Sadbh’s update – April 30th 2014

Sadbh was very restless from midnight to around three and thankfully slept soundly for the rest of the night.

She was quite sad when she woke up as she realized that Nana and Granddad would soon be going to the airport.

During breakfast Sadbh called to my mother and with a sad face she told her that she misses her.

Sadbh would not take off her pajama bottom and refused to wear her trach cap. Since she was so down we decided to let her off the hook.

airport Sadbh turned to Katie and said “it’s alright to cry”. She was full of tearjerkers today.

The airport was quite emotional and after getting my parents checked in we said our good byes and watched as they went through security. Katie was crying and Sadbh grabbed her face and started singing “it’s alright to cry”, and gave her a huge grin. She was full of tearjerkers today.

The rest of the day was spent hanging out at home and playing with her toys. She practiced trach care on me a few times and did a very good job.

Suzie and her mom stopped by to drop off Sadbh’s doll and a jar of caterpillars. Sadbh was very happy to see them and brought them both down the garden to show off her new house that has yet to be completed.

By the time Mommy arrived home from work Sadbh was totally exhausted and very cranky.

It was a scorcher of a day so after dinner we headed out for a walk and some ice cream. Sadbh took her time and we ended up arriving home a little later than expected.

Her mood was still not great and it took some effort to get her ready for bed.

She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

We all miss my parents terribly and today was a very sad day.
For the first time in three months it's just the three of us in the house, at least until ten o'clock until Sadbh's nurse arrives.

New photos.

Photos from April 30 2011.

Photos from April 30 2012.

Photos from April 30 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – April 29th 2014

Sadbh had a bit of a restless night.  Once again, Granddad took over from Helen and Sadbh enjoyed playing with him when she woke up.

It was another busy morning as we had lots of errands to run.  A trip to Costco was on the list and Nana and Sadbh fell in love with a beautiful playhouse there.  Nana and Granddad generously indulged Sadbh and Daddy found himself busy for the rest of the day (and into the night) constructing it in the backyard.

Sadbh, Nana and Granddad got out for a brief walk to Nora’s woods.  It was a lovely evening and felt a bit like summer.  We ate take out in the backyard watching Wayne, Nana and Granddad build Sadbh’s little house.

Sadbh was over the moon and could not stop playing in the still partially built house.  She made tea for everyone and enjoyed talking on her new phone to Sofia and Nini.

When it came time for bed, we had to pull Sadbh away from the on-going construction.  She really wanted to help, but she was exhausted.  She was asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, before we could even get the pulse ox probe on her foot.  Night-night Sadbh.

New photos.

Photos from April 29 2011.

Photos from April 29 2012.

 

Photos from April 29 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – April 28th 2014

Sadbh had an uneventful night and slept soundly until shortly after 7. Granddad had taken over from Helen at six and as soon as Sadbh woke up she wanted Mommy.

She had a fun morning playing with Nana and solving puzzles and she was quite tired when it came time for lunch.

It took a while for Sadbh to eat lunch and as soon as she finished up Granddad and I managed trach care.

I was fully sure that she was going to take a nap afterwards but she got a blast of energy and it was back out into the living room to play again.

Later we all headed up to the Seattle U campus and then up to Trader Joes. Sadbh walked most of the way and only wanted to be carried for a few blocks.

By the time we arrived home she was very tired and very cranky.

When it was time for bed, she had no problem.  Sadbh asked Katie to get in bed with her.  As soon as Katie put her head next to her, Sadbh put her arm around Katie’s neck, closed her eyes and she was out.

New photos.

Photos from April 28 2011.

Photos from April 28 2012.

Photos from April 28 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – April 27th 2014

Sadbh had a great night and woke up just before 7. She was delighted to see Katie sitting in the room next to her and the two ladies had a great snuggle.

We had a nice easy day today and after trach care we headed over to West Seattle for something to eat. Sadbh fell asleep in the car on the way over so we hung out and let her sleep until she woke up.

The rest of her evening was quite mellow and she got to watch some Shaun the Sheep before going to bed.

She definitely missed not having Sophia around, as did we all.

New photos.

Photos from April 27 2011.

Photos from April 27 2012.

Photos from April 27 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – April 26th 2014

Danielle had to suction Sadbh’s trach once during the night but Sadbh slept through and woke up bright as a berry shortly after 7. She was in a great mood and wanted to wake Sophia up straight away.

Once Sophia was up Sadbh tried to help her pack her suitcase. She spotted a big bag of M&M’s and immediately wanted some. Sophia agreed to give her some only after breakfast.

Before long it was time to head to the airport with Sophia. Sadbh was very sad to see her go and kept saying that she hopes that Sophia would miss her flight so she wouldn’t have to go.

When it came time to say goodbye Sadbh refused to give Sophia a hug. She was very sad and eventually gave her a huge hug and so many kisses.

Throughout the last few months Sadbh has referred to Sophia as her big sister. She is going to miss her something terrible.

On the way home Sadbh suddenly realized that she never got her M&M’s and she could not stop talking about it the whole way home.

Katie and I managed trach care after we got home and as soon as we finished we headed off to meet Ali-Baba and Kirk with Nana and Granddad. Ali-Baba and Kirk are moving to a new condo in a week so we went to check out the new digs. Sadbh was fast asleep in the car by the time we arrived so I hung out with her so she could nap for a while longer.

Later when she finally woke up we headed inside and Sadbh had so much fun exploring the new condo with Ali-Baba.

Before we headed home tonight we stopped off for a treat of ice cream. As usually Sadbh chose strawberry ice cream, because it’s pink, but as soon as she tasted mine she wanted more and more.

Bedtime came easy tonight after Mommy read a few of Sadbh’s favorite books and a snuggle from everyone.

New photos.

Photos from April 26 2011.

Photos from April 26 2012.

Photos from April 26 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – April 25th 2014

Sadbh had a very good night and slept right through to 8. She woke up in a good mood and wanted to go upstairs to see Mommy.

The area around Sadbh’s stoma has become a big collection point for her secretions. It seems that she is pushing air and secretions out through her neck and it gathers under her trach dressing. Thankfully it is fairly easy to clean up but we are concerned that her trach is either too small for her or that her vocal cords are not opening as wide as they have been.

We had a busy day planned since it was Sophia’s last day. As soon as breakfast was finished we headed out into the sunny garden for a few photos with Sophia and Nana and Granddad. Sadbh looked gorgeous and could not stop hugging everyone.

Granddad and I managed trach care and once we were done we loaded up the car and headed out.

Sadbh was in a wonderful mood and after running a few errands we stopped of for lunch downtown. Sadbh was delighted to tuck into my sandwich and could not get enough. I can’t blame her as it was a really good sandwich.

After that we headed to Alki Beach for a walk and despite being very tired she had a great time walking along holding Sophia’s hand.

She was so giddy having fun with Sophia that she lost the run of herself and fell over and grazed her knee.

She was a little upset but soon fell asleep after getting buckled into her car seat.

Granddad sat with her in the car after we arrived home so she could nap for a little longer. When she finally woke up she was very upset and it seemed that her knee was causing her a lot more pain than earlier.

Sadbh usually loves to play with bandaids but today she did not want one despite the need. It took some serious convincing to get one on her knee and she soon felt much better.

Bedtime was later than usual and we tried to get Sadbh to fall asleep with her trach cap on. She was completely exhausted and managed to doze off for a while with the cap on. Unfortunately she woke up after a few minutes but she finally fell asleep a few minutes before Danielle arrived. 

New photos.

Photos from April 25 2012.

Photos from April 25 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – April 24th 2014

Sadbh has been getting into the habit of sleeping until at least 8am these last few days. She woke up looking for Mommy but was soon having a laugh when I threatened to jump into her bed with her.

She was eager to wake Sophia up but since Sophia arrived late last night we did our best to keep Sadbh away so she could rest.

Sadbh needed a saline nebulizer and quite a bit of suctioning this morning as her trach and the area around her stoma was very goopy. The nebulizer did a wonderful job at loosening her secretions up and I was able to clear her airway without much bother.

Her friends Conor and Aibhin came by for a play date and they brought Sadbh a lovely birthday present. She was thrilled and gave everyone hugs and kisses.

The rest of the morning was spent racing Conor around the house in their cars while Aibhin did her best to keep up. She’s quite the runner.

Granddad and I got trach care out of the way early and Sadbh could not wait to get back to having fun with her two friends.

Just before lunch our friend Ian stopped by to take my parents out for lunch and he too brought a lovely present for Sadbh. She was delighted and gave Ian a bunch of hugs and kisses too.

The rest of the day was spent playing and catching up with Sophia. They even went for a walk with Nana, Granddad and Sophia up to the Seattle University campus. Along the way she spotted a guy about twenty yards in front and she turned to Granddad and said “I would like to get ahead of that man”. Too funny.

Bedtime came easy this evening as Sadbh was completely wiped out.

New photos.

Photos from April 24 2011.

Photosfrom April 24 2012.

Photos from April 24 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – April 23rd 2014

Sadbh had yet another sleep in this morning and woke up shortly after 8. She was very excited as Ali-Baba and Kirk were coming over in the afternoon.

The weather was great so after breakfast we loaded up the stroller and headed off up to Capitol Hill for a few things. Sadbh could not wait to get to Trader Joes and to go on the hunt for Kangaroo Joey.

It did not take her long to find him thanks to a little help from Nana.

Trach care went well and Sadbh wanted to take a nap straight afterwards. She insisted that I join her by sleeping on the ground next to her bed and as soon as I laid down she climbed out of bed to snuggle up. I knew right there and then that she was not going to sleep.

Ali-Baba and Kirk arrived shortly after and Sadbh was so excited. Ali-Baba brought her “Billy La Bufanda” scarf for Sadbh to play with. Sadbh had so much fun she almost forgot about lunch. As soon as she finished lunch it was time for a tea party and the fun and games continued.  

It is Sadbh’s godmother’s birthday tomorrow and Sadbh wanted to stop by to see her and her friends Clodagh and Cormac.

The three kids had so much fun together and when it came to dinner Sadbh ate so much food.

When it came time to leave Sadbh was wiped out but did not want to leave. I think she would have stayed if she got half the chance.

New photos.

Photos from April 23 2011.

Photos from April 23 2012.

Photos from April 23 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – April 22nd 2014

Sadbh experienced some discomfort with her pulse ox probe shortly after two in the morning and sat up and pulled it off her foot. After she fell back to sleep Helen reattached it in a different spot and she slept soundly for a couple more hours.

Around 4 she woke up very upset and wanted Mommy. Helen was able to get her back to sleep where she slept until almost 9.

Sadbh had a nice big breakfast and spent the morning playing and burning off a lot of energy. When it came time for trach care Sadbh did not want to take a bath. As soon as we got her into it she did not want to get out. You could tell that she was very tired and as soon as I got her dried off she snuggled up and wanted to go to sleep.

Trach care went well and Sadbh jumped into her bed as soon as we finished up. She slept for almost three hours and had her trach cap on for twenty minutes of that.

In the afternoon Sadbh picked out ten of her favorite books and we sat and read until Mommy acme home from work.

Sadbh ran out to the dining room and hid under the table to surprise Mommy when she walked through the door. It worked too, well kind of as Mommy could see Sadbh as she came up the back steps.

Before bedtime Sadbh wanted Nana and Granddad to sit and watch her favorite video, Billy La Bufanda (Billy the scarf). She even started to plan out her day for tomorrow and asked that we pretend that the rug in the living room is ice and that she plans to walk through with her scarf so it can fall down. She also wants me to clean her wellies (rubber boots) so she can include them in her play tomorrow.

We tried putting her to sleep tonight with her trach cap and after a while she asked to have it taken off. As soon as Katie removed the cap Sadbh dropped off to sleep very quickly.

New photos.

Photos from April 22 2011.

Photos from April 22 2012.

Photos from April 22 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – April 21st 2014

Sadbh slept soundly and woke up just after 8.

She had a busy day keeping Nana and Granddad entertained and after trach care she joined them for a walk through the neighborhood and to Nora’s Wood.

Before dinner Sadbh remembered a photo of Nini posing with basketball team mascot. Sadbh asked Katie to show her the photo thinking that the mascot was a monster. She then recorded a cute video for Nini telling her not to be afraid and that she can come to New York if she is scared.

It was so cute and after Katie sent it to Nini they all got to Skype for a while.

New photos.

Photos from April 21 2012.

Photos from April 21 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – April 20th 2014

Sadbh slept well and woke just after 7. Granddad had taken over from Danielle and Sadbh was very happy to sit and chat with him for twenty minutes or so.

When she came upstairs she wanted Katie and I to go out searching for Easter eggs.

Sadbh helped Mommy make biscuits for Easter brunch and as soon as she was done we took care of trach care. She was very excited to be heading over to her friends house for the afternoon but as we were getting ready to leave she started to have a hissy fit.

It took a while to get her calmed down and into the car and as soon as we did she started to nod off to sleep.

We arrived at Sarah and Gerry’s just in time for the Easter egg hunt and Sadbh did a great job at finding quite a few eggs. Ronan was the most successful at finding eggs and lucky for him he had a huge basket to store them all.

Every time Katie and I checked in on Sadbh she was devouring something loaded with sugar. All the kids were fueled up but thankfully they all had a wonderful day playing together and hanging out.

Bedtime took a while tonight, as Sadbh was very hyper. She finally went down around 9 and was fast asleep a few moments after her head hit the pillow.

New photos.

Photos from April 20 2011.

Photos from April 20 2012.

Photos from April 20 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – April 19th 2014

Despite such an active day Sadbh slept great and did not wake until after 7. She was in a very good mood when she woke up and I was able to cap her trach straight away.

Once she was unhooked from all her equipment we headed up to visit Katie.

The day started off nice and sunny but by the time we were finished with breakfast the rain clouds had rolled in and it was coming down hard.

Sadbh did not mind so I got all her trach care set up and Katie and Granddad managed trach care.

As soon as we were done we headed up north to Mt. Vernon to check out the tulip festival. Sadbh fell asleep in the car and slept with her trach cap on for almost an hour. I eventually changed the cap for a humidifier nose to give her a break as she was starting to work harder to breathe.

She woke up as soon as we arrived at a tulip farm. She was so excited when she saw the fields of beautiful flowers but because it was so muddy she did not get a chance to go down to check them out.

We headed to a local nursery and she got to pick out a couple of tulip bouquets and was so proud as we headed back to the car.

New photos.

Photos from April 19 2011.

Photos from April 19 2012.

Photos from April 19 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – April 18th 2014

Sadbh slept well and woke up shortly before 8. Granddad had taken over from Helen at 6 and Sadbh was surprised and happy to see him sitting next to her bed.

We had a busy morning as Sadbh had her cranial sacral appointment first thing. We made it just in time and Sadbh did great throughout her treatment. Dr. Cavanaugh was able to loosen up the area around her lungs, shoulders and neck.

Katie and I managed trach care as soon as we got home and after a bite to eat we headed downtown to pick Nana and Granddad up so we could head to the zoo to spend the day with Sadbh’s cousins.

Sadbh could not wait to see her cousins and show off all the animals. It was a beautiful day and it seemed that most of the animals were out warming themselves up from the past few days of cold and wet weather.

All the girls got to take a ride on the carousel and Sadbh did not want to leave. It’s hard to imagine that Sadbh was terrified of the carousel last year yet cannot wait to go on it this year.

Just before leaving the zoo the girls all got treats of big huge lollipops and this kept Sadbh very happy during the drive home.

Everyone came back to our house for dinner and the girls had a great time playing together. They even got to Skype with their cousins in Portland.

Later in the evening it was time to say good-bye as Karby and his family had to drive to Vancouver so they could make their flight back to Hong Kong in the morning.

Sadbh and the girls were very upset and the hugs and kisses lasted for such a long time. It was very sad, no one wanted to say good-bye.

Sadbh brought her new Tinkerbelle doll with her to sleep. She was so exhausted from such a busy day that she fast asleep within a couple of minutes.

New photos.

Photos from April 18 2011.

Photos from April 18 2012.

Photos from April 18 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – April 17th 2014

Sadbh had a fantastic day playing with Nana and Granddad. She managed to keep them both very busy despite not leaving the house due to the horrible weather.

After trach care Sadbh insisted on taking a nap and slept for almost an hour and a half with her trach cap on.

Later in the evening her cousins stopped by so we all headed to the local cinema for cartoon happy hour. Sadbh and her cousins had a wonderful time and enjoyed many old classic cartoons.  They concluded the evening by having a dance party on the stage.

At bedtime Sadbh was full of hugs and kisses. It was later than usual but she soon dropped off into a deep sleep.

We received news that Sadbh’s primary insurance company will continue to cover our nursing care but we received notification that her secondary insurance provider has closed our second appeal so we launched another appeal.  The fun and games are to continue.

New photos.

Photos from April 17 2011.

Photos from April 17 2012.

Photos from April 17 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – April 16th 2014

I woke Sadbh up at 7am by tickling her belly with my beard and I was pleasantly surprised when she started giggling rather than getting annoyed. It seemed to work so I kept it up until she could take no more.

She had her three year check up this morning so we had to get the ball rolling quickly so she could have breakfast and make it to her appointment on time.

On the way Sadbh asked Katie if she was going to see Dr. Inglis. When Katie said no that she was going to visit her pediatrician Sadbh responded with “yes, I do have a lot of doctors, don’t I?”

When she arrived at the doctor office she was very shy but it did not take long for her to come out of her shell.

She weighed in at 32 pounds and measured 39.25 inches. The doctor was pleased to see that Sadbh is hitting all her developmental milestones and told her to keep up the good work.

We dropped Mommy to work and Sadbh was a little sad to say good-bye, but she handled it well, gave Katie a big kiss and sent her off to work.

Once we arrived home it was time for some left over birthday cake as a treat, which she devoured and then insisted on more. After trach care Sadbh felt very tired and wanted to take a nap. She slept for an hour and fifteen minutes with her trach cap on and seemed quite comfortable. She definitely had strider in her breathing but was not under any distress.

After lunch we headed over to Ballard to check out a motorcycle show but unfortunately the weather was terrible and only a few bikes showed up. Rather than get Sadbh wet checking out the few bikes we headed home and picked Mommy up along the way. Sadbh was so excited to see Mommy and could not stop telling her about her trip around town in the car.

On the way home we called my sister in New Zealand and Sadbh sang a happy birthday song to her one-year old cousin, Zoe. It was very special. She said to aunt Trish, “I know, why don’t you come over to my house and we can have some cake.”

Sadbh’s evening was spent with her cousins and after dinner the kids had fun playing and watching “Free to Be You and Me” in the basement. Uncle Karby told everyone a bedtime story just before Sadbh headed to bed and after hugs and kisses she went to sleep.

New photos.

Photos from April 16 2011.

Photos from April 16 2012.

Photos from April 16 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – April 15th 2014

Sadbh slept well but whimpered occasionally through the night. She was also grinding her teeth so Helen gave her a binky to help.

She finally woke up shortly after 8 and originally told me to get out of her room and then proceeded to tell me that she did not like me anymore. Thankfully she changed her tune a few moments later as she gave me a huge hug and told me that she loved me.

We had a wonderful day and Sadbh was in a fantastic mood. She got to spend some time playing with Nana and Granddad.

Later in the evening we met up for dinner with Ali-Baba, Kirk, Karby and his family. Sadbh was so happy to see everyone and got some special time in with her cousin Trinity.

At one stage Katie got up to go to the bathroom. Sadbh shouted after her “don’t have an accident!” It was hilarious.

Sophia left for New York after dinner and Sadbh gave her the biggest hug ever. She did not want her to leave.

At bedtime Sadbh sang a few good night songs to Nana and Granddad and I’m sure she was making up the words as she went along.

New photos.

Photos from April 15 2011.

Photos from April 15 2012.

Photos from April 15 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – April 14th 2014

Sadbh had a very restless night and woke up shortly after 4 asking for Katie. Helen tried her best to comfort Sadbh but soon had to give in and call Katie down. It took about forty minutes to get Sadbh back to sleep where she slept soundly until almost 7:30.

It was another beautiful day so we all got out into the garden to do some yard work. Sadbh put her new gardening tools to good use and had a laugh when she spotted a few worms popping out of the dirt.

Her cousins came by for a barbeque and the kids had a wonderful time.

When it came time for bed Sadbh gave everyone a hug and a kiss and off she went. When she realized that I was putting her to bed and not Mommy she had a huge melt down. It went on for nearly an hour and it was very hard on both of us. Eventually she wore herself out and fell asleep in my arms.

New photos.

Photos from April 14 2012.

Photos from April 14 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – April 13th 2014

Sadbh woke up well rested and was ready for the day to start. We had a busy day planned so Katie and I got trach care out of the way as soon as possible.

We planned a picnic with Sadbh’s cousins and a few of our friends since the weather was so nice.

It was so much fun and we have never seen Sadbh run so much in her life.

Ali-Baba and Kirk brought a huge birthday cake and Sadbh and her friends could not wait to get stuck in. Thankfully Sadbh’s name was spelt correctly on this cake.

It was a big sugar fest but there was plenty of room for the kids to run and burn it off.

After a few hours it was time to head home and Sadbh was utterly wiped out. She fell asleep within a few minutes and that was it for the rest of the evening. It was the perfect ending to a perfect day, even though it was an hour and a half before her actual bedtime.

New photos.

Photos from April 13 2011.

Photos from April 13 2012.

Photos from April 13 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – April 12th 2014

Sadbh woke up bright and early just as Danielle’s shift ended. She was excited to see Danielle and got busy showing off her new bed, her cake and all her new toys. She wanted to wake Sophia, Granddad and Nana also but thankfully for them Mommy was able to persuade her to let them all sleep on for awhile.  Finally, Katie let her go in to Nana and Grandad.  Grandad said that he would get up soon to which Sadbh responded, “No, get up now”.

Sadbh’s cousins arrived from Hong Kong last night and Sadbh could not wait to meet up with them today. Katie and I got trach care out of the way early in the day and as soon as the car was loaded up they headed off to meet up with the rest of the family.

Sadbh forgot to bring Olaf, the snowman from Frozen, with her so I got a phone call to bring Olaf with me when I joined up with the gang later.

Sadbh was so happy to see her cousins and after a bunch of hugs the girls all walked along chatting while holding hands.

They all had a fun day and by dinner Sadbh was completely wiped out. She was bouncing off the walls and could not wait to get home to bed. Her cousins did a great job of entertaining her and surprisingly she lasted until it was time to leave.

Bedtime was full of snuggles and we each got a huge hug and kiss before Sadbh finally plonked into her bed and fell straight to sleep.

New photos.

Photos from April 12 2011 & transport to Children's Hospital.

Photos from April 12 2012.

Photos from April 12 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – April 11th 2014

Today was hectic and it started off with Sadbh waking up at 7 after a great night sleep.

Her airway sounded quite goopy so we tried suctioning to clear it. Unfortunately this did not work so we gave her a nebulizer and once we were done with that we were able to clear her airway with another suction.

We were heading back to Seattle so as soon as Sadbh was out of bed it was time to break down and pack away all her medical equipment and supplies.

Sadbh was not in the greatest of moods to begin with but Sophia helped entertain her while Katie and I got to work.

It took us three hours to get everything packaged and loaded into the cars and just before we hit the road we got trach care done.

Sadbh was sad to leave Lake Chelan but was very excited to be heading home.

We stopped in Leavenworth on the way and Sadbh was delighted to stretch her legs.

The first shop she visited was a candy store and she wanted to sample one of everything. She had to contend with a couple of pieces of taffy, which she loved.

The next shop was full of Christmas stuff. It was full of all sorts of tree decorations and so many Santa’s. Sadbh could not believe her eyes and did not want to leave.

She was out like a light within five minutes of leaving Leavenworth and she slept most of the way home.

Sophia helped keep Sadbh entertained when we arrived home so the rest of us could unload and get her room set back up again.

We had been promising Sadbh a big girl bed for her birthday on condition that she gives up her binkys. She got her wish this evening after Granddad and I put her big girl bed together and when she saw it she was over the moon. It took some effort to get her to go to sleep. Just before she dozed off she turned to Katie and “Mommy, I don’t want to give up my big girl bed but I just want a binky.” As soon as she saw Katie bringing in her binkys she asked “two binkys?”. The little princess knows how to negotiate and get what she wants.

Danielle is working tonight and after a week of not having nurses it is very strange and hard for us.

Thank you all for the kind birthday wishes!

New photos.

Photos from April 11 2012.

Photos from April 11 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.