Sadbh’s update – October 14th 2012

Both Sadbh and Katie passed out as soon as they hit the pillow last night. I came up to find both of them fast asleep and looking very cute.

Around 6am I could hear a big yawn coming from Sadbh’s cot and soon afterwards she was standing there looking to be brought into bed.

Thinking that we were in for an early start to the day we were very relieved when Sadbh cuddled into Katie and went right back to sleep for an hour.

When she finally woke up she was full of smiles and it was off downstairs for breakfast.

She did not have much of an appetite and was more interested in playing with her food.

She had a lot of fun playing with her Granddad and Nana and after a couple of hours she started to get tired.

Trach care was much earlier than usual and both Sadbh and Katie napped for a couple of hours afterwards.

After lunch Sadbh headed into town with my parents. Since it was lashing rain we set up her stroller with all it’s protective rain gear and Sadbh was snug as a bug.

She had a great time shopping with my parents and she drew a lot of attention in every store that she ventured into.

Later when we met up with them Sadbh was giddy with excitement as soon as she saw us. She almost jumped right out of the stroller. As soon as we took her so she could stretch her legs, she took off and tried to drag Katie into Tiffany’s. She was having such a great time and could not stop running around the place.

Despite the bad weather, Sadbh had a fantastic day and thanks to Granddad and Nana, Katie and I got a chance to go watch a movie.

New photos.

Photos from October 14 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 13th 2012

Sadbh had a decent night sleep and joined us at some stage between midnight and 6am. At times we are so tired that it’s all a blur and it's hard to know how often and when she gets fussy or needs suctioning.

When she woke at 6, we thought that she was up for the day, however after clearing her trach and changing her nappy, she dropped back to sleep until 8. I couldn’t believe that she allowed us to sleep in as long as she did.

Our wake up call came with the usual tapping on the shoulder and Sadbh was full of smiles and giggles.

She was in a fantastic mood and was very eager to start the day.

Since she had slept in longer than usual, Sadbh had a huge appetite. Breakfast was devoured in no time and she even got a chance to catch up on her Baby Signing Times DVD.

It was a very wet day so Sadbh ended up staying indoors for all of it. She did not mind as she has so many fun toys to play with.

It was a very busy morning around the house and Granddad and Nana were very helpful looking after and playing with Sadbh.

She was awake for longer than usual so when it came time for trach care she was exhausted and slept like a log. She slept solid for an hour and a half and woke up in a very happy mood.

She wore her Passy Muir Valve for most of the day today and she was chatting up a storm. She even learned how to say Katie and Wayne today. Initially I figured that my child would address us as mummy and daddy, however when I heard Sadbh say Katie and Wayne I figured that it would not be a problem what she called us as long as it wasn’t something bad.

This evening we all headed over to visit Ali-Baba and Kirk. As soon as we arrived Sadbh got to dig into a large box of toys that Ali-Baba keeps for her. She found a train set that yours truly got to set up. She quickly figured out how to get the train running and had so much fun with it.

Later in the evening she joined in on a game of rummy and impressed everyone by being able to stick all the pins into the holes on the board.

She had a fun evening and by the time she was ready to head home you could tell that she was exhausted. She was still in a great mood and full of smiles, but as soon as she was secured into her car seat she dropped off to sleep very quickly.

New photos.

Photos from October 13 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 12th 2012

Sadbh slept better than expected and only woke up a few times during the night. She awoke at 1 and again around 4. She was so cuddly and at one point she reached over to me and grabbed my hand.

When she finally woke up at 7 she was full of giggles and both she and Katie had a great time.

Sadbh joined Granddad for a big breakfast and afterwards they headed out into the garden for a walk through the wet grass and to check on her harvest of tomatoes.

Sadbh’s nurse Caity was working today and Sadbh was excited to see her.

Ali-Baba popped in for a visit so the fun and games continued with Sadbh as the center of attention.

Eventually all the excitement got the best of her and it was time for a nap and trach care.

Sadbh had another long sleep and was good and rested when she woke up.

The rain cleared up so Nana and Caity brought Sadbh out for a long walk up to Madrona. Sadbh was delighted to be out and about and was very relaxed hanging out in her stroller. It was obviously too cold for her so she had no interest in walking.

I arrived home moments before Sadbh did and she had the biggest smile on her face when she walked into the house.

We had so much fun playing hide and seek and Sadbh could not stop laughing.

Clodagh, Cormac and their parents came by for dinner this evening and Sadbh was so happy when they walked through the door. She had not seen them in such a long time so she was shy for the first few minutes. Soon they were all have a great time playing together and sharing her toys.

Our next-door neighbor Pat popped in to say hi and Sadbh blew him a big kiss just before he left. It was very cute and Pat was taken aback.

We capped her trach again tonight and she did great for a few minutes. I think she was too tired and eventually started to pull it off. What was amazing was that she then grabbed her Passy Muir Valve and popped it onto her trach. However, this became a new game for her as she kept popping it on and pulling it off.

Tomorrow we plan to try to cap her for longer and more often throughout the day in the hope that she simply gets used to it.

Sadbh, Cormac and Clodagh had a great evening together and stayed up way past their bed times.

We had to fight to get Sadbh cleaned up and her teeth brushed, but once she lay down in Katie’s arms, she dropped off to sleep in no time.

New photos.

Photos from October 12 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 11th 2012

Sadbh woke up at 5:40 after a great night sleep. She was quite cranky at first and had no time for anyone but Katie.

It was still very early, so rather than wake up her Grandparents, Sadbh hung out in the breakfast nook with Katie and read some of her favorite books.

She was very happy when she read the book that Nini wrote and illustrated, and as soon as she came to the page with Nini’s photo, she got very excited.

The nursing agency has really messed up and for some reason or other we may have lost one of our nurses. Thankfully Caity was available to cover today’s shift and Sadbh greeted her at the door when she arrived.

It was a cool crisp morning so Sadbh got to play in the basement with a bunch of her toys. She had a great time and she eventually moved the party upstairs to the rest of the house.

Trach care was very straightforward and Sadbh slept soundly for over two hours.

She had a surprise visit from her friend Conor in the afternoon and since the sun came out they all headed out into the back garden. Sadbh showed Conor her vegetable garden and both of them got busy picking tomatoes.

They both had a great time and Conor even got to try out Sadbh’s trike.

The evening flew by so fast and Sadbh seemed to be very tired earlier than usual. We found another new tooth coming in and hope it does not cause her too much discomfort. Especially since we do not have a nurse tonight.

New photos.

Photos from October 11 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 10th 2012

Sadbh slept through the night without waking up once. Her sats were perfect and her heart rate indicated that she was in a deep sleep all night.

Sadbh had her 18-month check up with her pediatrician so Katie and I both stayed home from work this morning so we could bring her to her appointment.

Sadbh woke up a few minutes after Larissa left at 6am and she was in a very playful mood. She was cuddling with Katie when I popped my head into her room and next thing I knew she was running over to give me a big hug. Not a bad way to start the day.

Audrey started her shift at 7 today and Sadbh was very happy to see her. With all the people and attention in the house, she could not stop dancing and running around.

She did not have much of an appetite for breakfast and only ate half of it.

We did not have much of a wait at her doctors office and before she knew it she was stripped down and getting measured and weighed. She measured at 32 inches and weighed in at 22.85lbs, which is a 2-pound gain since July.

She is 50-percentile in height and weight, however her head measures in the 90-percentile range.

Her old pediatrician had changed office and moved to a different part of the city, so Sadbh got to meet her new pediatrician for the first time today.

She was in a great mood and Dr. Hathaway was very impressed with how well behaved and corporative she was.

It was very easy to manage her since any time she started to get fussy, I would point out the window at the freeway below and she would get excited with the different types of vehicles going by. As you could imagine she got very excited every time a motorcycle went by.

After a thorough examination, Dr. Hathaway confirmed that Sadbh’s development was well on track.

Once she was done, it was then time for the nurse to come in and take care of Sadbh’s shots.

She received a flu vaccination and a shot for Hepatitis A. She did great right up until the first needle went into her leg and the floodgates opened. Without the Passy Muir Valve she cries in complete silence, and today was no exception. It was heart breaking to watch.

Both Katie and I did our best to distract her and eventually she calmed down.

The nurse did a great job with both shots, but it was still very traumatic for our little princess.

Her mood bounced back by the time she arrived home and she was again in a very playful mood.

When it came time for her nap, she was happy to get into her bath and after she was dried off and in her pajamas it was time for trach care.

Audrey cleaned while my father held the trach in place and thankfully everything went well. Sadbh slept for two hours.

Once Sadbh was done with lunch, it was then time to get all bundled up and head out into the garden for some fun.

She had a great time but unfortunately since she has been so busy picking vegetables over the past few weeks, there wasn’t much more left for her to harvest.

After Audrey’s shift finished, Granddad and Nana brought Sadbh up to Madrona for a walk.

Both Sadbh and I had a great game of hide and seek after I arrived home and she could not stop laughing.

She started wearing her Passy Muir Valve just after 2pm and tolerated it until just before bedtime. At that time we changed it out for her trach cap and with the distraction of bubbles, Sadbh tolerated that for almost 15 minutes.

She did a great job and afterwards she wanted to put it back on so she could play with the bubbles again.

When it finally came to bedtime, Sadbh started to call out her friend’s names using baby sign. She really needs a play date with them all soon as I know she misses them terribly. It’s a good thing she has plans to meet with her friend Conor tomorrow.

Unfortunately it took some serious effort to get her to sleep tonight and after an hour between both Katie and me, she finally gave in since she was so exhausted.

We are not 100% sure, but today could have been Audrey’s last day since she is moving out of state in the next couple of weeks. She is going to be missed by Sadbh and all of us, but we look forward to seeing her when she’s back in town in the future. Hopefully the next time she’s in town we will see her as a friend and not need her as a nurse.

New photos.

Photos from October 10 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 9th 2012

Thanks to Larissa, Sadbh slept great and only needed to be suctioned a couple of times.

She finally woke up at 6:30 and was happy to see Katie.

Despite confirming that we had a nurse working today, the agency screwed up yet again and actually cancelled our nurse thinking that we were already covered.

Thankfully my parents were able to look after Sadbh for the day, but it meant that we had to manage trach care in the evening rather than during Sadbh’s first nap.

The season has finally changed and even though it was a lot cooler today, this did not stop Sadbh from getting out into the garden to play with her toys and to pick tomatoes.

She was all bundled up nice and cuddly and she had a fantastic time playing with Granddad and Nana.

By noon she was ready for her nap so it was off to bed where she slept for over two hours.

She woke up with a big appetite and after lunch it was time to head out for a long walk through the neighborhood.

The low clouds finally burned off and the sun started to warm the day up.

Sadbh really enjoyed being out and about and she could not stop waving at everyone she passed.

I arrived home just before Sadbh did and as soon as she came through the door she ran straight up to me and gave me a huge hug. She had a massive smile on her face and you could tell that she had an excellent day.

We played hide and seek for the next half hour or so and Sadbh could not stop laughing.

She about exploded with excitement when Katie arrived home.

After a while you could tell that she was getting tired since she did not want to leave Katie’s side.

Sadbh received a parcel from her Molly who was her nurse for the last year. It contained a sweet letter from Molly and a beautiful knitted hat with a huge flower.

Sadbh looked adorable in her new hat and I’m sure it’s going to keep her head nice and warm. We miss Molly, but I think Sadbh has a friend for life.

Dinner was fun but she eventually started to push everyone’s buttons, especially mine. At one stage she picked up on Katie and me discussing trach care and she immediately started to slowly pull on her trach while looking straight at me with a big smirk on her face. She was definitely testing me, so it was time to distract her with the hope of getting her mind off of it.

When it came time for bed, Sadbh was delighted to get her bath. It took almost half an hour to get her to sleep and once she was out we started trach care.

It went well for the most part, but she did start to get restless when we were securing her trach ties. It ended up being very stressful since she woke up and would not stop twisting and turning. I held the trach in place while Katie worked quickly to get everything secure. It really is the last thing either of us wanted to have to deal with at the end of a busy day.

New photos.

Photos from October 9 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh. 

Sadbh’s update – October 8th 2012

Just before Sadbh dozed off to sleep last night, she made the baby sign for each of her friends. She did this the night previous also so we know she misses them all and that it’s time she had a play date.

Audrey worked last night and even though Sadbh slept through the night, she was all over the place. She did wake a couple of times and as soon as she saw that Katie wasn’t in the room she laid back down to sleep.

Kara was working today and Sadbh was very happy to see her.

After breakfast they all headed out in the garden and Sadbh got down to work picking tomatoes. She has her system down now and only picks the red or orange ones. As soon as she has them picked, she then pulls off the green stem and tosses it aside. She is a natural and dinner at night is even tastier since we know Sadbh has contributed to it.

Today was my mother’s birthday and as a result Sadbh got to Skype with a lot of her relatives back in Ireland since they were calling to wish my mum happy birthday.

Trach care was quite easy today since Sadbh was exhausted. She had a two-hour nap and woke up in a playful mood.

Once she was done eating, they all headed out for a long walk through the neighborhood. Sadbh was excited when they arrived and one of the parks and she got to play on the swings and other fun things.

Later in the evening as I was making dinner I could see Sadbh out playing in the garden with Granddad and Nana. As soon as she spotted me waving through the window, she started smiling and dancing like crazy.

She even helped Katie pull some vegetables for dinner. She was obviously hungry since she started chomping on the raw green onions. She did not seem to mind the taste.

After dinner we brought out a birthday cake for my mum and Sadbh was over the moon with excitement. After the candles were blown out, Sadbh could not wait to get some cake. She ended up with cake all over her face and you could see that the sugar was about to kick in.

She got such a boost of energy that she could not stop dancing around the dining room and kitchen.

When it came time for bed I had to work hard to get her teeth brushed. She put up such a fight; however, in the end I was able to get her teeth all nice and clean.        

It wasn’t hard getting Sadbh to sleep and she was out like a light in no time.

New photos.

Photos from October 8 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.