Sadbh’s update – February 28th 2014

Sadbh slept like a log and woke up in time to say good-bye to Sophia as she headed out to school.

It was a beautiful morning so after breakfast and a saline nebulizer we loaded up the stroller and headed out for a nice long walk. It took forever as Sadbh wanted to walk part of it backwards. Thankfully we were not in a rush to get anywhere so it did not matter how Sadbh walked as long as she was having fun.

Sadbh was motivated by the promise of a cup cake but was distracted by all the construction going on in Capitol Hill. It was fascinating to watch and she did not want to leave. She kept asking me what each of the construction workers were doing and did not miss a beat.

Her eyes almost popped out of her head when we finally made it to the cup cake store. It took a while to figure out what she wanted and she ended up with two for her troubles. Unfortunately for Sadbh she would have to wait until she got home before getting to taste one.

Katie and I managed trach care as soon as Katie arrived home from work and Sadbh did not put up a fuss. She was happy to let us get it done and soon afterwards we were sitting down to dinner.

All the walking and playing wiped Sadbh out so she had no bother going to sleep.

New photos.

Photos from February 28 2012.

Photos from February 28 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – February 27th 2014

Music class was much more enjoyable for Sadbh today. She was really into it and she had a fantastic time. It was like day and night compared to the last few weeks. Ali-Baba had a lot of fun and both ladies had a blast dancing and playing with their musical instruments.

Ali-Baba and I managed trach care as soon as got home. After Ali-Baba left Sadbh and I spent the afternoon playing. She pretended to be the music teacher and kept instructing me to play each of the instruments. She is quite the bossy boots. Although this could be perceived as displaying leadership skills.

Anyway, we had a great evening until dinnertime. By now Sadbh was exhausted and had no interest in eating. After a big fuss she started to struggle to breathe so I changed out her trach cap for a humidifier nose.

New photos.

Photos from February 27 2012.

Photos from February 27 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – February 26th 2014

Sadbh slept great and popped her head over her cot rail shortly after 7. She was in a playful mood and wanted to see Mommy as soon as possible.

Sophia started school this morning so Sadbh was stuck with me all morning. She seemed happy enough with this prospect and we spent the morning solving puzzles, learning the alphabet and reading. She often gets very distracted and at one point today she saw a cat across the street at the neighbor’s porch. For some reason she became afraid of the cat and insisted on me closing the blinds.

I think she was starting to get bored with all the learning when Ali-Baba arrived and saved the day. Sadbh was over the moon but first we had to get trach care out of the way.

Sadbh did great and allowed us to manage trach care without having to be entertained by her favorite cartoons.

As soon as we finished up it was time for high tea and fun and games in the basement.

Sadbh was sad to see Ali-Baba leave when she did but she was hungry for lunch.

When Sophia arrived home from school Sadbh was thrilled. She patiently waited until Sophia was ready to play and then the fun continued for the rest of the evening.

New photos.

Photos from February 26 2012.

Photos from February 26 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh. 

Sadbh’s update – February 25th 2014

Sadbh woke up in a very good mood and we hung out in her room playing for a while before Mommy came in to join us.

After breakfast we loaded up Sadbh’s stroller and headed over to Garfield High School to get Sophia signed up for classes while she’s here.

We waited for an hour and a half before the administrator and councilors could see us and Sadbh was as good as gold the entire time. I was shocked as I thought she would go ballistic but other than being extremely bored she was extremely well behaved.

We got home shortly after noon and Sadbh was very happy. The rest of her day was spent playing and having fun.

After dinner she got to have a quick chat with Katie’s aunt Kathie and she tried to show off her camp over the phone.

Katie and I managed trach care at bedtime and Sadbh could hardly keep her eyes open. Despite being very tired she insisted on watching Kipper.

New photos.

Photos from February 25 2012.

Photos from February 25 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh. 

Sadbh’s update – February 24th 2014

According to Kysha, Sadbh slept much better last night and did not need any suctioning. She woke up at 7 well rested and ready to start the day.

Unfortunately it was another wet and miserable day but Sadbh got to spend the day playing with her toys.

It was a fairly stressful day as Sadbh would not do anything I told her to do and as soon as she would get upset she would struggle to breathe. Each time I would have to sanitize my hands as quickly as possible and remove her trach cap. It gets so exhausting.

We managed to get trach care done shortly after 8 and both Sadbh and I were exhausted tired. I’m surprised she did not fall asleep during it.

New photos.

Photos from February 24 2012.

Photos from February 24 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh. 

Sadbh’s update – February 23rd 2014

Sadbh needed to be suctioned four times throughout the night as her lungs and airway were slightly congested.

Thankfully she slept well and did not wake up until shortly before 8.

The weather today was miserable. As soon as we had trach care out of the way we loaded up the car and headed to Ballard to the farmers market.

At the market Sadbh was preoccupied with jumping into as many puddles as she could. It was so funny to watch her.

Since it was so wet we headed over to Ali-Baba and Kirk’s place. Sadbh quickly popped open the box of toys and had a fantastic time playing with Sophia.

Sadbh got to watch Finding Nemo for the first time ever and she was glued to the TV.  I have a feeling that she is going to want to watch this movie at least one more time.

New photos.

Photos from February 23 2012.

Photos from February 23 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh. 

Sadbh’s update – February 22nd 2014

Sadbh woke up just as Danielle was leaving. She wanted desperately to wake Sophia up but since it was still very early I had to work hard to keep her from making too much noise.

The weather was nasty so we were all house bound for the day. This did not bother Sadbh too much and she had a fun day. Especially when Sophia finally woke up.

Sadbh was over the moon when she saw Mommy pulling up outside. She almost jumped out through the living room window with delight.

After Katie and Sadbh got some cuddles in we prepared for trach care. Everything went well and Sadbh wore her brand new pink Converse high tops.

Later in the evening we took a walk up to a local bar for a beverage and some ice cream. Sadbh did not mind what she got as long as it was pink. She lucked out as they had some delicious strawberry chocolate chip flavored ice cream, which she devoured.

The rest of her evening was spent playing with Sophia and by bedtime she was bouncing off the walls.

It did not take long before she was fast asleep.

New photos.

Photos from February 22 2012.

Photos from February 22 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh. 

Sadbh’s update – February 21st 2014

Sadbh woke up at 8 and teased me for a while. I tried to hold her hand and she kept pulling away while giggling each time I got close.

Eventually I was able to grab her hand and she held mine for a few minutes until she got bored and wanted to go see Mommy.

Sadbh did a great job eating her breakfast as quickly as possible this morning. She was motivated because we were going to spend the morning at the zoo.

We first had to pick up Aoife, Conor and Aibhin and somehow I was able to fit everyone comfortably into the car.

Our first stop was the penguin enclosure. From there we headed to see jaguars, onto the gorillas, zebras, giraffes, elephants, lions and everything in between.

The kids had a fantastic time and you could tell they learned a lot from the experience.

Ali-Baba came by later in the evening to hang out with Sadbh and to also help me with trach care. Sadbh was way too busy playing and having fun with Ali-Baba and had no desire to stop for trach care. As soon as she found out that there was a tea party planned after trach care she quickly changed her tune. Even Sophia helped out and before Sadbh knew it we were done and she sipping high tea with her pinky in the air.

The rest of Sadbh’s evening was spent playing with Sophia and with the promise of a movie she ate her dinner in record time. I was shocked.

Katie is away for the night on a well-earned night out with her friends and Sadbh was fine with that.

As soon as dinner was over it was time to brush her teeth, change into her pajamas and we both snuggled up while watching Pocahontas. Thankfully Sophia was quick to fast-forward through all the scary bits.

Sadbh enjoyed it and as soon as I hooked up all her equipment she was out like a light.

It was a hectic but fantastic day and it was so good to see Sadbh so happy throughout.

New photos.

Photos from February 21 2012.

Photos from February 21 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – February 20th 2014

Sadbh took her time eating breakfast this morning and ran the risk of missing out on her music class. Ali-Baba came over to help get Sadbh to the class and Sadbh was delighted to see her. She wanted to take out her tea set to have high tea with Ali-Baba but unfortunately we had run out of time.

Sadbh’s music class was very fun but she was a little reluctant. Even Sophia had a great time and was very helpful keeping Sadbh safe from germs. By the end she was happy to leave, as was I since it is so stressful.

As soon as we got home it was off with Sadbh’s clothes and into the bath. She loves the bath and had a nice soak. She put up a fuss when I drained the water but she was happy again once I wrapped her in her frog towel.

Ali-Baba helped out with trach care and everything went well. Sadbh got to play with Ali-Baba afterwards as I prepared her lunch and this time she ate it under an hour.

The rest of the day was spent playing and reading books with Sophia. They had so much fun that Sadbh was completely exhausted when it came time for bed. She fell asleep a few minutes after we changed her into her pajamas and hooked her up to her equipment.

Just as she was being put to bed we received a call from the agency to let us know that Kysha would not be able to work tonight. I asked if Helen would be available and about ten minutes later we received a call to let us know that Helen would be able to help out. Thank you Helen!!

New photos.

Photos from February 20 2012.

Photos from February 20 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh. 

Sadbh’s update – February 19th 2014

Sadbh popped her head up over her cot rail around 7 and was laughing when she realized that I was sitting at the other side of the room.

Sophia went skiing today so Sadbh had to make do with spending her morning with me. She was happy enough and had a good morning.

Her friends, Conor and Aibhin stopped by for a play date. Sadbh kept her distance at first and did not really want to share her toys. After we had a good chat she started to share, a little at first and soon Conor and Aibhin were enjoying taking turns playing with Sadbh’s toys.

She does not get much opportunity to share so it was a good experience for her.

Later in the day I had to call my old company about a health benefit issue that came up and as soon as my call was answered Sadbh came running up wanting to go potty. Multitasking was never so much of a challenge. Not only did I have to run Sadbh to the bathroom, I had to help her park her car first, make sure she got on the potty, all while taking a bunch of notes from the woman on the other end of the phone. Thankfully Sadbh made it to the potty, the car was parked and all notes were fully documented.

When it came time for trach care we were all quiet tired. Sophia helped out by reading to Sadbh, which Sadbh loved.

As soon as we finished up she wanted to go directly into her cot where she fell fast asleep in a matter of minutes.

New photos.

Photos from February 19 2012.

Photos from February 19 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh. 

Sadbh’s update – February 18th 2014

Sadbh slept great and woke up very happy and well rested.

We had another busy morning trying to get Sophia enrolled in school and Sadbh was very excited with the prospect of visiting the school again.

Unfortunately for Sadbh we were not going to be visiting the school but the school district administration office. She had a fun time nevertheless and it was quite the challenge trying to keep dry from the complete downpour.

The rest of the day was spent reading books, solving puzzles and playing with Sophia. She really enjoys Sophia’s company.

At one point Sadbh and Sophia were role playing and Sadbh had Sophia pretending to be sleeping. Sadbh had set her up so cozy that Sophia actually fell asleep for ten or fifteen minutes.

Katie and I had plans to go to a show this evening and Jenna came by shortly after Katie arrived home to look after Sadbh until Kysha arrived.

Katie and I quickly managed trach care as soon as Katie arrived home.

Sadbh, Sophia and Jenna spent the rest of the evening baking chocolate chip cookies and as you could image Sadbh had a brilliant time.

All the fun and excitement with Jenna and Sophia tired Sadbh out so bedtime was very easy.

New photos.

Photos from February 18 2012.

Photos from February 18 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh. 

Sadbh’s update – February 17th 2014

Sadbh woke up shortly after Kysha’s shift ended and she was happy hanging out in her cot for a while longer so we could let Mommy sleep in a while longer. Around half past seven she had enough so I unhooked her equipment and we both headed upstairs.

She had a busy morning baking biscuits with Mommy and making a nice big mess in the kitchen.

Katie’s Aunt Kathie had a medical procedure during the week and Sadbh has been asking non-stop how she is doing. Katie phoned her Aunt to check in and Sadbh was very excited. She kept saying “Kathie is a little bit scared?” and was relieved to find out that Kathie was doing well.

Later on I received a call from my folks and Sadbh insisted on taking over the call. She had been looking at a photo of me when I was being christened and noticed that Granddad had a full head of hair. She said “Granddad, you had hair, see.” It was so funny and she even tried to show my dad the photo over the phone.

Next on the list of things to do today was a bath for our princess and then trach care. She enjoyed the bath but did not want us to manage trach care. After some negotiations she finally gave in and we were able to get it taken care of without any further delays.

With that we headed off to Greenlake for a walk as the sun had finally come out.

Half way around the lake Sadbh fell asleep and slept soundly for twenty minutes or so with her trach cap on. You could hear her strider as she worked hard to breathe so we eventually checked her blood oxygen level to see how she was doing. Unfortunately, her hands were cold due so it would not give a good reading. Once warmed up her blood oxygen was showing at 92% so we removed the cap and replaced it with her humidifier nose. She slept a lot more soundly after that.

The rest of her evening was spent playing with Sophia. Before bedtime Sophia read her a couple of bedtime stories and Sadbh was delighted with herself. It was a lovely way to end the day.

New photos.

Photos from February 17 2012.

Photos from February 17 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh. 

Sadbh’s update – February 16th 2014

Sadbh slept great and woke up shortly after 7. She had a busy morning playing with her stuffed dogs and after breakfast Katie and I managed trach care.

The day had started off nice and sunny but soon the clouds rolled in and it started to rain quiet heavily.

The motorcycle show was on downtown so we loaded up the car and headed down to check it out.

At first Sadbh was not too keen on the bikes but it did not take long before she was enjoying sitting up on them and pretending to be driving. We found a couple of small motocross bikes that suited her well, maybe Santa might have to get her one this Christmas or possibly the next. Somehow I doubt Mommy will agree though.

The weather did not improve so after the show we headed home. Sadbh and Sophia watched a movie and then spent the evening playing with Sadbh’s toys. Sadbh can be such a bossy boots sometimes and likes to make a huge mess. It was all fun and both girls had a fantastic time. 

Sadbh was like a possessed animal when it came time for bed. She was very tired but put up a fight before eventually falling asleep. We were worried at first since her blood oxygen level was in the mid 90’s but I think this was a result of her being so tired.

New photos.

Photos from February 16 2012.

Photos from February 16 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – February 15th 2014

Sadbh slept until after 8 this morning and woke up delighted to see Mommy sitting there.

We had a very lazy day and Sadbh spent the morning playing with Sophia and her toys. The weather was miserable so we only got out to run errands and grab dinner.

This did not faze Sadbh and she had fun the entire day.

Later in the day we were driving through West Seattle when Sadbh announced to Sophia that she was her special friend. She told Mommy that she was her best friend and told me that I was chopped liver. You get demoted very quickly in my house, that’s for sure.

New photos.

Photos from February 15 2012.

Photos from February 15 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – February 14th 2014

It was a busy day as we tired to get Sophia enrolled in one of the local schools for the duration of her trip. Sadbh was very excited when we strolled into Garfield High School and I think for a moment she thought that she was going to be going to school.

All in all we had a fantastic day and Sadbh got some good playtime in. Sophia was feeling great so later in the day she joined in on the fun with Sadbh as they played in the basement.

After dinner we got to Skype with Nini who is currently enjoying the summer in Australia. Sadbh had been going through some of Nini’s modeling photos on Facebook. For the serious photos Sadbh would say, “Nini’s not happy”, and for the smiley photos she would say, “Nini’s happy”. It was very cute.

Katie and I managed trach care just before Sadbh’s bedtime and by that stage of the evening she was delirious.

Earlier today while I was getting Sadbh dressed she gave me a huge hug and told me that I was her best friend. That has to be the best Valentine’s Day gift ever.

New photos.

Photos from February 14 2012.

Photos from February 14 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – February 13th 2014

Sadbh woke up after a very restful night and immediately pretended that her trach mist collar was a beard. It seems to be a morning ritual for her now. Maybe I might surprise her some morning by shaving it all off.

Ali-Baba came over this morning to help bring Sadbh to her music class since we need to have someone sitting next to her while I drive. Sadbh was delighted and she actually ate her breakfast in record time.

Music class was good today and even though Sadbh was a little shy she definitely enjoyed it a lot more than the last few sessions.

In today’s class Sadbh got to paint using shaving foam as a medium. She loved it and got nice and messy. She even tried to put the foam on my face, thanks to Ali-Baba.

As soon as we arrived home it was time to strip Sadbh down, get her in the bath and once cleaned up it was time for trach care. She was an angel and both Ali-Baba and I were able to get everything done quite quickly.

The rest of the day was spent having lots of fun and Sadbh was in a fantastic mood. Her imagination was going 100mph and it was every enjoyable listening to her stories.

By bedtime she was pooped and fell asleep after snuggling with me and then Mommy.

New photos.

Photos from February 13 2012.

Photos from February 13 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – February 12th 2014

Sadbh woke up around 3:45 and asked Kysha to get Mommy. When Katie arrived down Sadbh was resting in her cot and she informed Katie that she wanted a snuggle. It took almost two hours for Sadbh to finally fall back to sleep.

She had a fantastic day and was in a great mood all day. She was excited to get out and show Sophia the chickens, Koi fish and Nora’s Woods.

We managed trach care at the end of the day just before bedtime and despite being worn out we got it done without any problems.

We found out that our insurance company closed the appeal that we were pursuing so Katie spent over an hour and a half on the phone trying to get to the bottom of it. Most of that time was spent on hold being passed along from one person to another. They have not even assigned a case manager for us, which makes it next to impossible to get someone to help us. I honestly believe this is a deliberate tactic of theirs in the hopes that we give up and drop the appeals.

Katie also learned that the “asshole” so called doctor that represents the insurance company mislead Dr. Inglis and documented what he wanted to hear rather than what Dr. Inglis fought so hard for.

It’s extremely infuriating to think that an insurance company can be so callous in it’s decisions all in the name of saving money.

Today I meet with our case manager and nurse from the Development Disabilities Administration. This meeting went well and once we have the appropriate documents submitted they will work to get home care nursing set up on their end. This is one of many angles that we are approaching our issue from and I hope it can go through as quickly as possible.

New photos.

Photos from February 12 2012.

Photos from February 12 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – February 11th 2014

Sadbh woke up and pretended that her trach mist collar was a beard. It was very funny and she could not stop laughing about it.

She had an appointment with her dentist this morning and was not too pleased. Regardless she was very happy to spend more time with Mommy and was very excited when the nurse switched on the TV mounted to the ceiling with an interesting cartoon. Sadbh was a star and made such an impression on the nurse that she got so may gifts for being good.

As soon as we arrived home it was time for a bath and trach care. Everything went well and soon Sadbh was having fun playing with her favorite toys.

In the afternoon Sadbh, Sophia and I headed up to Trader Joe’s for a walk and Sadbh fell asleep with her trach cap on as we headed home. She slept for forty minutes with the cap on. She has not been able to do this since early last year.

The rest of her evening was spent playing and shortly after dinner she turned to Mommy and asked to go to bed. This was very unusual but I think she only wanted to get Katie alone so they could snuggle for a while.

New photos.

Photos from February 11 2012.

Photos from February 11 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – February 10th 2014

Sadbh had a very good night and woke up at 7 in a very happy mood.

As part of our insurance appeal we have also applied for Medicaid and today we had a scheduled meeting with our case manager from the Development Disabilities Administration. Even Caity, Sadbh’s nurse supervisor rescheduled some of her meetings so she could attend, however the case manager postponed the appointment at the last minute.

This threw off our morning but Sadbh got some good quality time with Caity, which was very nice.

Later in the morning our friend Theresa stopped by for a coffee and Sadbh was very shy at first. As usual it did not take long before she came around and was soon driving her toy cars up and down Theresa’s arms.

The evening got very stressful as Sadbh grew tired and would not do what she was told. Every time she got fussy she would struggle to breathe resulting in having to remove her cap.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t always straight forward as you have wash hands, sanitize and then remove the cap. This went on for forty minutes or so and by the time Katie arrived home both Sadbh and I were exhausted.

During dinner she was still acting up so I had a chat with her to explain who is the boss etc, in which Sadbh responded with, “no you are not the boss, Mommy is the boss.” Yup, I can see some fun discussions in the future with this smarty pants.

Katie and I managed trach care at bedtime and thankfully Sadbh was very cooperative so we were able to get it down without any additional stress.

She was fast asleep within ten minutes of going to bed.

New photos.

Photos from February 10 2012.

Photos from February 10 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – February 9th 2014

Due to the sudden snowfall Danielle could not make it to work last night. Thankfully Helen was available and watched over Sadbh for the night.

The neighborhood was quite active with people out enjoying the snow however Sadbh slept right through all the laughter and fun.

She woke up before Helen’s shift ended and after giving Helen a big smile she turned over and pretended to go back to sleep. Mommy was watching this on the monitor and as soon as she walked into the room Sadbh got up. She got to hang out with Helen for a while which was good as Helen really only sees Sadbh sleeping and rarely ever sees her awake.

Sadbh got a nice cup of drinking chocolate for breakfast this morning but she was too eager and choked on her beverage and some went down her airway. Katie reacted quickly and pulled her trach cap off. As Sadbh coughed some chocolate milk came out of her trach so Katie hurried her into her bedroom and suctioned her trach. She was able to clear what she could of the drinking chocolate from her trach and airway. Sadbh seemed fine but wanted a break from her cap for a while.

After breakfast we wrapped up very warm and headed out into the snow to build a snowman and make snow angels. Sadbh was beside herself out in the snow and did a great job helping build a snowman. As soon as she placed the carrot onto the head she posed with Mommy for a photo and tried to get a bite out of it. I was surprised, as she does not actually like carrots. She had a huge grin on her face so I think she was trying to be funny.

She also had fun making snow angels and eating snow.

As soon as we were back in the house and warmed up Sadbh got to Skype with her cousin Fionn back in Cork. It was great to see him thriving so well despite the difficult journey that he has undertaken over the past nine months.

Sadbh was busy doting over Fionn and gave him a bunch of kisses. I cannot wait for these two cousins to meet.

Sophia was still feeling sick so Sadbh kept her distance all day.

Hopefully Sophia will start to feel better in the next day or so.           

New photos.

Photos from February 9 2012.

Photos from February 9 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – February 8th 2014

Sadbh woke up shortly after 7 and was very happy to see Katie.

Today was a very exciting day for Sadbh as her friend Sophia was coming to visit. The day started off with Ali-Baba, Sadbh and Mommy all enjoying a tea party. She had a fantastic time.

Sadbh got very excited when she realized Sophia had arrived. She was looking out the window and had a huge smile on her face.

Unfortunately, Sophia was feeling under the weather so Sadbh had to keep her distance in order to not catch whatever poor Sophia was fighting.

Before dinnertime we noticed that it had started to snow. Sadbh was thrilled so we bundled her up and both she and I headed out into the back garden to check out the snow. It was a lot of fun and she was well able to fight back when I started a snowball fight with her. It was so much fun.

When it came to bedtime she passed out before we knew it. I’ve never seen her go to sleep so quickly.

I hope Sophia get's better very quickly.

New photos.

Photos from February 8 2012.

Photos from February 8 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – February 7th 2014

Sadbh woke up at 7 and immediately wanted to start off the morning by giving me tickles.

It was another very cold morning but Sadbh got to eat breakfast in the warm sunshine as it shone through the back door into the dining room.

Sadbh received two visitors this morning. Her first visitor was Aidan’s dad, Brian, and the second visitor was Ali-Baba. Unfortunately for Brian, Sadbh was a lot more excited to see Ali-Baba, although she was happy so see Brian.

Sadbh and Ali-Baba had a fantastic morning and they both acted like complete goof-balls. Sadbh received her first scissors and immediately they got to work on cutting some designs out of paper.

After that they had a tea party and Sadbh had Ali-Baba in hysterics. It was a brilliant morning and shortly after noon I had to break up the fun to do trach care.

Sadbh was not too happy at first but when I explained how much quicker trach care is when she helps out she instantly allowed me to swaddle her up and we were done within ten minutes.

Her afternoon was spent having a lot of fun with Jenna and she was sad when it was time for Jenna to leave. Today was Jenna’s last shift with Sadbh as she starts a new job at Children’s Hospital on Monday. She hopes to pick up a shift once a week once her hours get established and I know Sadbh will be so excited to see her when she does.

The rest of Sadbh’s evening was spent playing with myself and Mommy and when it came time for bed she was delirious. She had a fantastic day and tomorrow she will be excited when Sophia, Nini’s cousin, who stayed with us last summer, returns for a few months.

New photos.

Photos from February 7 2012.

Photos from February 7 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – February 6th 2014

Sadbh slept great and was looking forward to her music class this morning.

Unfortunately, when she arrived at the class she got very shy and did not want to partake in the activities. It took some effort to get her involved and you could tell that she was not very comfortable with it all.

When we got home it was time for a bath and trach care. She originally did not want us to do trach care but she soon gave in and allowed us to get it done.

The rest of the afternoon was spent playing and blowing up balloons. She had a fantastic time chasing them around the room and could not stop laughing each time one got away.

New photos.

Photos from February 6 2012.

Photos from February 6 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – February 5th 2014

Sadbh woke up in a very happy mood this morning and she headed down to the basement to play with her toys as soon as she could.

Jenna started a couple of hours later and she brought Sadbh a hot chocolate as a treat. Sadbh was delighted with herself and almost downed it in one gulp.

The Seahawks arrived back in Seattle today from their Super Bowl win and despite the cold we headed downtown to check out the parade.

I was glad that I had bundled Sadbh up with a couple of extra layers as it was bitter cold and the breeze would go right through you.

Downtown was packed, something like 700,000 people and there was Sadbh in the middle of it all. She enjoyed it at first but soon the excitement from everyone else got to her and she wanted to go home.

The walk home was mostly all uphill with a bitter breeze head on. Sadbh enjoyed being in her stroller and loved the fact that I was practically sprinting the whole way home.

Jenna and I took care of trach care as soon as we got home and Sadbh spent the rest of the day playing and having fun. At one stage she started chanting “Sea – Hawks!” It seems that she’s turning into an American Football fan.

Dr. Inglis had his peer-to-peer call with the so-called insurance company doctor and despite his best efforts the insurance doctor upheld the decision to decline home care nursing.

We are still going to fight this decision but it is extremely disappointing that we have to go through so much to get this resolved. 

           

New photos.

Photos from February 5 2012.

Photos from February 5 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – February 4th 2014

Kysha called in sick so I spent the night with Sadbh. She slept great and woke up in a great mood.

Sadbh’s monthly trach change was scheduled for today so we worked hard to ware her out so she would sleep through it.

She had an eventful morning and walked all the way to Capitol Hill. By the time we got home she was exhausted and ready for her nap.

Trach change went well but she woke up just as we were securing her trach ties. It was a little bit stressful but after a minor struggle we were able to calm Sadbh down and get the trach ties secured.

The rest of the day was spent playing and having fun. Sadbh had a monstrous appetite and ate so much food.

New photos.

Photos from February 4 2012.

Photos from February 4 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – February 3rd 2014

Sadbh woke up in a wonderful mood but soon got very upset when she realized that Mommy was heading off to work.

It took a bit of work to calm her down and soon she was tucking into her breakfast.

Jenna had baked humongous cookies, called “Monster Cookies”, over the weekend and Sadbh could not wait to devour hers.

It was a very cold but sunny day so we bundled Sadbh up nice and warm and then set off to Nora’s Woods. She loved being outside and went on the hunt for spiders. Thankfully we did not find any but this did not hold Sadbh back.

Trach care went really well today as Sadbh was looking forward to having some quiet time. She’s starting to really get the hang of our daily schedule and understands that it’s important to spend some time resting in her room while reading books.

In the evening she got busy playing with her toys and because she was so good earlier she earned back her two cars. Both were impounded over a week ago and she was thrilled to have them back.

Even though she had a nice big lunch in the early afternoon she insisted on more food shortly after Jenna left. She was starving and ate so much food. It was good to see her devouring her food and as soon as her plate was clean she would ask for more.

She was very tired when it came time for bed and as soon as she snuggled into Mommy she started to pretend that she was a baby. She certainly is a drama queen.

New photos.

Photos from February 3 2012.

Photos from February 3 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – February 2nd 2014

Sadbh slept very well and woke up before Danielle’s shift ended. She was in a very good mood and was very happy when Mommy came down to take over from Danielle.

We went to our friends, Roseanne and Michael, to watch the super bowl. Sadbh was very shy at first but soon warmed up and joined her friends as they played with their toys.

Unfortunately Sadbh ended up getting very upset so we had to remove her cap as she was having difficulty breathing. For some reason or other we could not calm her down so we said our good byes and headed for home.

Sadbh cheered up once we were in the car and asked if we could go back to Michael and Roseanne’s house tomorrow.

The rest of her evening was spent playing with her toys in the basement and she was very happy.

Bedtime was very quick and Sadbh was fast asleep within moments of snuggling up with Mommy.

New photos.

Photos from February 2 2012.

Photos from February 2 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – February 1st 2014

Sadbh slept very well and woke up just as Danielle’s shift ended at 7am. She was delighted to see Mommy stepping into her room.

Katie had a yoga class this morning so I hung out with Sadbh and got to play with her dollhouse and stuffed animals. I’m constantly amazed at her imagination and the level of detail that she incorporates into her play.

After Mommy came home we took care of trach care and then headed down to the International District to join in on the Chinese New Year festivities. It was fantastic with dragon dances, loud drums and all sorts of other interesting activities.

We spotted a few ponies and horses giving rides so we had to go over to investigate. The poor ponies and horses looked miserable and Sadbh kept saying “sad horsies”. I’m glad that she did not want to go for a ride as we did not want to contribute to the suffering of these lovely animals.

Later in the evening we met up with Ali-Baba and Kirk for dinner. By now Sadbh was getting very tired and found it hard to sit still in the restaurant. Nevertheless she tolerated having to sit through dinner and allowed the rest of us to have a good meal.

When it was time to say good-bye she clung onto Ali-Baba and gave her the longest kiss ever.

She did not last long on the trip home and was fast asleep within ten minutes. She hasn’t fallen asleep before 8pm in a while and there was no waking her up when we changed her into her pajamas.

New photos.

Photos from February 1 2012.

Photos from February 1 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.