Sadbh's update - day 156

Our nursing agency messed up last night’s nurse schedule, and as a result the nurse showed up later than we had expected. I suppose it could have been worse, at least we had a nurse for the night.

Sadbh had a fairly decent nights sleep. The nurse we have on nights now, is not as focused on Sadbh’s comfort as we would like her to be, and tends to be more concerned about getting the paperwork done etc. It can be frustrating when we have to continuously keep checking in on Sadbh and I think we would get a better nights rest if Sadbh was to sleep up stairs with us.

Sadbh was up at the crack of dawn this morning for her breakfast, but was back asleep in no time.

By the time Katie was ready to go to work, Sadbh was awake and had a serious look of disapproval on her face.

That said, Sadbh had a great day with her nurse and was wide awake by the time I got home.

Before Katie went back to work, we would manage trach care as soon as I got home from work, however it was more often than not already take care of by Katie and her mom earlier in the day.

Now since we are both at work full time, we don’t get to take care of this until 7pm or so, and by the time we are finished and have Sadbh in bed, the evening is gone and it’s time for bed.

Nothing beats coming home to Sadbh. The smile on her face as soon as I walk in the door warms my heart like nothing I’ve experienced before. She puts everything in our lives into perspective and despite her vocal cords and dealing with a trach, I wouldn’t give any of it up. She is so precious and amazing.

New photos.

Photos from July 14^th.

Have a good evening,

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh's update - day 155

Tuesday morning was a true test, since both of us went back to work leaving Sadbh at home with our home care nurse.

It certainly was not easy for Katie to leave, however since we have a great nurse, it made it a lot easier. On the down side, this nurse is scheduled to move out of state at the end of the month.

Anyway, we both received photos via text throughout the day and from the looks of things, both Sadbh and the nurse were having a great day.

Even Ali-Baba also stopped by to join in on the fun for a while.

I finished up work around 4 and took over from the nurse as soon as I got home. By now, Sadbh was awake a couple of hours and apparently very tired. I tried putting her to bed for a nap but soon learned that she was also very hungry, regardless of the fact that she had been fed a short time beforehand.

Once fed, she was very content so we played on her farm floor mat while we waited for mommy to arrive home from work.

Sadbh and Katie got to play for another 45 minutes or so before Sadbh was ready for sleep and more importantly, trach care.

By now she was in a deep sleep and we were able to take care of business quite easily.

At one stage, just before trach care, we received delivery of a toy that we purchased last week for Sadbh for Christmas. Somehow, she managed to figure out what was in the package and I found her trying to play with it.

It’s definitely a big change from when you can spend the entire day hanging out with Sadbh, to when you only get to spend an hour or so of awake time in the evenings after work.

New photos.

Photos from July 13th.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh's update - day 154

Monday morning was a tough one for Katie as it was her first day back at work since Sadbh was born. It was a bitter-sweet experience since she was excited to go back to work, however it was very hard for her to leave Sadbh behind.

To make things a little easier, I took the day off and stayed home with our little princess.

I didn’t think that Katie would ever leave, she kept finding excuses to delay her departure, but eventually she had no choice but to head to work.

My heart was heavy for her as she walked down the path to her car, but I knew that she would be fine.

Throughout the day I sent photos and texts to Katie keeping her updated on Sadbh’s activities.

Shortly after Katie left, Sadbh woke up with a huge smile on her face and it was time for her second breakfast, or maybe it was brunch.

After she was fed she gave out a huge belch and we played for an hour or so until her next naptime.

Sadbh hasn’t been too sure of one of her toys. It’s the Jumperoo, and ever since we purchased it for her she usually only lasts a few minutes before she starts to get upset.

Today I placed her in it for a while as I tried to organize a few things in the kitchen and when I looked over to see how she was doing, she was having a ball. This time around, she actually lasted about 15 minutes in it before she got bored and wanted to move on.  

After her next nap, I figured we should take a nice long walk up to Capitol Hill and run a few errands. She was a super star the whole way and despite only sleeping for 30 minutes or so, she was happy bumping along Seattle’s terrible sidewalks.

By the time we got home, my goal was to keep her awake for at least another hour and a half until mommy came home, so we could then take care of trach care.

This wasn’t easy, however I was quite determined to keep her awake by any means possible.

An hour and a half turned into two hours, and by this time, Sadbh was seriously turning into Princess Angry Bird.

As soon as mommy came into her room, Sadbh stopped crying and gave her the biggest smile ever. This is probably the best greeting that anyone can receive after a long day at work.

It didn’t take long to finish up bathing Sadbh and getting her bundled up for her nap, and before we knew it, she wasn’t ready for sleep, she wanted some mommy time.

Eventually she was ready for sleep and we were able to start work on trach care. She was in such a deep sleep that it was extremely easy to manage.

I honestly have to say, I loved hanging out with Sadbh today and wouldn’t mind if this was a full time gig for me. Leave all the pressures of my job behind and focus all my energy and efforts on Sadbh, now that would be grand.

New photos.

Photos from July 12^th.

Take care,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh's update - day 153

Sunday was a relaxing day overall and it started off with a nice long sleep in.

Later on Sadbh got to Skype with my parents back home.

Katie's father got to spend some cuddle time with Sadbh after she finally got up.

The rest of the morning was quite lazy but eventually we had to drop Howard to the airport for his flight home. 

After saying our good byes to Howard we decided to head to Alki Beach for a nice long walk. This was Sadbh's first trip to Alki Beach and the place was jam packed with people enjoying a wonderful hot sunny day. 

After stopping off for a bite to eat, Sadbh decided it was time for one of her epic diaper blow outs, so we had to retreat from the restaurant and change everything. I suppose, it's good to know that she has healthy bowels.

The rest of the evening was spent getting Katie ready for her first day back at work. It's not going to be an easy transition back, but I think she will do great.

Last month, we had a great team of home care nurses and as a result, we felt confident that when it was time for Katie to return to work, that we would be covered with a competent group of care givers.

Unfortunately, three of our primary nurses have moved onto other assignments outside of the agency and the agency is now scrambling to find replacements as soon as possible.

In the meantime, my father has volunteered to come over for 3 months to help out and he is due to arrive in two weeks.

New photos.

Photos from July 11th.

All the best,

Wayne Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh's update - day 152

Sadbh had a very fussy night's sleep. She awoke around 3 for a feeding and a diaper change. As soon as we put her back to bed, she became inconsolable and it took quite some time to get her calmed down and back to sleep.

She awoke at 7 in the morning, and she was extremely upset. She would not latch on for her feeding, and it took almost an hour to calm her down. Finally she latched on and melted in mummy's arms.

We think she's started teething and hope the whole experience is not too hard on her.

The rest of the morning was spent playing and she seemed to be very comfortable.

We dressed Sadbh up in a lovely dress that she received from Katie's Aunt Cammy, and went for a nice long walk up to Capitol Hill to take care of a few errands, despite a few moments of fussiness, she had a real good time.

On the way home, we popped into Cafe Presse for an early dinner and we got a great seat in the window looking out on the street. Sadbh was awake by now and was very happy sitting in my lap looking out at all the passerby's. 

Prior to our food coming out, I fed Sadbh a bottle and mid-meal, she decided that it was time for her to have a five minute poo. Since it was very loud, I was sure we had ourselves a blow out and that we would have to change out everything very soon. 

Fortunately her diaper performed as it should have, but it was a very close call.

None of this seemed to bother Sadbh in the slightest, in fact she was intent on flirting with a customer of the restaurant that was sitting along side us.

It was quite funny to watch as she was so happy flirting and giggling. It was very cute and it also drew the attention of other customers close by.

Not a bad way to spend her fifth month birthday.

I still can't believe what she's been through for the past five months, especially the early days. And despite that, she is such a happy and friendly little girl. 

Sadbh's grandfather, Howard, stopped off for the night on his way back from Campbell River in British Columbia form a fishing trip with his friends Ian and Steen.

Poppy was impressed with how Sadbh has developed in the short few weeks since his last trip in August.

Despite Sadbh's vocal cord issue, we are comforted in the fact that this is the only issue that she has to deal with and that everything else is functioning as it should do.

New photos.

Photos from July 10th.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh's update - day 151

Friday was a day of serious sleeping for Sadbh. 

Around 1pm, she had a lot of play time with Ali-Baba and this helped tire her out for trach care.

Once trach care was finished, she had a tough time sleeping and became extremely fussy and irritated for the rest of the evening. 

An old colleague, but soon to be a new colleague of Katie's came by for dinner with his wife and lovely 3 year old daughter Grace.

We were nervous that we wouldn't have everything ready for our guests as Sadbh was extremely fussy right up to the minute they arrived.

As soon as Curtis, Christina and Grace arrived, Sadbh calmed down for the rest of the evening, however she was very clingy and it was impossible to put her down to bed, despite being obviously exhausted.

Curtis and Christina have spent the last three years dealing with some various medical issues with Grace as she was born premature and spent her first three months of life in various local hospitals. 

We were able to learn a lot from their experience and we spent the evening comparing stories and sharing advice.

Grace and Sadbh seemed to hit it off quite well and Grace did her best to make Sadbh smile and laugh. 

I'm sure these two girls are going to be great friends since they have shared a similar start in life.

By the time dinner was over, Sadbh was wiped out and had no difficulties going to sleep

New photos.

Photos from July 9th.

Take care and have a great weekend.

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh's update - day 150

Sadbh had a great nights sleep last night and didn't wake up until after 4 this morning.

Later in the morning, Sadbh had a follow up Cranial Osteopathy appointment with Dr. Cavanaugh. He was quiet pleased with her and mentioned to Katie that he felt that Sadbh was a very confident baby. 

Ali-Baba came by in the afternoon to take the two ladies for a nice long walk around Seward Park. It was a perfect way to spend the afternoon since the weather was perfect.

New photos.

Photos from July 8th.

Take care,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.