Sadbh’s update – September 30th 2013

Sadbh had a restless sleep and woke up 6:15. She had a great snuggle with Mommy and then picked out her dress for the day.

Nana brought over a bunch of lovely dresses when she came last year and Sadbh loves to play dress up.

Her new ritual is to pick out her ‘beautiful’ dress for the day, put it on and then add her tutu and other stylish accessories.

Jenna worked today and both she and Sadbh got busy playing arts and crafts after breakfast.

There was a break in the stormy weather so we loaded up the stroller and headed off out to show Jenna the neighborhood.

Our first stop was the chicken coop a couple of blocks away and after that we headed to hang out in Nora’s Woods. Sadbh was not too keen to spend much time there but soon she was hiking through the woods with Jenna with a huge smile on her face.

From there we headed further up the hill to the viewpoint in Madrona to look over Lake Washington. Unfortunately, we could not see Mt. Rainier with all the cloud coverage.

We made it home moments before the rain returned. It was time for a snack and then a bath and trach care.

Trach care went well but Sadbh would not take her nap despite being very tired.

She played around in her cot for a while and soon was dressed and out playing in the living room again.

We decided to try to get Sadbh to bed a little earlier tonight but she wasn’t having any of it. She wanted to sit on her potty for a while but eventually she gave in and was asleep within 5 minutes.

It’s sad to see her so tired but hopefully we will be able to get her back on her regular schedule tomorrow.

New photos.

Photos from September 30 2011.

Photos from September 30 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh. 

Sadbh’s update – September 29th 2013

Sadbh woke up at 6am just as Danielle left. She was delighted to see Mommy and was keen to get the day started.

It was another wet day but this did not stop Sadbh from having a great time.  She got to play dress up, have a picnic in her tent and just before bedtime she got to watch twenty minutes of the Sound of Music.

Ali-Baba came by to help with trach care and Sadbh managed to nap for an hour and a half.

She was full of cuddles and kisses just as she was getting ready for bed however she really had no desire in going to sleep.

New photos.

Photos from September 29 2011.

Photos from September 29 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 28th 2013

Sadbh would not wear her trach cap for Danielle last night but she had a peaceful night regardless.

She woke up at 7 and was in a great mood. As soon as I had her all unhooked and her nappy changed we headed upstairs so Sadbh could get a snuggle in with Mommy.

Mommy had an appointment this morning so Sadbh and I had the morning to ourselves.

The weather was terrible so we had a great time playing hide and seek, having tea parties and playing in Sadbh’s new fort.

She had a huge appetite for breakfast and again a couple of hours later for lunch.

All week it’s been really hard to get her to eat but today she made up for it. At one point she found the ultrasound of herself in Mommy’s belly. It was so funny watching how excited she was with it.

Sadbh was excited to see Mommy when she arrived home and was even more excited when she saw all the new shoes that Mommy bought. She spent the next ten minutes or so prancing around the house in them,

She was getting very tired so we gave her a bath and took care of trach care.

Mommy was successful in getting Sadbh to sleep, the first nap since last Saturday!

Earlier in the week we had discovered some rat droppings in the unfinished section of the basement so as soon as Sadbh was off to sleep I headed down to clean up the mess. Thankfully there was only a small amount of poo but I figured it would be best to give the entire basement a deep clean regardless.

It also gave us a good opportunity to go through and organize Sadbh’s old clothes.

Sadbh slept for almost two hours giving Katie and I plenty of time to make a decent dent in the clean up. Once Sadbh woke up Katie headed upstairs to look after her and I stayed down below to keep the clean up going.

Every so often I would hear Sadbh calling down asking when I was coming back up to play.

The rest of Sadbh’s evening was spent playing and eating. She could not get enough food and had three bowls of tomato soup.

Bedtime was a little later than usual and it took an hour and a half to finally get her off to sleep.

New photos.

Photos from September 28 2011.

Photos from September 28 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 27th 2013

Sadbh woke up at her normal time this morning after a great night sleep.

Her mood was good and she was happy hanging out with Mommy and I as we got ready for the day.

She had an appointment with her cranial sacral doctor, Dr. Cavanaugh, this morning and was very upset when she realized that Mommy was going to drive separately, so she could head on to work straight after the appointment. I switched with Katie so Sadbh could spend some more time with her and she was happy enough with that.

The appointment went really well and it was amazing to watch Sadbh interact with Dr. Cavanaugh as he worked her rib cage, neck and head. Occasionally he would ask Sadbh if it hurt or not and she would always answer him. She understood exactly what was going on and allowed him to work his magic.

When we arrived home Sadbh would not allow us to change her clothes or wash her hands. She threw a huge fit and had a massive melt down.

We tried baking some banana bread and Irish soda bread but Sadbh lost interest after a few minutes.

The rest of the day did not get much better. She refused to nap despite looking and acting very tired.

We tried everything but she ended up getting her own way after some major tantrums.

Thankfully she allowed us to manage trach care without any problems.

At one point I built her a big tent and this was a huge hit for an hour or so until she got bored and desperately wanted to watch TV. I stuck to my guns on this and sadly for Sadbh she did not get her way.   

Bedtime came very early tonight and she was out cold before 7:15.

New photos.

Photos from September 27 2011.

Photos from September 27 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 26th 2013

Sadbh had another sleep in but woke up a little earlier than she has for the past few days.

She was very excited to see Jenna when she arrived and could not wait to start her day’s fun activities. So much so that she was not as upset when Mommy left for work.

After breakfast we bundled up and headed up to the campus at Seattle U and then on through Capitol hill. First to check out the construction site across from the college and then on to Cal Anderson Park.

Sadbh loved the large fountain and watched a couple of small kids running in the water.

We even bumped into our neighbor Charlie and her daddy who were also out for a walk.

On the way home we bumped into Marianna, Sadbh’s old nanny.

When we arrived home Sadbh had a light snack and as soon as her belly was full we gave her a bath and managed trach care.

Jenna used to care for children with trachs at Children’s Hospital and has plenty of experience with trach care. Our technique is a little bit more thorough. She was eager to learn and when she saw Sadbh’s stoma site she was impressed on how great it looked.

Once we finished trach care I put Sadbh down for her nap and hoped that she would fall asleep quickly. We were certain that she would since she was extremely tired however it was not going to happen and within half an hour Sadbh was dressed and out reading books in the living room.

The rest of the day was spent playing and having fun. She was definitely loopy when Mommy arrived home. 

Thankfully she was so tired that it did not take any time to get her off to sleep.

New photos.

Photos from September 26 2011.

Photos from September 26 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 25th 2013

Sadbh slept in again this morning and my fear of her skipping her nap came through.

Her new day nurse, Jenna, started today and Sadbh was nervous at first. She did not want Mommy to leave for work but soon she was having fun getting to know Jenna.

After our failed effort to get her to sleep I made her a big lunch but only wanted to play. You could tell that she was very tired but every effort was met with a terrible two attitude.

It was an extremely frustrating day as Sadbh would not do anything that we wanted her to do.

Even when Mommy arrived home Sadbh continued to be difficult and when it came to dinner she put up a fight not wanting to eat.

On a positive note, Jenna’s first day went well and by the end of the day Sadbh did not want her to leave.

I’ve been really enjoying being the stay at home dad for the past few weeks and the bond between Sadbh and myself has gotten very strong. I’ve been fairly torn over the though of handing the reins over to a new nurse even though I know that I will need to go back to work at some point.

New photos.

Photos from September 25 2011.

Photos from September 25 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 24th 2013

Sadbh slept late again this morning and unfortunately she would not allow Crystal to cap her trach during the night.

She was in a good mood so we headed upstairs to hang out with Mommy.

After breakfast I got Sadbh ready for her nebulizer and noticed that she had thick green mucus in her trach. I was able to clear it without any difficulty and she did not seem to have any further green secretions or mucus for the rest of the day.

When it came time for her nap Sadbh was very tired but wanted to sit on the potty for over half an hour in the hope that she would have a tinkle before going to bed. I have a feeling that she was no ways close to having a pee and was just playing around on her potty.

She never did take her nap so the rest of the evening was spent building forts, playing hide and seek and doctor with a very wired little girl. She had so much energy I could not keep up.

Trach care went well but Sadbh still showed no desire in going to sleep afterwards. She was delirious beyond belief but it took snuggling up with Mommy to calm her down and finally get her off to sleep. 

New photos.

Photos from September 24 2011.

Photos from September 24 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 23rd 2013

Crystal was able to cap Sadbh’s trach for half an hour during the night before Sadbh grew restless.

She finally woke up at 6am and was in a very happy mood.

When it came time for Mommy to leave for work Sadbh was not too keen. Both of us made up for it though and had a fun morning playing around the house.

Ali-Baba stopped by later in the morning to play with Sadbh and to help out with trach care.

Sadbh was an angel and we were able to take care of her neck and stoma without any problems.

Since she woke so late her naptime came a little later than usual. Sadbh looked very tired but would not go to sleep. She flopped around in her cot and eventually stuck her face into the camera and asked me to come get her. It was a funny sight.

The rest of the afternoon was spent searching the house for missing cup cakes, building forts and having as much fun as possible.

Sadbh was overjoyed when she heard Mommy pulling into the drive and we had to run outside as fast as possible to greet her.

After dinner we met with a potential day nurse. She come highly recommended from a couple of Sadbh’s nurses from Children’s Hospital and Sadbh took to her immediately.

She seems like a great match and we are working to figure out her start date.

When it came time for bed Sadbh was asleep in record time. She was out within five minutes.

New photos.

Photos from September 23 2011.

Photos from September 23 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 22nd 2013

Sadbh and Kara had a fantastic evening together and by 9 Sadbh was fast asleep. Danielle took over at 10 and Sadbh slept soundly all night.

She woke up shortly after 6 but still looked very tired. I asked her if she wanted to sleep a little longer and she nodded and went back to sleep until 10. The only reason she woke up is because we woke her up as we were starting to get worried since it was so late.

As soon as she was up she could not wait to eat a delicious cup cake from the batch she made last night. She even ate one while sitting on her potty as she waited to go to the bathroom.

The weather this morning was terrible so we decided to have a lazy day.

It was Mommy’s birthday so when Ali Baba and Kirk came by with a birthday cake Sadbh could not believe her luck. She helped Mommy blow out her candles and sang a birthday song to her.

The rest of the day was spent playing and reading books.

When it came time for bed Sadbh was very tired so we gave her a bath and got her ready for trach care.

New photos.

Photos from September 22 2011.

Photos from September 22 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 21st 2013

            Sadbh woke up just before 7 well rested and ready to take on the day.

            I had taken over from Danielle and thankfully Sadbh had a great night.

Since we were all up so early we decided to pack up and head over to Easy Street Records for breakfast where Sadbh had an encounter with a local celebrity. The celebrity was Troy who is one of the DJ’s from our favorite local radio stations. Sadbh was very shy but she loved the attention. When asked how old she was she answered that she was 10.

She made such an impression that Mommy received a 10% discount on her purchase because she had the cutest kid ever.

Breakfast was yummy and Sadbh had an order of French toast with syrup and bacon. It wasn’t greasy enough for her so she added a couple of blobs of butter to make it just right.

Mommy had a doctors appointment in North Seattle, right next to the zoo, so Sadbh and I took a stroll through the zoo to pass the time. Sadbh wasn’t too keen as she wanted to be with Mommy but she soon cheered up as soon as she saw the penguins.

As soon as she saw the carousel we had to go check it out. I wasn’t sure if she would want to go on it or not as last year she had a melt down in my fathers arms as they went round and round.

She could not wait to get on and loved every minute of it. So much so that she wanted to go again as soon as it finished.

From there we headed over to the monkeys, elephants and then to check out the baby giraffe. Sadbh was so fascinated with the baby giraffe as it pranced around it’s pen with it’s mother.

Out of the blue this woman with her two kids came up to ask if Sadbh had a trach. Her two year old son was born premature and had chronic lung disease and had been trached and needed a ventilator to breathe. He had recently been decannulated and was doing really well.

He was behind on his speech development and his mom was very impressed with Sadbh’s vocalization ability. It gave her confidence that her son would soon catch up.

It was really cool to see this little guy running around the place full of beans. He had a small scar where his stoma was and it looked like that this scar would heal up well over time.

Katie and I had a dinner reservation this evening so Kara came by to look after Sadbh for the evening.

Sadbh was so excited to see her. When Kara knocked on the door Sadbh ran to the door and started to knock back. It was quite funny.

They both baked cupcakes and Sadbh was very excited to get messy with four and all the other ingredients.

Sadbh also learned how to pop bubble wrap today. It was a very busy day.

New photos .

Photos from September 21 2011.

Photos from September 21 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 20th 2013

Sadbh slept like a log and barely moved all night. She woke up around 7:45 and was happy relaxing in bed for ten or fifteen minutes before getting up.

It was another nice sunny day so Sadbh and I headed off up to the Seattle U campus after breakfast. Sadbh insisted on walking most of the way so it took us a while to get there.

She also insisted on wearing Granddad’s fedora hat and her sunglasses. She looked like a very, very young female version of Tom Waits.

The campus was quiet but Sadbh had fun nevertheless. She drew quite a bit of attention in her hat and glasses.

The entire time we were there she kept looking for Aoife, Conor and Aibhin. Unfortunately, we did not find them.

When the church bells on campus started to ring out Sadbh got so excited and we had to go check them out. She was fascinated and would not leave until they were well and truly finished ringing.

After that we headed out to Capitol Hill to check out the construction site that we came across a couple of days ago. Sadbh was in for quite the show as there was a bulldozer piling up dirt for the digger to load into a convoy of trucks. She was in her element and we could not leave until she had her fill.

It was quite the operation and half an hour later I was granted permission by our highness to continue down the street.

By now I was expecting that Sadbh would be ready for her nap. She fought it hard all the way home.

Once home I got her ready for bed but this did not seem to go down well with her. She had no desire to go to sleep so after a long fruitless battle I gave in and got her dressed and ready for lunch.

Despite being so tired she was in a great mood so we had a tea party, played hide and seek and had a lot of fun as we waited for Mommy to come home.

She was so excited to see Mommy pull into the drive and was even more excited when she managed to get into the car and behind the steering wheel. She switched on every button that could be turned on and had so much fun until it was time to leave.

I’m sure we could have left her in there for a few hours and she would have had a brilliant time.

The rest of the evening was hard for Sadbh as she was over tired and nothing would make her happy.

Thankfully we were able to get her into a good mood for trach care so that went well.

She was fast asleep shortly afterwards and hopefully she will sleep soundly tonight.

New photos.

Photos from September 20 2011.

Photos from September 20 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 19th 2013

Sadbh had another good night and slept until 7. I took over from Crystal at 6 and was there to greet Sadbh when she woke up. She was happy to see me but asked for mommy.

It was a beautiful day so breakfast was served in the sunshine on the back porch.

Not long after Ali-Baba came by to hang out and play. Sadbh was so excited and almost jumped through the window when she spotted her coming up the pathway.

Both Sadbh and Ali-Baba headed out to the back yard where they had high tea and played in the garden.

Sadbh could not get enough and when it came time for trach care she did not want to have anything to do with it.

After some serious persuasion she finally gave in allowing Ali-Baba and I to take care of her trach.

She was very unhappy when Ali-Baba left and had a mini tantrum when I tried putting her to bed. It took a while for her to fall asleep but she eventually dozed off and slept for almost three hours.

She was not in the greatest of moods when she finally woke up and she was very fussy for the rest of the day.

Sadbh was delighted as soon as Mommy arrived home.

Our new night nurse seems to be working out so far but it reminds us of the lack of privacy we have in our own home.

All but a couple of nurses over the past two and a half years have been very respective towards us and our home, and only enter rooms that they are allowed to. Examples would be Sadbh’s room, bathroom and kitchen.

Last night when I was washing dishes the nurse walked straight into the kitchen, barely said hi and put her lunch into the fridge before walking back to Sadbh’s room. She is a nice young woman but clearly lacks the concept that she is in someone’s “home” and therefore needs to treat is as someone else’s home and not hers.

New photos.

Photos from September 19 2011.

Photos from September 19 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 18th 2013

Sadbh slept well and only woke up once, sat up, took a look at Crystal and flopped back down to sleep.

Katie took over from Crystal at 6 and when Sadbh woke up a short time later she peeked over the rail of her cot and called out for me. When Katie came into the room Sadbh kept asking where I was.

As soon as I got up Sadbh gave me a huge smile and told me to go back upstairs. She was heading that direction herself and did not want me to miss out on the fun.

I was hoping to make her some breakfast but she was not having any of it. Instead we played upstairs with her two dolls and some food from her kitchen.

After her real breakfast and a nebulizer we both headed off up to Capitol Hill for a walk. I retraced our steps and stopped by a couple of the shops in the hope we might find the doll we lost yesterday but unfortunately it was to no avail. Hopefully some other kid is enjoying Sadbh’s doll.

We had a great walk up to Capitol Hill and were able to stop off to buy a few new books for Sadbh.

She was in the stroller for most of the journey so we headed over to the Seattle U park so she could stretch her legs. A few blocks away from the campus we came across a construction site and Sadbh did not want to leave. She was fascinated with all the heavy equipment and could not get enough.

It reminded me of her first five weeks in the NICU at Children’s Hospital and all the construction going on outside.

Sadbh had a great time when we got to the park. She flirted with all the students and had so much fun walking along the curb next to the path.

On our way home we bumped into Aoife, Conor and Aibhin. Aibhin was sleeping and Conor was not long for his nap. Sadbh should have been napping by now and was very energetic to say the least.

Shortly after we said good-bye Sadbh was fast asleep in her stroller.

She slept for only and hour and wanted go out for a ride on her trike. She lasted on the trike for a block and a half and then wanted to push the stroller the rest of the way.

She stopped along the way to pick and smell some flowers. I don’t like her picking flowers, especially when could be pissed on by dogs etc. Sadbh did not care and quickly told me, “stop, I want to smell the flowers”. Couldn’t argue with that.

The rest of her evening was spent having fun and when it came to dinner she had the biggest appetite I have seen in a long while. She ate for almost an hour and a half and still wanted more.

She was exhausted when it came time for trach care and was in a very giddy mood. Thankfully everything went well and she was fast asleep moments afterwards.

New photos.

Photos from September 18 2011.

Photos from September 18 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 17th 2013

Sadbh was somewhat restless during the night and got herself wrapped up in her hose and wires a few times.

She woke up in a great mood and even though my back was aching from an uncomfortable night it was all made worthwhile when I received a huge smile and a giggle as soon as I poked my head over the cot rail.

After breakfast we both headed up to the shops to get some groceries. Sadbh wanted to bring half her kitchen and settled on a purse full of toy cookies and her doll named First Doll, since she was the first doll she received and for the fact that she has “First Doll” embroidered across her front.

It was a nice walk and Sadbh got to chat with Granddad and aunty Trish along the way.

As we approached the house Sadbh noticed that First Doll was missing so after I dropped the shopping off at the house we headed back to retrace our steps to see if we could find her doll.

Sadbh was happy snacking in her stroller however we were unable to find the missing doll.

Thankfully I seemed to be more upset about this that Sadbh and she kept telling me not to be sad.

Once home it was time for Sadbh’s nap. Her trach had been capped for a couple of hours by now so I decided to leave it on to see how she would handle it. To my surprise she dropped off to sleep after ten or so minutes and even though she was working harder than usual to breath she was sleeping somewhat comfortably.

Her new night nurse, Crystal, arrived at two for a couple of hours training. At this point I removed Sadbh’s trach cap so she could fall into a deeper sleep as I showed Crystal all the equipment and medical supplies in her room.

Eventually Sadbh woke up so I got her ready for lunch. She explained to Crystal that her doll went missing and that daddy was sad.

Sadbh had figured out that when she realizes that she is walking on thin ice with me that all she has to do is give me a big toothy smile. She will hold this smile until I either start to laugh, which she wants, or until I give up and let her off with whatever it is she is doing to push my buttons.

I have to admit that it is extremely tough trying to act serious when she gives me that big smile. She is such a player!

New photos.

Photos from September 17 2011.

Photos from September 17 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 16th 2013

Sadbh had a great night sleep and so did Katie and myself thanks to Helen. As usual Helen took really good care of Sadbh and Sadbh slept through until 7:30.

It was a fun but very long day. Sadbh refused to nap and insisted that I play with her all day long. We had a brilliant time but it was very exhausting.

I’m trying to potty train Sadbh at the moment and despite her best efforts today she had a couple of big accidents. All I can say is that I am very grateful that I have latex gloves.

One of the techniques we have to get her to pee on the potty is to place a little basin of warm water next to her so she can use her hands to splash around. Today she decided that she would be better off washing her feet in the bowl instead.

After dinner we headed out for a walk through the neighborhood and Sadbh got to wish her cousin Hayato a happy birthday. He turned 13 today.

We managed trach care just before bedtime and initially we thought it was going to be tough as Sadbh was wired to the moon. She calmed down just in time and was very happy to watch Kipper while we got busy with the task at hand.

She was so tired that she fell asleep in Katie’s arms within minutes.

New photos.

Photos from September 16 2011.

Photos from September 16 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 15th 2013

Danielle tried unsuccessfully to cap Sadbh’s trach a couple of times during the night. At on point Sadbh pulled the cap off and tossed it across the room.

I took over from Danielle at 6 and thankfully Sadbh slept on until 7:30.

It was a very soggy day so we were house bound for the most part. Sadbh was very happy playing with her kitchen and had the house upside down with all her toys.

She got to Skype with Gerdie, Nana, my sister, her three kids and her cousin Kevin. Sadbh was so excited to see her little cousin Zoe who is five months old.

Trach care went well today and we ended up finding glitter near her stoma. Thankfully Katie spotted it and hopefully none went into her airway.

There was a nice big thunderstorm this evening and Sadbh loved it. She kept saying that the sky was playing drums.

Just before dinner Sadbh spotted a big spider on her building blocks. It looked like a brown recluse. After that I went on a spider hunt throughout the basement and found a total of six spiders. They were all harmless but I decided to remove them regardless.

When it came time for bed we gave Sadbh a nebulizer, read her a couple of stories and soon she was drifting off in Mommies arms to the sound of the sky playing drums.

New photos.

Photos from September 15 2011.

Photos from September 15 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 14th 2013

Sadbh slept right through the night and woke up just before 8. Katie took over from Danielle and when Sadbh woke up she was so happy to see Mommy right there next to her.

As soon as she was up she grabbed one of her yellow bowls and placed it on her head like a hat. She had a great time doing this and really enjoyed making Mommy laugh. Interestingly enough, she did the same thing with Nini a year ago yesterday.

Our friends were camping up north by Deception Pass for the weekend so we decided to go visit them for a couple of hours.

The plan was to manage trach care around naptime and then hit the road allowing Sadbh to nap on the way. Sadbh only napped for half an hour so she was quite tired when we arrived at the campsite. Nevertheless, she was excited to see all her friends.

The kids were all having a wonderful time playing in the sand and water. Sadbh really wanted to join them but unfortunately she could not since we did not want to risk sand or water getting near her trach.

Deception Pass is quite beautiful and soon a thick fog started to envelope the area.

We headed back up to the gangs campsite and Sadbh was fascinated with all the tents. We quickly realized it was time to go when we noticed the campfire smoke and insect repellant smoke in the air. Since Sadbh breathes through her trach she has no way of filtering smoke.

The journey home took ages as there was a big detour due to road works. Sadbh was a great sport all the same and enjoyed dancing to the music on the stereo.

We were playing Joy Division and when one of the songs ended she kept asking to play it again over and over.

Good to know she enjoys the same music as we do.

She was pooped when we arrived home so it did not take long to get her off to sleep.

New photos.

Photos from September 14 2011.

Photos from September 14 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh. 

Sadbh’s update – September 13th 2013

Sadbh slept like an angel and woke up at quarter past seven.

She was in a very happy mood and was eager to go upstairs to see Mommy.

After a big breakfast Sadbh and I had our first tea party of the day. It consisted of tea, cake, fries and ice cream. Even her baby doll Fionn got to join in on the fun.

Ali-Baba stopped by to join the tea party and she was just in time as I was about to finish off the last of the cake and ice cream.

Both she and Sadbh had a lot of fun but soon it was time for a bath and trach care.

At first Sadbh did not want to take her bath but as soon as she was in the water she had no desire to get out.

After trach care Ali-Baba read a couple of books to Sadbh before putting her down to sleep.

Sadbh was giddy with excitement and would not go to sleep. She was bouncing all over the place like a girl possessed.

Sadbh slept for a couple of hours and woke up with a fuzzy head of hair. It’s so cute how long and curly her hair has gotten lately.

After a big lunch she was quick to spill all her toys around the living room again. It took me quite a while to clean up after her when she took her nap earlier in the day.

The excitement in the house when Mommy arrived home was at an all time high.

Sadbh could not wait to spend the evening playing and hanging out with her Mommy.

We were hoping to have Crystal, the new night nurse, train with Su-Jin yesterday for a few hours with the plan for her to start working this Sunday night. Unfortunately, this did not work out according to plan and we found out today that she will not be able to start on Sunday night.

Thankfully Helen is able to help out and will work Sunday night. Fingers cross that the agency will be able to button up their paper work so Crystal can start Monday night.

New photos.

Photos from September 13 2011.

Photos from September 13 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 12th 2013

Sadbh slept great and woke up very happy shortly after 7. Thankfully her room cooled down around 11 so she was able to sleep more comfortably.

I checked on her every hour and was fortunate that she did not need suctioning at any stage throughout the night.

Su-Jin worked again today and as soon as she arrived Sadbh got stuck into some serious fun.

They had a great morning together and she was worn out by noon.

After a quick bath Sadbh was ready for trach care and then a nap. She slept soundly for a couple of hours and she was ready for the fun to continue as soon as she woke up.

Su-Jin is really good with Sadbh and she happily joined in when Sadbh insisted on having a hat party.

When it came time for Su-Jin to leave Sadbh gave her a big hug and waved goodbye from the porch.

After dinner Sadbh, mommy and I went for a walk around the block. Sadbh got to practice peddling her trike and stopped every so often to chat to the neighbors.

Before we knew what time it was it was time for bed. Sadbh was very tired so after a couple of stories and a big snuggle she was soon off to sleep.

New photos.

Photos from September 12 2011.

Photos from September 12 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 11th 2013

Sadbh had yet another good night, however I was up and down throughout the night to make sure she was not getting tangled up and to drain any water gathering in her humidifier hose.

Shortly after 7 I woke up to Sadbh staring down at me with a huge grin on her face.

It was a very busy morning as Su-Jin was available to work today. Caity also stopped by to recertify Sadbh.

Sadbh could not believe her luck with all the attention that she was receiving and she did not notice when it came time for Mommy to leave for work.

Just as Katie was about to jump into the car Sadbh went running to give her a big hug, kiss and a smile.

Not long after Caity left Sadbh was surprised with a visit from Ali-Baba. Between Ali-Baba and Su-Jin Sadbh had so much fun playing tea party.

By noon Sadbh was very tired so Su-Jin and I gave her a relaxing bath and started trach care.

Trach care went well but it took a while for Sadbh to go to sleep. She finally dozed off and slept soundly for two and a half hours.

She woke up well rested and with a big appetite. Once she was done eating it was time for the fun and games to continue.

It was a very hot day but this did not seem to bother Sadbh. She had so much energy and spent an hour or so climbing up on me and jumping back down to the ground. She might have a career in Cirque Du Soleil.

After dinner, Katie and Sadbh headed out for a bike ride up and down the street.  Sadbh was sure to wear her helmet and she learned how to use the pedals on her own.

New photos.

Photos from September 11 2011.

Photos from September 11 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 10th 2013

Sadbh slept great but needed to be untangled a number of times throughout the night.

At 7:30 I could hear her moving in her cot and when I poked my arm through the rails she grabbed onto my hand. I could see a big smile on her face and knew it was going to be a good day.

We quickly unhooked all her equipment and headed upstairs to mommy.

After breakfast we had another tea party and waiting for her friends Conor and Aibhin to stop by for a play date. Suddenly Sadbh spotted them walking up the driveway and went running to the back door to greet them.

Sadbh and Conor had a good time playing with her toys and fort. Sadbh wasn’t too sure about Aibhin and certainly did not want her playing with her toys. After a while she relaxed a little and started to allow Aibhin to play with her toys a little more.

Sadbh was sad to see her friends leave but she was also quite tired. She had no problems going to bed and was out like a light in no time.

Almost two hours later she woke up and was ready for lunch.

We met with a potential night nurse today after Katie arrived home and our first impressions were good.

We hope she can come back later this week to shadow Danielle for a few hours and if everything works out she will start Sunday night.

Sadbh was full of mischief this evening, especially around dinnertime. She had to have at least 10 different coloured forks and she played with each of them while trying to eat.

Thankfully trach care went smoothly and soon Sadbh and Mommy were soon snuggled up after getting ready for bed.

New photos.

Photos from September 10 2011.

Photos from September 10 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 9th 2013

Katie and I took over from Helen this morning. We are very sad to see her go as she took great care of Sadbh for the past few months.

Sadbh slept soundly until 7:40 and woke up with a huge smile on her face.

We snuck upstairs to surprise mommy and as soon as we stepped into the bathroom Sadbh demanded a big snuggle from mommy.

Sadbh was sad to see mommy leave for work but soon we were both having a great time drinking tea and eating cake with strawberries, bacon, tomatoes and ice cream.

At one stage she grabbed her toy box, placed it on her head and walked around saying that she was a robot.

Her trach was quite dry so I set her up with the nebulizer and we sat together reading books for twenty minutes or so. She usually watches TV when hooked up to the nebulizer but today she was very happy reading.

I had hoped to get out of the house for a walk later in the morning, especially since the morning fog had burned off. Just as we were getting ready to go I could see that Sadbh was getting very tired.

It did not take long for her to fall asleep and she slept soundly for two hours.

The fun and games continued as soon as Sadbh woke up. She did not want to go out for a walk so we built a fort in the living room instead. We had a brilliant time.

Sadbh was playing out in the back garden when mommy arrived home and Sadbh nearly jumped over the fence with excitement.

After dinner we went for a stroll around the neighborhood and she go to check out the chickens and goldfish along the way.

Trach care was very easy tonight and soon Sadbh was snuggled up with mommy and ready to go to sleep.

Since we are now down to weekend night coverage going forward, I will sleep in Sadbh’s room tonight to make sure she is all right.

New photos.

Photos from September 9 2011.

Photos from September 9 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 8th 2013

Sadbh slept until 7:30 this morning and woke up very happy.

We had a very relaxing day and spent most of it playing kitchen with Sadbh.

She did spend some time making a thank you card for Helen with finger paints but ended up with more paint on herself than on the card.

After trach care and her nap we headed over to see Clodagh and Cormac for a few hours. Sadbh was over the moon to get a chance to hang out and play with her friends.

She found some fairy wings and one of Clodagh’s ballerina dresses that had to wear it under her dress like a tutu. When it came time to leave she would not take it off but thankfully Clodagh was good enough to allow her to borrow it for a few days.

Sadbh noticed the slight sliver of the moon in the sky on the way home and instantly broke into song.

Oh Mr. Moon, moon bright and shiny moon, won't you please shine down on me. Mr. moon, moon bright and silvery moon, hiding behind that tree

Despite being exhausted from all the playing and dancing with her friends it took ages to get Sadbh to sleep.

Tonight is Helen’s last night working for a while as she will be working as an intern.

We will miss her a lot and hope to find a replacement soon.

New photos.

Photos from September 8 2011.

Photos from September 8 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.