Sadbh’s update – October 21st 2012

Katie awoke just around 5am to Sadbh standing right next to her in her cot. Sadbh started laughing soon as Katie opened her eyes and within a few moments she was cuddled up between both of us.

We had an early start to the day since we were meeting with our friends Sarah and Will for Sarah’s baby shower. Sadbh was in luck as she got to hang out with her friend Conor.

She had a huge appetite and got to eat so much fruit, potatoes, eggs, bacon and cereal. She couldn’t get enough bacon.

She had a great morning and as soon as we arrived home she was ready for a bath and trach care. She really enjoyed her bath but it took some serious convincing to get her to sleep.

Trach care was very easy as she was in a deep sleep and she slept for over two hours.

Sadbh got to Skype with her uncle Ger in Cork after she woke up from her nap and he was delighted when she said “I love you” to him.

After Skyping we all bundled into the car and headed off out to a Pumpkin farm in Fall City.

Sadbh was in a fantastic mood and was chatting like crazy for the entire trip.

Thankfully the weather held out while we were at the farm. Sadbh got to see a flock of turkeys and was fascinated by them. They were very fortunate to be housed behind a big fence, as Sadbh would have been in there with them if she got half the chance.

The farm was very busy and full of pumpkins of all shapes and sizes. Sadbh had the look of bewilderment on her face and was fascinated with everything that was going on around her. She had such a tight grip on Katie’s finger that it almost turned purple.

She did a great job picking out a couple of lovely pumpkins for Halloween. On our way back to the car Sadbh spotted a donkey so Granddad and Nana brought her over for a closer look. After being prompted by Granddad, Sadbh kept saying “Ee-haw”, much to everyone’s amusement.

On the way home we stopped off at Snoqualmie Falls to check out the waterfall. It was raging and Sadbh was in her element with all the spray in the air. The weather was about to turn bad so the viewpoint was empty. We were very lucky as the sky opened up just as we got back into the car.

We tried out her trach cap just as she was getting ready for bed and despite hearing some strider she did really well for five minutes. She was very proud of it and showed it off to Granddad and Nana.

It was a very busy and fun day and Sadbh was exhausted when it came time for bed.

New photos.

Photos from October 21 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh. 

Sadbh’s update – October 20th 2012

The first words out of Sadbh’s mouth this morning were “I love you” to Katie and then to me.

It was a bit after 7:15am and she had slept really well throughout the night.

She did need to be suctioned at one stage and eventually joined us in bed shortly after 2.

She was in a fantastic mood so we brought her downstairs for breakfast.

We pulled the boat out of the water today to winterize it and so Sadbh got to spend most of the morning playing with Nana. Nana has been teaching Sadbh how to say the names of all her uncles and aunts and Sadbh had so much fun with her.

We finished up just in time as Sadbh was starting to get tired for her nap. After a nice warm bath and a cuddle with Katie, Sadbh dropped off to sleep and was ready for trach care.

Everything went really well, however Sadbh woke up immediately afterwards.

Sadbh’s friend Cora celebrated her second birthday today so Sadbh got to join in on the fun and got to spend time with all her friends. There were so many kids and lots of great toys that Sadbh did not know what to do at first.

It wasn’t long before the birthday cake was brought out and immediately all the kids circled around to sing Happy Birthday to Cora. Soon each of the kids were covered in cake and it was only a short while before the sugar kicked in.

It was a funny sight to see and it looked like Sadbh had more cake on her face than on her plate.

When we pulled up outside out house we could see the moon for the first time in ages. Sadbh got all excited and started to blow it loads of kisses while saying moon.

With only a 30-minute nap and a bunch of cake, Sadbh was ready for bed earlier than usual tonight.

New photos.

Photos from October 20 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 19th 2012

Sadbh slept very well last night and while she only needed to be checked on a couple of times, Katie did suction once. She joined us sometime after 3am and took over half of the bed pushing me to my usual 2 inch strip along the edge.

Sadbh was so cute snuggled up to Katie when I headed out to work this morning. I had to tippy toe out so as not to wake her.  She ended up sleeping until 7am.

As soon as she was up it was time for breakfast. To begin with she was very picky and did not each much, however a short while later she was ready to fill her belly and it was time for a second and more substantial breakfast.

As soon as her second breakfast was finished it was time to get dressed for the day and Sadbh got dressed up in a lovely floral dress and looked as cute as a button. Ever wonder why one would consider a button cute?

Anyway, Caity worked today and Sadbh was delighted when she arrived. It was time for the fun and games to continue and Sadbh had so much energy.

It was a pleasant enough morning so they all headed out for a walk through the neighborhood.

They returned just in time to manage trach care and Sadbh slept for two hours. During the weekdays her routine is really good and it is very easy to schedule trach care as long as there are two people available to manage it.

Sadbh had a very fun afternoon and could not stop laughing. She wore her Passy Muir Valve for most of the day and was yapping like crazy.

When I arrived home she could not stop saying my brothers name. We need to Skype with him this weekend so she can put a name to the face.

Shortly after I arrived home, Sadbh and my parents headed off out for a long walk. Sadbh was very happy to be out again and was fascinated with all the beautiful colors of the leaves on the ground.

Sadbh’s evening was spent playing with Katie and myself. She had so much fun running around chasing us. She was in a very lovely mood and could not stop hugging and kissing us.

Sadbh learned how to say, “I love you” today and just as she was getting ready for bed she could not stop saying it. Even more impressive was the fact that she was not even wearing her Passy Muir Valve.

It is really amazing how many words that she can vocalize even though she’s only 18 months old.

New photos.

Photos from October 19 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 18th 2012

It was another uneventful night for Larissa as Sadbh slept without need for suctioning or untangling.

The sleep sack that Sadbh uses is really making a difference.

She woke up at 7am and was immediately ready for breakfast.

Afterwards she was dressed up in a lovely butterfly dress and it was off out into the garden to play with Granddad, Nana and her nurse Caity.

Ali-Baba stopped by to say hello and a chance to play with Sadbh. Sadbh was delighted to see her and could not stop running around the garden.

Since she slept in as long as she did, trach care was managed later than usual. Sadbh slept soundly while Caity cleaned and my father held the trach in place. Everything went well and Sadbh slept for a couple of hours.

Sadbh and my parents were just heading out for a walk when I arrived home. They weren’t gone long before it started to sprinkle, however, Sadbh was bundled up nice and cozy in her stroller and was well protected from the rain.

She was in such a cuddly mood all evening and just before bedtime she had us all singing and dancing to “Ring-a-Ring o Rosey”. It was very cute and she did not want to stop.

Sadbh is sleeping upstairs with us tonight since we do not have a nurse and we are hoping that the sleep sack works and that she gets another great night sleep.

New photos.

Photos from October 18 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 17th 2012

Sadbh had a great night and did not budge until it was time to wake up at 6:15. She did not even need to be suctioned and her heart rate was in a very relaxed state all night.

She had a good appetite for breakfast and was eager to start the day playing with her toys as soon as she could.

Her nurse Caity worked today so Sadbh had plenty of people to keep her occupied.

After Sadbh got some more play in it was time to load up the stroller and head out into the sunny day for a quick walk around the neighborhood. Sadbh was thrilled to be stomping through all the leaves on the footpath and stopped occasionally to wave at passing cars.

Thankfully we had Caity working today as she helped Granddad manage trach care.

Sadbh enjoyed her bath and was quick to fall asleep afterwards. Trach care was very straightforward and Sadbh slept for a couple of hours afterwards.

After lunch they all headed up to Seattle University for a walk around campus and Sadbh drew attention from everyone she passed. She is such a flirt and loved the attention she received. She obviously takes after her mammy.

She wore her Passy Muir Valve for most of the day while she was awake and was chatting up a storm. My mum has been teaching her new words and today she learned how to say my brother’s name.

Sadbh and my mum were out in the garden when I arrived home and as soon as I opened the door of my car Sadbh had a look of disappointment on her face and immediately started to make the sign for mommy. I managed to get a big hug from her and it was time for the game of hide and seek to start.

Sadbh loves playing with the books on the shelves and really enjoys messing them all up. For some reason or other she keeps pulling out one particular book, even though we keep putting it into a different location each time. I have no idea why she likes this book so much, but it is funny to see her grab it every time. 

New photos.

Photos from October 17 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 16th 2012

Sadbh dropped off to sleep very easily last night and was in a deep sleep by the, time Larissa arrived. After Katie updated Larissa on how Sadbh’s day went, she turned on the house alarm as usual and headed off up to bed.

The house was nice and quiet as everyone settled down for the night. That is until Larissa stepped foot out of Sadbh’s bedroom and triggered the alarm. Katie had forgotten to deactivate the motion sensors and the sound of the alarm almost sent Larissa flying through the window.

The alarm obviously woke Sadbh up, but as she looked up at Larissa and noticed that Larissa was smiling, Sadbh let out a little giggle and went promptly back to sleep.

Sadbh slept soundly until a little after 7am. She woke up with a big smile and was very happy to see Katie.

Just like the day before, she wanted to play as soon as she was up and she wanted to stay in her pajamas while she had breakfast.

Over the past few weeks we have had trouble trying to get Nadia back on shift after she returned from her vacation. Unfortunately, it seems that she will not be returning and as a result we did not have nursing coverage today.

This did not bother Sadbh or my parents and after breakfast they all headed out in the sunshine for a long walk up to the Seattle University campus. Sadbh was delighted to be out and about and even got to check out St. James Cathedral.

She fell asleep on the way home and when they arrived home Granddad and Nana carefully put Sadbh in to her cot where she slept for another hour and a half.

She went for another long walk after lunch and arrived home just in time to greet me with a huge smile and a hug.

She had so much energy and was very happy exploring the garden with Nana.

Our next door neighbor, Anna, popped out to say hi and Sadbh impressed everyone when she learned how to say Anna. After she figured out how to say it she could not stop and even blew Anna a bunch of kisses.

The fun and excitement continued, especially after Katie arrived home.

She has started to copy us and even went into her room and squirted some hand sanitizer into her hands and walked away rubbing it in for the next five minutes. It was hilarious to watch.

Since we did not have a nurse today we had to manage trach care after she went to bed. It was exhausting after a very long day, but we got the job done and Sadbh slept on.

Larissa is working again tonight so we have to make sure we don’t frighten the hell out of her again with the alarm or anything else.

New photos.

Photos from October 16 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 15th 2012

Sadbh hardly moved all night and slept great right through until 6:30.

She was in a great mood when she woke up she was eager to get some playtime in before breakfast.

As soon as breakfast was served Sadbh got stuck in and filled her belly. She had cereal, followed with a scrambled egg with cheese and tomatoes.

Su-Jin was working today and Sadbh was so happy when she arrived. The fun and games continued and Sadbh had a great morning.

The nursing agency supervisor stopped by this morning shortly after Su-Jin arrived to recertify Sadbh. She was scheduled to visit last week but had to postpone until today, as she was sick. To ensure that Sadbh was kept safe, the supervisor sanitized when she arrived and wore a facemask throughout her visit.

By noon Sadbh was very tired so it was time for her bath and trach care. She slept for almost two hours and had a big appetite when she woke up.

It was a very wet morning but in the afternoon the rain stopped for a while. Granddad, Nana and Su-Jin loaded the stroller up and after bundling Sadbh up nice and warm, they all headed out for a quick stroll. About 45 minutes into it the heavens opened up. Thankfully they were all well equipped to stay dry so there was no stress and they all enjoyed the walk home.

Sadbh was in a great mood when she arrived home and she and I had a game of hide and seek. She is so cleaver and can find me so easily. If she is chasing me around the house, she figured out long ago that she can quietly double back and catch me coming around the other side. It’s really funny to watch and she always acts so surprised when she finds whomever she is chasing.

Just before Sadbh went to be she first put her dog to bed. She laid it down on the floor and covered it in a blanket. She was very indecisive where Regal the beagle was to sleep so she moved him around to a few different locations before giving up.

Her trach ties were bunched up and causing her some discomfort so after we got her to sleep we changed it out for a fresh one. We also cleaned and powdered her neck again so she should be a lot more comfortable.

New photos.

Photos from October 15 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.