Sadbh’s update – day 331 March 7th, 2012

Sadbh had a fantastic night sleep and was able to stretch out comfortably across her wedge.

As she slept, she held a binky in each hand, and every so often she would switch between the two. At one stage, she placed one of the binky’s inside the one that was already in her mouth.

She finally woke up at 6:20am, and quickly had breakfast. Usually she falls back to sleep straight away, but this morning she fought hard and it took Katie two hours of comforting her before she finally fell asleep.

She did not sleep for long, and 30 minutes later she was standing up in her cot laughing at Granddad when he ran into the room to make sure she was ok.

After another quick breakfast, it was time to Skype with my mum and brother back home in Cork. Sadbh had a great time and could not stop laughing at my brother Ger. Both he and I look alike, so I’m sure Sadbh wasn’t sure who she was talking to.

It was a very sunny day, and Sadbh had a great time playing with Granddad.

As she was starting to get tired, Ali-Baba stopped by to give Sadbh a nice warm bath and help with trach care.

She had a great sleep and woke up very happy and ready for her bottle.

By the time I arrived home, she was still full of energy and met me at the back door with a huge smile. Regardless of how my day is, I always look forward to coming home to Sadbh, and it is even more special when she is there to greet me when I arrive.

It was an evening of playing and having fun, and when it came to nap time, Sadbh was not having any of it. She fought hard, but eventually she fell asleep and I loosened up her swaddle.

Almost 30 minutes later, she was awake and it was perfect timing as Katie had just arrived home from work.

Right now, all Sadbh wants to do is walk around the house. She either cruises along the furniture, or grabs someone’s hands and forces them to walk her around.

She settled down quite easily tonight when it came time for bed, and within no time, she was sprawled across her wedge.

She could not have been comfortable, so we removed the wedge from her cot and most of her stuffed animals.

Hopefully she will get used to sleeping without her wedge and that it will not cause any problems with her trach, or mist collar.

New photos.

Photos from January 7.

Take care,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – day 330 March 6th, 2012

Sadbh had a wonderful night sleep, but woke up at 1:36am crying and in some discomfort. Larissa was quick to respond by turning Sadbh on her side, and pushed her legs up to help relieve whatever was causing her pain.

With that, Sadbh let out a huge fart, and by 1:40am, she was fast asleep in complete comfort.

She slept soundly until 6:20, and as soon as Katie had fed her, she was back to sleep for another hour or so.

We were scheduled to have a new nurse start today, however since the nursing agency had technical difficulties with their online training certification modules, she had to postpone until the agency can repair their site.

It’s quite frustrating that this nurse is highly trained, and certified to work at Children’s Hospital, yet the nursing agency requires extra certification to prove that they are eligible to work.

Since we did not have nurse care again today, Ali-Baba came by to help out and play with Sadbh.

It was almost noon and time for a nice bath. Sadbh loves her baths and it puts her in such a relaxed state.

Trach care went well, and Sadbh slept for almost an hour and a half afterwards.

She woke up in a very happy mood and was ready for a big feed.

As soon as she was done eating, it was time to bundle up and head out for a walk in the sunshine, up to Capitol Hill.

Sadbh was in her element outside and very keen to sit up and check everything out.

I arrived home a little later than usual, and a few moments later, here comes Sadbh up the driveway with Granddad.

After a quick snuggle, it was time for a nap. She fought it hard and just when I was about to give up and feed her, she started to fall asleep. Granddad had taken over comforting her, and since she had been crying so much, I had to suction her trach.

Apparently the loud noise of her suction machine provided her with some comfort, and she drifted off for a 45-minute sleep.

She was a little bit cranky when she woke up, but after a little bit of horsing around, she was full of smiles and happy again.

She had a great evening playing with both Katie and myself, and when it came to dinner, she had worked up quite the appetite.

When it came time for bed, she was ready, however she was also quite giddy and playful.

As soon as she was bundled up, it did not take long for her to drift off.

We are starting to wean her from being swaddled, so we are swaddling her loosely, allowing her the freedom to get her arm out. Last night, and again tonight, moments after falling asleep, she can be found lying there with her arms stretched outright and looks extremely cute.

New photos.

Photos from January 6.

Take care,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – day 329 March 5th, 2012

Starting around 11:15 last night, Sadbh grew restless in her sleep, and Larissa had to work hard to keep her asleep.

Eventually at 4:30, Katie was called down to feed a very hungry baby.

An hour late, Sadbh was back to sleep until 7:30, and then she was up for the rest of the day.

We did not have nurse care today, so Ali-Baba came by to hang out and play with Sadbh for a few hours.

After trach care, Sadbh had a great sleep for an hour and ten minutes.

When she wakes up, Ali-Baba feeds her a bottle, just before she heads home.

Later in the day, Granddad bundled Sadbh up nice and warm and took her for a walk around the neighborhood. The weather was very changeable today, and since it looked like it could rain or even snow at any moment, Granddad stayed close to the house.

Sadbh had a wonderful sleep and Granddad enjoyed being out in the fresh air.

Our neighborhood is quite diverse and interesting to say the least. As my father is walking down one of the streets close by, a couple came around the corner and headed down the road in front of him. He noticed that the guy had a petrol can in one hand, and a cigarette in the other. Moments later, he noticed that the guy was trying to light his cigarette and since it was windy, he used his other hand to shield the flame, while still holding the petrol can.

It didn’t take my father long to distance himself and Sadbh from this couple.

Sadbh was in a fantastic mood when I got home and was full of energy.

It was amazing how fast the evening flew by, and before we knew it, it was time for bed.

New photos.

Photos from January 5.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – day 328 March 4th, 2012

Just before midnight, Sadbh was wide-awake and very upset. Both Katie and I took turns in trying to calm her down, and after a midnight snack, she joined us in bed for the rest of the night.

She has definitely gotten used to her new nighttime snacks, as she was awake at 1:45, 4 and again at 7:30.

At least this morning, she fell back to sleep for another hour.

Sadbh had a fantastic morning hanging out and playing with both Granddads.

When it came time for trach care, she was exhausted and slept for an hour afterwards. She was in such a great mood when she woke up and gave Katie and me the biggest smiles.

Not long after she woke up, she had to say goodbye to Pops as he was due to head back home to the Bay Area.

Later in the day I bundled Sadbh up and took her for a long walk through Capitol Hill. She slept for most of the walk, and woke up when we arrived at Café Presse.

I requested a table and was getting settled in when Katie and Granddad arrived.

Sadbh really enjoys Café Presse and spends most of the time flirting with all the staff and other customers sitting close by.

I think our days of eating out are numbered as she is becoming very feisty and has no desire to stay in the one place for long.

New photos.

Photos from January 4.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – day 327 March 3, 2012

Sadbh sleeps so well downstairs in her own room, however lately when she sleeps upstairs with us, her routine changes drastically.

Saturday morning, she awoke 1:45am and joined us in bed for a feed.

She woke up again at 4am and 7:30am, and each time she had another snack.

Sadbh’s two grandfathers and myself had a road trip over to Eastern Washington today, and were out the door by 7am for the long drive to Lake Chelan.

Both Sadbh and Katie looked very comfortable snuggling in bed when I snuck out.

Later in the morning, Ali-Baba came by to help out with trach care.

As Ali-Baba drove up, Sadbh was looking out the window and grinning.  Her tongue was going crazy too. Ali-Baba started to imitate her, but did not realize that she had an audience of a few neighbors walking down the street.

Trach care was fairly easy, however Sadbh did not sleep for long and wanted to hang out with Katie and her Grandmother.

After lunch, Katie bundled Sadbh up nice and warm and they both headed up to Madrona for a long walk.

Sadbh fell asleep shortly after heading off.

Once they arrived in Madrona, Sadbh woke up and was happy hanging out in the park watching all the other kids playing.

Shortly after Sadbh arrived home, I arrived back with her two Granddads, and the fun continued.

She was wearing her cute red tutu and was happy showing it off.

She was wearing trousers underneath, but the next thing I knew, she had somehow removed her trousers and was looking even cuter with just her tutu.

She had a great day and was exhausted by the time she was ready for sleep.

New photos.

Photos from January 3.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – day 326 March 2, 2012

Sadbh slept upstairs with Mommy last night.  Daddy was still in Las Vegas and Mommy was a little nervous about taking care of Sadbh alone during the night.  Sadbh must’ve sensed this and decided that she needed to get into bed with Mommy at 1:45am. 

She was pretty dry during the night and her trach was making a whistling noise.  Because of this, she and Mommy were awake through the night.  Mommy stayed busy suctioning and dropping saline into her trach to keep it moist.

But around 8:30am Sadbh woke up smiling and ready for some snuggles then ready to play.  When she woke she looked to the side of the bed where Daddy sleeps and did the sign for Daddy as if to ask “Where is Daddy?”.  So Mommy texted Daddy to see if he could Skype and a few minutes later Sadbh was playing with Daddy on the computer again.

The plan for the day was to do trach care early, then pack up and head back down to Ikea (again).  Daddy and Pops (Katie’s father) were going to be arriving in the afternoon so we didn’t want to be out too long. 

Sadbh decided to sleep for over 2 hours after trach care and by the time she woke, it was too late to go to Ikea, but Sadbh was instead surprised when Daddy and Pops showed up just a few minutes later.

Sadbh was thrilled to play with Daddy.  She missed him so much.  But she had to flirt with Pops from a distance since he is still recovering a bit from a cold he had last week. 

Everyone enjoyed a nice dinner together and when it was time for bed Daddy took Sadbh upstairs and put her to sleep.  Hopefully, she will sleep better tonight.

New photos.

Photos from January 2.

Take care,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – day 325 March 1, 2012

Sadbh had a great night and slept all the way to 5:55am just in time for Katie to take over from Larissa. 

After a breakfast snack, a dry nappy and a few playful snuggles, Sadbh was back to sleep.  She woke again at 8:45am.  Molly was after arriving and Sadbh was excited to see that her playmate was there. 

After breakfast number 2, Molly and Grandad picked out Sadbh’s cute outfit for the day.  Then it was time for more food!  This time, oatmeal & bananas… Yum!  Sadbh’s favorite!

Ali Baba came over later in the morning and she and Molly managed trach care.  Then, after only a short, 45 min nap, Sadbh woke up hungry again.  A three-course meal from the 5 star “Green Spoon” restaurant and Sadbh was in her glory.

Sadbh misses her Daddy so much and was delighted to see him in the computer on Skype.  She It took her a little while to figure out what he was doing in there, but after he started making his silly noises and faces, she was overwhelmed with excitement.

Then it was time for a walk around the neighborhood.  It was a beautiful day.  The sun was out, but the air was cold so Grandad, Molly and Sadbh bundled up and off they went.  Down Marion, across Martin Luther King Ave and over to Nora’s Wood; they carried on up the hill to Madrona and found a nice spot to look at the view of Lake Washington.  Then they had a coffee in the cupcake shop. 

By that time, Sadbh was tuckered again and she decided it would be good to take a snooze.  She slept on until 5:15pm and then waited for Mommy to get home around 5:45pm.

Shortly thereafter, a new nurse who is going to start working with Sadbh next week came by to meet Sadbh.  It was great fun to play with a new person and Sadbh impressed her with her baby signs and smiles.

Then it was dinnertime - squash, apricots and for the first time Orzo pasta.  We don’t have a night nurse tonight so Grandad moved all the equipment upstairs by himself.  Then he helped Katie get Sadbh settled in and ready for sleep. 

Sadbh is so lucky to have such a wonderful and special Grandad.  We are thankful every day for everything that Gerry does and that Sadbh gets to spend so much special time with him.

New photos.

Photos from December 30.

Photos from December 31.

Photos from January 1.

Take care,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.