this greatly reduces the amount of air that Sadbh can exhale and she ends up having difficulty breathing. Not today, she did great and later Nini exchanged the modified PMV for the non-modified one. She did great with that and seemed to be very comfortable while she made loads of sounds.
We are not sure if this is an indication that she is making progress with her vocal cords, however it is a huge step forward in her ability to tolerate the PMV.

Sadbh had a fantastic evening and is now walking around without the need to hold anyone’s hand. It is now time to baby proof everything in the house, as there will be no holding her back from here on in.



All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Sadbh’s update – June 24th, 2012


Sadbh probably had her best night sleep ever last night and did not wake until 6. She joined us in bed and quickly fell fast asleep until almost 9.
It was incredible that all three of us got to sleep in.

She had a fairly big appetite when she got downstairs for breakfast and devoured breakfast in no time.
Immediately after breakfast, it was time for the fun and games to start.

She had a ball and after a few hours it was time for trach care and a nice long nap.

The forecast for the weekend called for rain, however, the weather today turned out to be very nice, so after she woke up and had her lunch, we quickly Skyped with Granddad and Nana in Cork and headed over to West Seattle and Alki Beach.

Skype was great and Sadbh kept trying to kiss her grandparents. She could not quite figure out how to get to them, so she started to kiss the keyboard on the computer.

We stopped off at Easy Street Records in West Seattle on our way to Alki and Sadbh was in her element with the loud music by Snoop Doggie Dog that they were playing. She started to dance along while in her stroller and at one stage it looked like she was playing air guitar.

We meet up with Neil and Denise down in Alki Beach. Sadbh had a great time making friends with a few little kids that she came across.
I think I noticed Sadbh giving Neil a hard time about England getting knocked out of the European Cup today.



All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Sadbh’s update – June 23rd, 2012


Considering that Sadbh did not have a nurse last night, she had a great night sleep and only woke up a couple of times. Each time she fell back to sleep after being comforted by Katie and on the second occasion she joined us in bed for the rest of the night.
Around 6am, I woke up to Sadbh kicking me in the back, even though she was still fast asleep.

Thankfully we all got to sleep in until 8am and Sadbh was full of smiles, kisses and hugs.
Breakfast was spent eating and catching up on her baby signing time DVD.
Today she was learning the signs for different feelings. She really enjoys her DVD’s and picks up on new signs every day.

Katie’s father was staying with us and got to hang out with Sadbh for the morning.
After a few hours of serious fun, Sadbh started to get tired so it was time to start preparations for trach care.
She had a fun time splashing in her bath and when it came time to get dried and put on her pajamas, she was out like a light.

Trach care was very straight-forward, however her neck is very raw in places. You could tell that it causes her a lot of discomfort as she got fussy when I removed the medical tape that was covering her sores. I cannot wait for the day when she does not have to have a trach so her neck can heal up and not be so irritated.
That said, I could not imagine how her neck would be if we did not care for it as well as we do every day. I’m sure she would have some serious infections and discomfort.

Sadbh ended up having a nice long nap and well rested when it came time for her play date with Conor O’Brien.
In fact, we were about an hour late due to the timing fro trach care and Sadbh’s nap.
Sadbh was very excited when she met Conor and instantly they both hit it off. There were hugs and Conor was quick to share his toys with Sadbh. Conor even got to show off his battery-powered car. Sadbh got to take a spin in it, but I think she was freaked out and had enough after a few minutes.
Eventually Sadbh started to get very tired so we set off for home expecting her to fall asleep as soon as she got into the car. This wasn’t the case and she ended up not taking her second nap of the day.

Once we arrived home it was time for dinner. Sadbh had a lot of fun with her food and ended up with half her food on her face or on the floor.

When it came time for bed, she noticed three of her binkies on the dresser above her bed and despite already having a binky in her mouth, she had to have all of them.
Before we knew it, she had a binky placed over each of her eyes and one in her mouth with the last one in her hand since she did not have anywhere to put it. It was hilarious.

She had no problem going to bed considering it was almost an hour and a half past her usual bedtime.
It was a fantastic day spent with family and good friends.




All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Friday, June 22, 2012

Sadbh’s update – June 22nd, 2012


Despite being disturbed by Katie and my return home last night, Sadbh had a good night sleep.
She slept right until 6am, had a quick snack and was back asleep until 7:30 when she decided it was time to get up and have some breakfast.

There was no nurse scheduled for the day, so Katie stayed home in the morning to do trach care.  They also had a chance to visit with Katie’s brother and his family before they headed back to Singapore.
Sadbh was thrilled for the opportunity to spend some extra time with mommy and was even more excited when she got to hang out with her three cousins for a few hours.

At one point, Sadbh placed Trinity’s hand on her face and Trinity got very excited and called out to everyone that Sadbh must love her. It was beautiful.
They could not get enough hugs and kisses and I bet Sadbh felt so lucky to have such wonderful cousins. It’s too bad that they live so far away and that she will only get to see them once a year.

After everyone said good-bye, it was time to head home. Katie and Nini tested out the modified Passy Muir Valve and Sadbh did fantastic with it. So much so, that after ten minutes, they switched it out for the non-modified PMV. She struggled at first, but surprisingly she did great and made a lot of sounds through her vocal cords.
It was quite the moment and even though we do not know if there is any improvement or not, it was really special to hear those sweet sounds coming from our little girl.

The excitement of the morning obviously got to Sadbh and within no time, she was ready for a nap.
Trach care was very straightforward since she was so tired, however she woke up immediately after Katie and Nini finished up.

Later in the afternoon, Katie’s father arrived and Sadbh was thrilled. She kept blowing him kisses and flirting like crazy.
She had a fun filled afternoon and the games continued after Katie and I arrived home from work.

Katie’s father took us out for dinner to Jak’s restaurant in West Seattle this evening. Sadbh noticed a little girl at a nearby table as soon as we were seated and both of them could not stop waving to each other. It was very cute. Before no time, both girls were hanging out and all of a sudden they were hugging and holding hands.
It is incredible how social and friendly Sadbh is.

By the time she was back in the car, she fell into a deep sleep. She was so floppy when we got her home, so we did not have any problems getting her cleaned up and into her pajamas.

It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.



All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – June 21st, 2012


Sadbh had another fantastic night sleep and finally woke up at 6am. Usually she’s back to sleep within ten or so minutes, but not today. She fought hard and eventually Katie and Nini had to give in trying.

This meant it was time for breakfast and before she knew it her belly was full.

A couple of nursing coordinators called by from her agency, to meet with her and Sadbh was very eager to show off to these complete strangers.
They were very impressed with all her skills and development, but all of a sudden she let out a huge fart. Within seconds, the room was full of her aroma and Nini knew very well that she had a full nappy to change.

Since the guild meeting was scheduled for this evening, Sadbh did not have a nurse until later in the day.
Ali-Baba came by early in the day to help with trach care and to spend time playing with Sadbh. Sadbh had a blast and she was exhausted when it came time for trach care.

Nadia started her shift at 2pm and took great care of Sadbh until 10pm when Larissa started.

The guild meeting was a great success and we had almost 86 people attend. Our target for the night was $5,000.00 and even though we will not have the final numbers for a couple of days, we believe we were very close if not a little more.



All the best and thanks for all the support tonight.

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Sadbh’s update – June 20th, 2012


Larissa was working last night, so Sadbh had a fantastic night sleep. She woke up shortly after 12:30 and was back to sleep within 8 minutes thanks to Larissa.

Sadbh woke briefly at 6:45 and was back to sleep by 7am.  She had a very late start to the day after waking up at 8:50. She was in a great mood and was ready for breakfast.

Destiny was working today and since it was a nice sunny day, they all headed out for a long walk right after breakfast.
Sadbh met a couple of new friends during her walk today. The son of the owner of Nini’s favorite coffee shop fell in love with Sadbh and kept blowing her kisses. Of course she loved the attention and she even blew a few kisses back. When it came time to leave, he blocked the door and would not allow Sadbh to leave.

Afterwards they arrived at a playground and Sadbh was fascinated with a couple of girls playing.

When they arrived home, it was time for lunch and since Sadbh was finally getting tired, it was also time for trach care.
She enjoyed her bath as usual and fell asleep in no time. Unfortunately, she woke up during trach care so Nini and Destiny had to work hard to get her back to sleep. It is always very stressful when she wakes up during trach care since quite often her trach is not secure and it is very easy for it to come out of her neck.
Nini and Destiny are experts and were able to finish off trach care without any further issues.  Sadbh slept on for another hour or so until the postman rang the doorbell and woke her up.

After a nice meal, it was time to head out for another walk in the sunshine. Sadbh had a great time and she was thrilled when they headed to the playground again.

A very excited little girl greeted me when I arrived home from work and even though it was only a couple days since we had hung out, I could see changes in her.
We had a fantastic evening and spent the time playing and having a ball.

Dinner was fun too and she had a great time playing with her food. It was all over the place and she did not mind the fact that there was more food on her face than what was in her belly.

When it came time for bed, Sadbh was beyond tired so it did not take long for her to drop off to sleep.

It was a great day and hopefully she will have another great night.



All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Sadbh’s update – June 19th, 2012


Sadbh slept pretty well.  She spent most of the night in her own bed, but joined Katie a few times during the night. 

In the morning, Sadbh heard an airplane overhead.  Katie explained that Daddy was on an airplane and Sadbh made the airplane sign and giggled.

Molly was working today and Sadbh was delighted to see her.  The morning was spent playing and riding around the house in the red wagon. 

Later in the morning, Sadbh got to Skype with Nana and Grandad. It was Grandad’s birthday and Sadbh could not give him enough kisses through the computer.  She just wished she could crawl through and give both him and Nana a real kiss.

Nini and Molly managed trach care while Katie took care of some errands.  Sadbh was a bit fussy and woke up immediately after trach care was done.  Nini thinks that Sadbh’s neck is irritating her.

After lunch, Sadbh, Nini and Molly packed up and went for a nice long walk through the neighborhood.  Sadbh finally dozed off towards the end of the walk and she had a nice little sleep.

In the evening, Sadbh, Nini and Katie decided to go for another walk down at Seward Park.  The evening sun was beautiful and Sadbh was in awe at all the water, boats, dogs, trees, birds and babies.  She knows all of these signs and she couldn’t stop talking about all of these favorite things. 

By the time it was bedtime, Sadbh was exhausted and she fell straight asleep.  Daddy arrived home from his business trip and couldn’t wait to take a peek at his princess.  Sadbh looked so cute and peaceful, he had to snap a couple pictures of sleeping beauty.

Larissa is working tonight and everyone is looking forward to a good nights rest.



All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Sadbh’s update – June 18th, 2012


Sadbh slept pretty well nestled in between Mommy and Daddy all night long. She woke up around 7am -  all smiles and very lovey-dovey. 

Mommy had the day off work, but Daddy needed to catch a flight for a business trip to Minneapolis and Milwaukee.  Sadbh made sure to get lots of smiles and kisses in before he headed off, though.

Sadbh spent the morning playing with Nini while Katie took care of a few things.  Trach care was handled fairly early and, afterwards, the three ladies, Sadbh, Nini and Katie, headed off to meet up with Ali-baba for some lunch and a bit of shopping at Northgate Mall. 

Sadbh was overwhelmed with excitement.  From the cars in the parking lot, to the water fountain, to all of the nice and smiley people passing by, she couldn’t help but do her happy dance.  The purse section at Macy’s was particularly fascinating.  I think Sadbh will definitely need to have a few purses of her own one-day.

Afterwards, Sadbh, Nini and Katie headed to Greenlake for a nice walk.  Sadbh started off cozied up in her stroller, but even though she was incredibly tired, she was unable to close her eyes in case she might miss something.  Katie decided to put Sadbh into the front carrier and within no time, Sadbh was fast asleep.  She had a nice nap as the ladies strolled around the lake.

Once they got back to the car, Sadbh woke up and was all smiles again.  They all headed home for some evening playtime and supper.  There is no nurse tonight and with Daddy away, Sadbh will sleep up with Katie.  They are both looking forward to Wayne’s return tomorrow.



All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Sadbh’s update – June 17th, 2012


Sadbh had a really good night sleep, this was partly due to the fact that she slept with us the entire night.
She woke once at 4am and then surprisingly slept until after 7am.  She was full of smiles when she woke up.

Katie was still not feeling great, so she decided to cancel her trip to Lake Chelan.

Sadbh had a great big breakfast, caught up on some baby signing on her DVD and, afterwards, it was time for a fun packed morning with Katie.
Since it was Father’s Day, I got a chance to sleep in for a while, and just as I was waking up I could hear Sadbh coming up the stairs.
She arrived into the room with a huge smile and it was time for a visit with the tickle monster.

Sadbh then gave me a Father’s Day card that had her first hand-drawn picture in it. 

After a couple more hours of fun, she started to get very tired so Katie and I started her trach care ritual. She passed out after her bath and allowed us to manage trach care without any issues.

After a nice long nap, Sadbh joined us out in the back yard while I did some work in the garden. It was a sunny but windy day, and Sadbh loved how the trees swayed in the wind. She had a ball and even got to hang out with our next-door neighbor Anna. Later on she got to hang out with Pat and even got to pet their dog for the first time it was quite the afternoon, and it was an excellent Father’s Day.



All the best and happy Father’s Day to all the dads,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Sadbh’s update – June 16th, 2012


It was a restless night sleep for Sadbh and she had to be suctioned a number of times throughout.
Around 4am, she eventually drifted off into a nice deep sleep and did not wake until 7ish.

Sadbh, Katie and Nini were due to drive to Lake Chelan in Eastern Washington to visit Katie’s brother and his family for a few days. Unfortunately Katie wasn’t feeling well, so they all decided to stay in town.

I brought Sadbh down for breakfast this morning and for some reason or other, she was fierce cranky. I started to make the baby sign for grumpy, and she laughed and made the sign back to me.
She had a nice big breakfast and watched the next edition of her baby sign DVD.

Later in the morning Sadbh got to Skype with my parents and brother back in Cork. She was delighted to see them and showed off some of her latest baby signs.

After we were done Skyping, Sadbh was starting to get tired so Nini and I started getting her bath and all the supplies ready for trach care.
She had so much fun in her little tub that she almost tipped it over a couple of times.
I then read her a book as I dried her off and once she had her pajamas on, she started to act up. I was sure that I was going to have a cranky baby to deal with, but she quickly laid her head into my arms and dropped off to sleep straight away.

Trach care was very easy, and her neck is starting to look a lot better. Her sores have almost completely disappeared, but we still had to dress one side of her neck to make sure it heals fully.

She slept like a log for almost an hour and a half and was in a much better mood when she woke up.
It was time for a big lunch and some fun with Katie.

I headed out to run a few errands, and when I arrived back home shortly after 6, both Katie and Sadbh were fast asleep in bed. You could tell that they both needed the rest, as they looked exhausted.
Sadbh woke up at 7 and was slightly cranky to start off with, but I soon had her rolling around the bed laughing her head off.

When I was out and about, I had picked up a little gift for Sadbh and she was delighted to unwrap it when she made it downstairs.
She was in a fantastic mood and was happy playing with each of us.
Dinner was messy as Sadbh wanted to feed herself yogurt. It started off fine, but soon she got bored of using the spoon and decided that her hands worked better. You would assume that she would still get plenty of food into her mouth with her hands, but she had no intention of eating anything at this stage. She was smushing her yogurt everywhere but her mouth. It was very funny to watch and she had a ball.

The weather in Seattle was very strange today and the sun did not really come out until this evening when it was about to set. It was also very windy so the light throughout the neighborhood was very surreal. We took Sadbh out into the back yard and the colors and shades were fascinating.
Our new garden is starting to get long and after an evening shower, Sadbh loved walking barefoot through the grass.

Bedtime was late tonight and thankfully Sadbh had no problem going to sleep. Since Katie was still not feeling great, both ladies went to sleep at the same time.
Hopefully Sadbh will have a much better night sleep tonight, and hopefully Katie will feel much better tomorrow.



All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.