Sadbh’s update – October 31st 2012

It was a very long night and Sadbh was tossing and turning nonstop. She joined us in bed early on would not stop kicking and pushing.

She was definitely very uncomfortable and she was wide-awake by 5:00.

She was in a great mood when she woke up and was extremely playful.

She fell back to sleep very soon after and had herself a nice long sleep in.

Sadbh had a big appetite when she finally woke up.

Caity arrived at the start of her shift not long after breakfast, so they all headed down into the basement for a morning filled with fun and play.

Ali-Baba arrived later on with a gift for Sadbh. She brought her a lovely new bedtime book called “Goodnight Moon” and Sadbh loved it. She also brought some yummy homemade cookies for Sadbh, in which Sadbh scarfed them down very quickly.

Sadbh’s naptime came a little later than usual, probably due to her sleep in, but more than likely due to the sugar rush from the cookies.

Everything went really well and Sadbh slept for two hours.

Sadbh got to join her neighbor friends on her first ever “trick or treat” outing later in the evening. We dressed her up in a very cute ladybird outfit and off she went.

She was fascinated with all the costumes and quickly learned the art of trick or treating.

It was a lot of fun and thankfully the rain stopped shortly after we set off.

She had a great evening and scored a load of sweets that she probably will not get to eat.

Larissa is working tonight so hopefully we will all get a good night sleep.

New photos.

Photos from October 31 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 30th 2012

All the pre-bedtime excitement must have worn Sadbh out because she slept like a log all night and did not move once. Her heart rate was in the low 90’s and even dropped down into the 60’s at one point.

Around 6:15 I received a call at work and it was Sadbh. She woke up and was asking for me while also making the sounds that I made while sniffing her feet. It made my day.

It was pouring rain all day so Sadbh spent the day indoors. She did not mind and had a great time taking turns playing with Granddad, Nana and Caity.

She was ready for her nap just before noon so it was time for her bath and trach care. Everything went well and Sadbh slept for over two and a half hours.

As soon as Sadbh was done with her afternoon nap, it was time for lunch and back down to the basement to play with her toys.

She had so much fun it did not matter how bad the weather was.

Sadbh came running up to me when I arrived home and stuck her foot into the air. It took me a second to figure out what she was doing and then I realized she wanted me to smell her feet. She was in hysterics when I sniffed and went phewwww! It was brilliant.

She had a great evening and was very playful right up to her bedtime.

Larissa has tonight off so Sadbh is upstairs with us. I’m hoping she gets another good night sleep.

New photos.

Photos from October 30 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 29th 2012

Sadbh had a restless night and managed to kick off her humidifier hose a few times. Thankfully Larissa was all over it and had Sadbh hooked back up very quickly each time.

She slept until 6:30 and she was ready for breakfast and for the fun to begin.

It was a very wet morning so Sadbh stayed indoors playing with her toys.

She had a great time and was thrilled to make as much noise as possible.

Trach care came a little earlier than usual and everything went well until Caity was securing her trach ties. Sadbh woke up and got a little bit fussy. They were able to finish the job off as soon as they had her calmed down, but she had no interest in going back to sleep.

The weather had cleared up so Sadbh, Nana and Caity headed out for a walk up to the Seattle University campus. Sadbh walked most of the way there and since it turned out to be such a sunny day she had a lot of fun.

She finally fell asleep on the way back home and Caity was able to get her into bed without waking her up.

Granddad carved a couple of pumpkins for Sadbh while she was out for her walk.

She was fascinated with them after she woke up and could not stop checking them out.

She had a fun evening playing hide and seek and when it came time for bed we read three of her favorite books.

She wears these cute ladybird slippers around the house and they are adorable. Unfortunately, they make her feet smell so at nighttime when she goes to bed I sniff her feet and make a phew sound. She loves it and laughs hysterically. It is so funny however when it’s the only thing she wants from 8 to 9 it becomes a bit of an issue.

That said, her laughter comes from deep within and it is very heart warming to hear.

New photos.

Photos from October 29 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 28th 2012

Sadbh joined us in bed around 3am and slept great for the next few hours. We discovered around 5:30 that her humidifier hose had come undone and her trach was starting to dry out.

We dropped some saline into her trach and suctioned out the thick secretions that we building up in there. She was very corporative and dropped back to sleep until 8am.

It was good that Sadbh allowed us all to sleep in since today was her scheduled monthly trach cage.

Sadbh had a great morning and after we all had breakfast together it was time to head out to the shops for the weekly groceries.

Sadbh loved being in the grocery store and she kept pointing at the stacks of apples and pears. It was just as well that she was in my arms, as she would have been trying to climb up on all the fruit.

Not long after we arrived home, Sadbh got to Skype with Nini and her sister Anna in Stuttgart, Germany. Sadbh was delighted to see her dear friend and could not stop dancing for her.

Eventually she grew tired so it was time for trach care and her trach change.

As I sanitized our work area and prepared all the necessary trach changing equipment Sadbh enjoyed a lovely bath and could not stop splashing. She did not want to leave her bath but as soon as she was bundled up in her towel in Katie’s arms she gave us a big smile and got ready for her nap.

Sadbh was very tired and it wasn’t long before she was in a deep sleep. Trach care went well and thankfully when it came time to change out her trach for a new one she barely moved and slept on with out waking up.

Trach change is such an emotional head wreck for both Katie and myself. Despite having done it for over a year and a half, it is still a very daunting task and my stomach turns cartwheels all morning beforehand and especially during.

Sadbh slept for almost an hour and a half and woke up very upset. It took forever to get her calmed down and back into a happy mood. It was obvious that she was still tired but she had no interest in going back to sleep.

After she was done with lunch we headed up to Volunteer Park for a stroll and Sadbh’s mood instantly got much better.

She enjoyed checking out all the dogs that were being walked through the park.

We were grateful that there was a fence around the Koi fishpond as Sadbh was fascinated. She did her best to climb over but was happy watching the fist swim around.

Sadbh had a great day and a successful trach change.

Larissa is working tonight so hopefully Sadbh will be able to catch up on some well-deserved sleep.

New photos.

Photos from October 28 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 27th 2012

Despite having a restless night sleep, Sadbh was bright eyed and bushy tailed by 7am. She was full of smiles, hugs and kisses and was ready to start her day.

It was a very wet day so Sadbh was house bound all day. This was not a problem as she had plenty of toys and puzzles to play with.

She had a great morning and when it came time for her nap she was absolutely pooped.

Trach care was easy and Sadbh slept for an hour and a half afterwards.

Granddad and Nana went downtown for the afternoon and Katie went to a baby shower for our friend Aoife so Sadbh and I had a wonderful afternoon hanging out together.

Sadbh had so much energy and was in her element playing with her stuffed dog Regale. She frightened the hell out of me at one stage when she came walking up to me with a trach and ties in her hand. For a split second I thought it was hers only to realize that it was Regale’s. She figured how to undo the trach ties and was bringing it to me to put it back on.

My only concern now is that she knows how to undo the Velcro ties so I’m worried that she might undo her own.

Sadbh received a lovely gift of a potty from Nana and Granddad when they arrived home. She was delighted to be sitting on her new throne and looked like royalty.

She was so intent to find the moon this evening, however, with all the rain clouds she was disappointed. She blew a bunch of kisses into the sky regardless.

By the time she was ready for bed she was exhausted and it did not take long for her to drop off to sleep. Hopefully she will have a much better night tonight.

New photos.

Photos from October 27 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 26th 2012

Around 12:30am Sadbh woke up and was ready to play. She had no intention in sleeping and was awake and very giddy until she finally fell asleep an hour later.

After she finally settled down she cuddled in between the two of us and slept soundly for the rest of the night.

By 6:45 she was wide-awake and ready for breakfast.

Each morning Sadbh goes up to Nana and points at her foot and makes the sign for “sore”. My mum has a sore foot and Sadbh’s concern is so very cute.

We did not have a nurse working today so Ali-Baba came over later in the morning to hang out and help Granddad with trach care.

She got to play with Sadbh for an hour beforehand and they all had a great time.

Trach care went very smoothly and Sadbh slept for a couple of hours afterwards.

She had a wonderful evening and she could not stop telling us all that she loved us. It was all very cute.

Just before dinner we capped her trach and distracted her with bubbles. She did great for almost 5 minutes and when she pulled it off we decided that she had enough. All of a sudden she was placing her cap back onto her trach since she wanted to play with the bubbles again. Her aim is great and she was able to place it on perfectly.

She had a wonderful day and we are so lucky that she has such wonderful grandparents to look after her.

New photos.

Photos from October 26 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 25th 2012

It was another uneventful night for Larissa as Sadbh slept soundly without any problems.

She woke up at 6:15 and was happy to see Katie.

Breakfast was served shortly afterwards and Sadbh had a big appetite. She wanted to play with her toys as soon as her belly was full and had no desire to change out of her pajamas.

Granddad even tried to reason with her, but it seemed fruitless and Sadbh ended up winning the battle.

She did however change in time for Caity’s shift to start and she looked very cute in pink.

It was a mild day so they all headed up to Trader Joe’s for a few odds and ends and Sadbh was delighted to get out of the house.

Autumn is such a lovely time of year, especially when it’s not raining. Sadbh loves all the bright rich colors and had to gather a few leaves that had fallen.

Sadbh was tired when they arrived home so Granddad and Caity started trach care.

Just as Caity was securing Sadbh’s trach ties, Sadbh woke up making it difficult to finish it off. Since Sadbh was moving so much, Caity was not happy with how lose the ties were so Granddad gave it a shot and got them secured properly.

By that point Sadbh was wide awake so it was time to get up and have lunch.

Later in the afternoon Sadbh, Nana and Caity headed out for a long walk through the neighborhood and it wasn’t long before Sadbh fell asleep.

Unfortunately, she did not sleep for very long and woke up very cranky.

Nana worked very hard to cheer Sadbh up and before she knew it Sadbh was running around in a much better mood.

Katie and I had to attend a community meeting tonight so Granddad and Nana looked after Sadbh while we were out. She had a lot of fun and got to blow kisses at the moon and she also got a few rounds of “Ring-a-Ring o Rosey”.

By the time we got home she was all cleaned up, changed into her pajamas and was ready for bed. She was in an excellent mood and despite not napping much throughout the day she had a great day.

New photos.

Photos from October 25 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 24th 2012

Sadbh woke up for about 11 minutes during the night and she fell back to sleep for the rest of the night after Larissa rocked her back to sleep.

She woke up in a very playful mood at 6:15 and was ready for action. It was a little bit chilly so Sadbh was wrapped up nice and snug in her bathrobe. She looked adorable and since it was so comfortable she did not want to take it off, not even for breakfast.

Sadbh was happy to see Caity when she arrived and knew it was time for the fun and games to begin.

Later in the morning they all headed up to Madrona for a walk. Sadbh was very happy to be out of the house in the fresh air even though it was very damp out.

The park was very quiet so they all headed over to a spectacular viewpoint that looked over the lake so Sadbh could see the water.

By the time they all arrived home Sadbh was ready for trach care. She slept for over two hours and woke up with a huge appetite.

She had an appointment this afternoon with Krista Heron who is her homeopathic doctor. Krista was very pleased with Sadbh’s progress and gave her another remedy of Opium 200.

She also advised Katie that we should cut out the dehydrated fruits out of Sadbh’s diet as this can cause her to become dehydrated.

I arrived home just before Sadbh and her posse did and as soon as she walked in the door she came running around to find me. She gave me a huge hug and since I was watching the news she decided to sit up on my shoulder.

Her evening was spent playing with Granddad and Nana as Katie and I made dinner. She had salmon for dinner and unfortunately she did not care for it.

It seems that our bedtime ritual is to sing and dance to “Ring-a-Ring o Rosey”. She gathered everyone into the living room and she had a great time.

By bedtime she was wrecked and it did not take long before she was fast asleep.

New photos.

Photos from October 24 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 23rd 2012

Sadbh slept great and despite a few moments of twisting and turning, she slept through until just after Larissa left at 6.

As soon as she was dressed it was time for breakfast and Sadbh had a good appetite.

Caity was working today and Sadbh was ready for the games and nursery rhymes to start. She had a lot of fun and after a couple of hours they all headed out to the shops for some groceries.

Sadbh walked a portion of the way and was very happy waving to the people she passed. At one stage she stopped to wave at a young woman sitting in her porch and they could not get her to move on.

Sadbh was ready for her nap not long after arriving home so it was time for her bath, a bedtime story and of to sleep she went. Caity managed the cleaning of her trach while my father kept the trach secure.

Everything went great and Sadbh slept soundly for two hours.

Her afternoon started with a big lunch and then she was back to having fun with her toys.

The weather was great so my parents took Sadbh for another walk just after Caity finished her shift.

They all headed up to the Seattle U campus and Sadbh got to check out a bunch of motorcycles that were parked there.

She had a very exciting evening and even got to see the moon for the first time in a few nights.

After dinner she dragged us all into the living room to sing and dance to “Ring-a-Ring o Rosey”. She couldn’t get enough and was thrilled to bits that she had us all dancing with her.

New photos.

Photos from October 23 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 22nd 2012

Sadbh had another good night sleep and just around 1:30 I woke up to her standing in her cot waving to get our attention.

I got up to bring her into bed but Katie got to her before I did. As soon as Sadbh’s head hit our pillow, she was back into a deep sleep until 7am.

Sadbh had a very leisurely morning and was very comfortable in her pink and white polka dot robe.

Later in the morning there was a break in the rain so Sadbh, Granddad, Nana and nurse Caity all headed out for a brisk walk to the shops for some fruit for Sadbh.

Sadbh fell asleep on the trip home, but she woke up just as Grandad and Caity prepared for trach care.   They decided to postpone trach care until the next time she was ready for a nap.

After an hour or so of very active playtime, Sadbh was ready for her bath and trach care, so Granddad and Caity got everything ready and prepared Sadbh for her cleaning. Despite having a nice relaxing bath, it took some serious patience to get Sadbh to sleep.  Once she was out, though, it was a fairly easy procedure.

Sadbh slept for almost two hours and woke up a very happy baby.

She had a very big lunch and was ready for an evening of fun and games.

She had a great evening and was full of kisses and hugs. She ran up to my mother a couple of times and said, “I love you”. It seems to be her favorite thing to say lately and it certainly makes everyone feel great.

New photos.

Photos from October 22 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 21st 2012

Katie awoke just around 5am to Sadbh standing right next to her in her cot. Sadbh started laughing soon as Katie opened her eyes and within a few moments she was cuddled up between both of us.

We had an early start to the day since we were meeting with our friends Sarah and Will for Sarah’s baby shower. Sadbh was in luck as she got to hang out with her friend Conor.

She had a huge appetite and got to eat so much fruit, potatoes, eggs, bacon and cereal. She couldn’t get enough bacon.

She had a great morning and as soon as we arrived home she was ready for a bath and trach care. She really enjoyed her bath but it took some serious convincing to get her to sleep.

Trach care was very easy as she was in a deep sleep and she slept for over two hours.

Sadbh got to Skype with her uncle Ger in Cork after she woke up from her nap and he was delighted when she said “I love you” to him.

After Skyping we all bundled into the car and headed off out to a Pumpkin farm in Fall City.

Sadbh was in a fantastic mood and was chatting like crazy for the entire trip.

Thankfully the weather held out while we were at the farm. Sadbh got to see a flock of turkeys and was fascinated by them. They were very fortunate to be housed behind a big fence, as Sadbh would have been in there with them if she got half the chance.

The farm was very busy and full of pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. Sadbh had the look of bewilderment on her face and was fascinated with everything that was going on around her. She had such a tight grip on Katie’s finger that it almost turned purple.

She did a great job picking out a couple of lovely pumpkins for Halloween. On our way back to the car Sadbh spotted a donkey so Granddad and Nana brought her over for a closer look. After being prompted by Granddad, Sadbh kept saying “Ee-haw”, much to everyone’s amusement.

On the way home we stopped off at Snoqualmie Falls to check out the waterfall. It was raging and Sadbh was in her element with all the spray in the air. The weather was about to turn bad so the viewpoint was empty. We were very lucky as the sky opened up just as we got back into the car.

We tried out her trach cap just as she was getting ready for bed and despite hearing some strider she did really well for five minutes. She was very proud of it and showed it off to Granddad and Nana.

It was a very busy and fun day and Sadbh was exhausted when it came time for bed.

New photos.

Photos from October 21 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh. 

Sadbh’s update – October 20th 2012

The first words out of Sadbh’s mouth this morning were “I love you” to Katie and then to me.

It was a bit after 7:15am and she had slept really well throughout the night.

She did need to be suctioned at one stage and eventually joined us in bed shortly after 2.

She was in a fantastic mood so we brought her downstairs for breakfast.

We pulled the boat out of the water today to winterize it and so Sadbh got to spend most of the morning playing with Nana. Nana has been teaching Sadbh how to say the names of all her uncles and aunts and Sadbh had so much fun with her.

We finished up just in time as Sadbh was starting to get tired for her nap. After a nice warm bath and a cuddle with Katie, Sadbh dropped off to sleep and was ready for trach care.

Everything went really well, however Sadbh woke up immediately afterwards.

Sadbh’s friend Cora celebrated her second birthday today so Sadbh got to join in on the fun and got to spend time with all her friends. There were so many kids and lots of great toys that Sadbh did not know what to do at first.

It wasn’t long before the birthday cake was brought out and immediately all the kids circled around to sing Happy Birthday to Cora. Soon each of the kids were covered in cake and it was only a short while before the sugar kicked in.

It was a funny sight to see and it looked like Sadbh had more cake on her face than on her plate.

When we pulled up outside out house we could see the moon for the first time in ages. Sadbh got all excited and started to blow it loads of kisses while saying moon.

With only a 30-minute nap and a bunch of cake, Sadbh was ready for bed earlier than usual tonight.

New photos.

Photos from October 20 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 19th 2012

Sadbh slept very well last night and while she only needed to be checked on a couple of times, Katie did suction once. She joined us sometime after 3am and took over half of the bed pushing me to my usual 2 inch strip along the edge.

Sadbh was so cute snuggled up to Katie when I headed out to work this morning. I had to tippy toe out so as not to wake her.  She ended up sleeping until 7am.

As soon as she was up it was time for breakfast. To begin with she was very picky and did not each much, however a short while later she was ready to fill her belly and it was time for a second and more substantial breakfast.

As soon as her second breakfast was finished it was time to get dressed for the day and Sadbh got dressed up in a lovely floral dress and looked as cute as a button. Ever wonder why one would consider a button cute?

Anyway, Caity worked today and Sadbh was delighted when she arrived. It was time for the fun and games to continue and Sadbh had so much energy.

It was a pleasant enough morning so they all headed out for a walk through the neighborhood.

They returned just in time to manage trach care and Sadbh slept for two hours. During the weekdays her routine is really good and it is very easy to schedule trach care as long as there are two people available to manage it.

Sadbh had a very fun afternoon and could not stop laughing. She wore her Passy Muir Valve for most of the day and was yapping like crazy.

When I arrived home she could not stop saying my brothers name. We need to Skype with him this weekend so she can put a name to the face.

Shortly after I arrived home, Sadbh and my parents headed off out for a long walk. Sadbh was very happy to be out again and was fascinated with all the beautiful colors of the leaves on the ground.

Sadbh’s evening was spent playing with Katie and myself. She had so much fun running around chasing us. She was in a very lovely mood and could not stop hugging and kissing us.

Sadbh learned how to say, “I love you” today and just as she was getting ready for bed she could not stop saying it. Even more impressive was the fact that she was not even wearing her Passy Muir Valve.

It is really amazing how many words that she can vocalize even though she’s only 18 months old.

New photos.

Photos from October 19 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 18th 2012

It was another uneventful night for Larissa as Sadbh slept without need for suctioning or untangling.

The sleep sack that Sadbh uses is really making a difference.

She woke up at 7am and was immediately ready for breakfast.

Afterwards she was dressed up in a lovely butterfly dress and it was off out into the garden to play with Granddad, Nana and her nurse Caity.

Ali-Baba stopped by to say hello and a chance to play with Sadbh. Sadbh was delighted to see her and could not stop running around the garden.

Since she slept in as long as she did, trach care was managed later than usual. Sadbh slept soundly while Caity cleaned and my father held the trach in place. Everything went well and Sadbh slept for a couple of hours.

Sadbh and my parents were just heading out for a walk when I arrived home. They weren’t gone long before it started to sprinkle, however, Sadbh was bundled up nice and cozy in her stroller and was well protected from the rain.

She was in such a cuddly mood all evening and just before bedtime she had us all singing and dancing to “Ring-a-Ring o Rosey”. It was very cute and she did not want to stop.

Sadbh is sleeping upstairs with us tonight since we do not have a nurse and we are hoping that the sleep sack works and that she gets another great night sleep.

New photos.

Photos from October 18 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.