Sadbh’s update – September 7th, 2012

Sadbh had a rough night and joined us in bed around 11:30 last night. She was so unhappy and restless and it seemed that it might be the result of some new teeth coming in.

Whatever it was certainly took its toll on her as she was the last one to wake up.

Despite all the sounds coming from her friends next door in the dining room, Sadbh slept in until 8:30.

Our check out was at 10am, so it was a mad dash to get Sadbh fed and all her equipment boxed up and loaded into the car.

I had started working on this last night and resumed it again around 7am.

Her medical supplies take up so much room, but I was glad once we got everything loaded up.

After checking out, we all headed into Chelan for a coffee and a walk around the park.

Sadbh had a great time walking hand in hand with Dylan. Thankfully Cormac was fast asleep in his stroller and did not notice his little lady flirting with another little man.

Things got very exciting when all of a sudden the kids were surrounded by a flock of ducks. Sadbh, being very brave, decided that she wanted to get as close as possible. Thankfully there was always an adult right there to make sure that none of the kids were in any harm.

After we were done with the ducks and the park, it was off to one of the local wineries for lunch.

All the kids got to stuff their faces on healthy snacks and Sadbh took a liking to berry cream cheese. So much so that she had it smeared all across her face.

Once lunch was over it was time to hit the road for the long drive back to Seattle.

Sadbh fell asleep as soon as she was buckled into her car seat and slept soundly for the first hour. The next hour and a half wasn’t so much fun as she was really fussy.

Katie worked all her magic and by the time we reached Snoqualmie Pass, Sadbh was in a much better mood.

We pulled in so Sadbh could stretch her legs and she was beside herself with excitement. In the distance she could see all the trucks and cars whizzing by on I-90.

Whenever the occasional motorcycle would go by she would immediately make the sign for motorcycle.

The rest of the journey home was good and she was very happy when we pulled up to the house.

Since we did not have a chance to manage trach care earlier we had to wait until she was ready for bed.

She got extremely cranky just around 7pm so after some failed attempts to cheer her up it was decided that it would be best to draw her a bath and start the proceedings.

Everything worked out very well and Sadbh was sound asleep in no time.

Doing trach care so late in the day is hard since both Katie and I were extremely tired after such a long day and neither one of us had eaten yet.

All in all it was another great day and Sadbh got to spend the first half of it with all her friends.

It’s going to be strange for her to wake up tomorrow and not have any of her friends here to play with.

New photos.

Photos from September 7 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 6th, 2012

Sadbh slept great and did not need any suctioning whatsoever.

It wasn’t until round 6am before she woke up and joined us in bed.  She must have been very restless throughout the night as when Katie lifted her out of her cot, she was turned around and had the oximeter cord wrapped all the way around her neck. Needless to say, it gave Katie quite a fright.  After a quick snack and a snuggle, Sadbh slept on for another hour or so.

As soon as Sadbh heard Cormac, Dylan and Clodagh having breakfast, it was time to join in on the fun.

Sadbh even got to Skype with Cormac and Clodagh’s grandparents back in Dublin.

Once breakfast was finished the fun and games started and each of the kids had a great time.

Sadbh got very tired just as we were getting ready to head out, so we decided to give her a bath and start trach care.

She slept for two full hours and once she woke up she was full of beans.

After lunch we loaded up the car and headed to Lake Chelan for a wander around.

Sadbh was in her element as we walked along the waterfront and she was especially delighted when Katie arrived out of one of the shops with a couple of ice cream cones.

I barely got any of my ice cream before Sadbh gobbled most of it down.

As soon as we arrived home it was time for Sadbh to change into her swimsuit and she off down to spend the afternoon by the pool.

Sadbh had no interest in soaking in the pool, and kept walking around as she found things to throw in.

Sadbh discovered chips and salsa today and even though she was not fully dipping the chips into the salsa, she had the whole motion down and acted as if she had been doing it for years.

Dinner was a fun affair tonight and Sadbh had a laugh with all her friends.

Afterwards Clodagh shared her ice cream with Sadbh and for a second time today she was in heaven.

New photos.

Photos from September 6 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 5th, 2012

Sadbh needed constant suctioning throughout the night. It was an early start to the day and Sadbh got to join in on the fun with her friends.

Sadbh loves playing by the pool with the occasional dip, however she’s not terribly excited to go into the pool.

She especially likes to throw things into the water and to watch them float.

She had a very relaxing day and spent it playing with the gang.

New photos.

Photos from September 5 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 4th, 2012

Sadbh slept great and joined us in bed around 6. Since this is her usual time to wake up, she actually cuddled up and fell back to sleep snuggled up between Katie and me.

There was the occasional kick in the back and the head, but I knew it was time to finally wake up when I felt the familiar tapping on my shoulder.

I turned around to find Sadbh smiling from ear to ear and could not help but grab her for a big hug.

With the sounds of her friends playing in the living room, Sadbh could not wait to get out to join them all.

As soon as everyone was done with breakfast, it was a mad dash down to the pool for some fun. Sadbh was very reluctant but still enjoyed splashing around in the water.

After a couple of hours, we figured it was time to head up and give her a bath and get ready for trach care.

Sadbh fell asleep as soon as she was bundled into her pajamas allowing Katie and myself to manage trach care without any problems.

She slept for a couple of hours and once she woke up it was time to resume her fun activities with her friends.

She had a fantastic day and it was late in the evening by the time she was ready for bed.

Katie found a nice big molar poking through in the back of her mouth.

New photos.

Photos from September 4 2012.

Sadbh’s update – September 3rd, 2012

It was a much better night for Sadbh and she only joined us in bed when she got a little bit cold. She didn’t even wake up and slept soundly until shortly after 7am. Despite being in a king bed, it obviously wasn’t big enough to escape Sadbh’s kicking throughout the night.

Her morning started off great as all her friends greeted her as soon as she entered the living room. The fun and games commenced as soon as everyone had finished having breakfast.

Since the weather was still quite hot everyone headed straight for the pool to cool down.

Unfortunately, Sadbh can’t swim in the pool like the other kids since she has a trach, however this did not stop her from spending the morning splashing around.

Eventually the excitement got the better of her and Sadbh started to get a little tired. Katie and I headed up to the room and started to get everything ready for trach care.

Once she was dried off from her bath and had been changed into fresh pajamas, Sadbh drifted off to sleep in no time.

Trach care was very easy and Sadbh slept on for almost two hours.

Once she woke up it was time for lunch and then back down to the pool for some more fun with her friends.

She had a great time and kept me busy following her around the pool. It was fairly stressful at times when she got to the edge of the pool, but the smile on her face was worth it.

Later on it was time to head back up stairs and all the kids thought it would be great fun to play runaway knock at the front door. It was a lot of fun to watch the excitement with all the kids and it was quite the relief that none of them thought to leave a burning diaper at the door after ringing the doorbell.

As soon as we got Sadbh changed into her pajamas, she dropped off to sleep within minutes. The excitement and fun of the day obviously wore her out.

New photos.

Photos from September 3 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 2nd, 2012

Sadbh had a rough night sleep and ended up getting sick around 3am. Katie was quick to respond and got Sadbh suctioned, cleaned up and in a fresh pajamas in no time.

She was restless for the rest of the night and needed to be suctioned a few more times.

When it came time to finally wake up, Sadbh was eager to go and play with all her friends.

She had a fantastic day and it was great to see all the kids getting along so well without any fighting or the likes.

Sadbh was having way too much fun and had no desire to take her late morning nap. This worked out well, as when she finally did start to get sleepy we had no problem getting her into a deep sleep for trach care.

Sadbh slept for a good two hours and was full of energy when she woke up.

As soon as she was done with lunch, it was time to join her other friends by the pool for some fun. Along the way we came across the pool table and Sadbh had to have a go. She was fascinated with all the pool balls and the sounds they made when they hit off each other.

We thought we would have an easy time of it when it came time for bed, as Sadbh was very tired from an exciting evening. This was not the case and it took quite awhile to get her to finally fall asleep.

She was still so giddy and full of beans as she rolled around the bed giggling and having fun.

New photos.

Photos from September 2 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – September 1st, 2012

Sadbh had a fairly good night and after waking up a few times she finally joined us in bed around 4am.  By 7:30am it was time to get up.  Today was Daddy’s birthday and Sadbh started it off practicing how to whisper “happy birthday”.  Then she started to her the sounds of her friends coming from the kitchen and it was time to go join the party that was just getting started.

Sadbh was delighted when she walked outside our room and she saw her friends, Clodagh, Cormac and Dylan playing in the kitchen.  She couldn’t wait to join the fun.  It was quite the site with the kids running around the house after each other.

When Sadbh saw the swimming pool, she was over the moon.  She couldn’t stop making the sign for Water and pointing to go outside.  Later in the morning, Wayne and I took Sadbh into the pool for her first water adventure.  At first, she wasn’t so sure, but after a few minutes, she was in her element and loving every minute. 

It was so fun to see her exploring the new world of sun and fun.  Unfortunately, at one point she tripped and managed to skin her knees. It is really one of the first little bruises she has gotten.

She spent the rest of the afternoon playing with Luna, Clodagh, Cora, Dylan and Cormac and by 1pm, she was very tired and ready for a nap and trach care. 

Trach care went smoothly and Sadbh continued sleeping.  When she woke, it was playtime again.  It was a wonderful day filled with many fun times and happy kids running about.

We went to the Lake Chelan Winery for dinner. They are known for the BBQ and have a very large outdoor area for kids to run around and play with Hoola-Hoops. All of the kids had a ball and we were very much at home with the chaos of the place. 

Sadbh was in her element and by the end of the night, she was standing out front and welcoming everyone who walked towards the restaurant with a smile and a wave and a courtesy.  Erin was watching Sadbh and giving Wayne and I a much-appreciated break.  When I caught up with them, both Sadbh and Erin were extremely happy.  Sadbh was putting on her show and Erin was taking in every minute.  Sadbh managed to charm everyone she met and it was absolutely hilarious to watch. 

New photos.

Photos from September 1, 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.