Sadbh’s update – October 28th 2012

Sadbh joined us in bed around 3am and slept great for the next few hours. We discovered around 5:30 that her humidifier hose had come undone and her trach was starting to dry out.

We dropped some saline into her trach and suctioned out the thick secretions that we building up in there. She was very corporative and dropped back to sleep until 8am.

It was good that Sadbh allowed us all to sleep in since today was her scheduled monthly trach cage.

Sadbh had a great morning and after we all had breakfast together it was time to head out to the shops for the weekly groceries.

Sadbh loved being in the grocery store and she kept pointing at the stacks of apples and pears. It was just as well that she was in my arms, as she would have been trying to climb up on all the fruit.

Not long after we arrived home, Sadbh got to Skype with Nini and her sister Anna in Stuttgart, Germany. Sadbh was delighted to see her dear friend and could not stop dancing for her.

Eventually she grew tired so it was time for trach care and her trach change.

As I sanitized our work area and prepared all the necessary trach changing equipment Sadbh enjoyed a lovely bath and could not stop splashing. She did not want to leave her bath but as soon as she was bundled up in her towel in Katie’s arms she gave us a big smile and got ready for her nap.

Sadbh was very tired and it wasn’t long before she was in a deep sleep. Trach care went well and thankfully when it came time to change out her trach for a new one she barely moved and slept on with out waking up.

Trach change is such an emotional head wreck for both Katie and myself. Despite having done it for over a year and a half, it is still a very daunting task and my stomach turns cartwheels all morning beforehand and especially during.

Sadbh slept for almost an hour and a half and woke up very upset. It took forever to get her calmed down and back into a happy mood. It was obvious that she was still tired but she had no interest in going back to sleep.

After she was done with lunch we headed up to Volunteer Park for a stroll and Sadbh’s mood instantly got much better.

She enjoyed checking out all the dogs that were being walked through the park.

We were grateful that there was a fence around the Koi fishpond as Sadbh was fascinated. She did her best to climb over but was happy watching the fist swim around.

Sadbh had a great day and a successful trach change.

Larissa is working tonight so hopefully Sadbh will be able to catch up on some well-deserved sleep.

New photos.

Photos from October 28 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 27th 2012

Despite having a restless night sleep, Sadbh was bright eyed and bushy tailed by 7am. She was full of smiles, hugs and kisses and was ready to start her day.

It was a very wet day so Sadbh was house bound all day. This was not a problem as she had plenty of toys and puzzles to play with.

She had a great morning and when it came time for her nap she was absolutely pooped.

Trach care was easy and Sadbh slept for an hour and a half afterwards.

Granddad and Nana went downtown for the afternoon and Katie went to a baby shower for our friend Aoife so Sadbh and I had a wonderful afternoon hanging out together.

Sadbh had so much energy and was in her element playing with her stuffed dog Regale. She frightened the hell out of me at one stage when she came walking up to me with a trach and ties in her hand. For a split second I thought it was hers only to realize that it was Regale’s. She figured how to undo the trach ties and was bringing it to me to put it back on.

My only concern now is that she knows how to undo the Velcro ties so I’m worried that she might undo her own.

Sadbh received a lovely gift of a potty from Nana and Granddad when they arrived home. She was delighted to be sitting on her new throne and looked like royalty.

She was so intent to find the moon this evening, however, with all the rain clouds she was disappointed. She blew a bunch of kisses into the sky regardless.

By the time she was ready for bed she was exhausted and it did not take long for her to drop off to sleep. Hopefully she will have a much better night tonight.

New photos.

Photos from October 27 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 26th 2012

Around 12:30am Sadbh woke up and was ready to play. She had no intention in sleeping and was awake and very giddy until she finally fell asleep an hour later.

After she finally settled down she cuddled in between the two of us and slept soundly for the rest of the night.

By 6:45 she was wide-awake and ready for breakfast.

Each morning Sadbh goes up to Nana and points at her foot and makes the sign for “sore”. My mum has a sore foot and Sadbh’s concern is so very cute.

We did not have a nurse working today so Ali-Baba came over later in the morning to hang out and help Granddad with trach care.

She got to play with Sadbh for an hour beforehand and they all had a great time.

Trach care went very smoothly and Sadbh slept for a couple of hours afterwards.

She had a wonderful evening and she could not stop telling us all that she loved us. It was all very cute.

Just before dinner we capped her trach and distracted her with bubbles. She did great for almost 5 minutes and when she pulled it off we decided that she had enough. All of a sudden she was placing her cap back onto her trach since she wanted to play with the bubbles again. Her aim is great and she was able to place it on perfectly.

She had a wonderful day and we are so lucky that she has such wonderful grandparents to look after her.

New photos.

Photos from October 26 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 25th 2012

It was another uneventful night for Larissa as Sadbh slept soundly without any problems.

She woke up at 6:15 and was happy to see Katie.

Breakfast was served shortly afterwards and Sadbh had a big appetite. She wanted to play with her toys as soon as her belly was full and had no desire to change out of her pajamas.

Granddad even tried to reason with her, but it seemed fruitless and Sadbh ended up winning the battle.

She did however change in time for Caity’s shift to start and she looked very cute in pink.

It was a mild day so they all headed up to Trader Joe’s for a few odds and ends and Sadbh was delighted to get out of the house.

Autumn is such a lovely time of year, especially when it’s not raining. Sadbh loves all the bright rich colors and had to gather a few leaves that had fallen.

Sadbh was tired when they arrived home so Granddad and Caity started trach care.

Just as Caity was securing Sadbh’s trach ties, Sadbh woke up making it difficult to finish it off. Since Sadbh was moving so much, Caity was not happy with how lose the ties were so Granddad gave it a shot and got them secured properly.

By that point Sadbh was wide awake so it was time to get up and have lunch.

Later in the afternoon Sadbh, Nana and Caity headed out for a long walk through the neighborhood and it wasn’t long before Sadbh fell asleep.

Unfortunately, she did not sleep for very long and woke up very cranky.

Nana worked very hard to cheer Sadbh up and before she knew it Sadbh was running around in a much better mood.

Katie and I had to attend a community meeting tonight so Granddad and Nana looked after Sadbh while we were out. She had a lot of fun and got to blow kisses at the moon and she also got a few rounds of “Ring-a-Ring o Rosey”.

By the time we got home she was all cleaned up, changed into her pajamas and was ready for bed. She was in an excellent mood and despite not napping much throughout the day she had a great day.

New photos.

Photos from October 25 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 24th 2012

Sadbh woke up for about 11 minutes during the night and she fell back to sleep for the rest of the night after Larissa rocked her back to sleep.

She woke up in a very playful mood at 6:15 and was ready for action. It was a little bit chilly so Sadbh was wrapped up nice and snug in her bathrobe. She looked adorable and since it was so comfortable she did not want to take it off, not even for breakfast.

Sadbh was happy to see Caity when she arrived and knew it was time for the fun and games to begin.

Later in the morning they all headed up to Madrona for a walk. Sadbh was very happy to be out of the house in the fresh air even though it was very damp out.

The park was very quiet so they all headed over to a spectacular viewpoint that looked over the lake so Sadbh could see the water.

By the time they all arrived home Sadbh was ready for trach care. She slept for over two hours and woke up with a huge appetite.

She had an appointment this afternoon with Krista Heron who is her homeopathic doctor. Krista was very pleased with Sadbh’s progress and gave her another remedy of Opium 200.

She also advised Katie that we should cut out the dehydrated fruits out of Sadbh’s diet as this can cause her to become dehydrated.

I arrived home just before Sadbh and her posse did and as soon as she walked in the door she came running around to find me. She gave me a huge hug and since I was watching the news she decided to sit up on my shoulder.

Her evening was spent playing with Granddad and Nana as Katie and I made dinner. She had salmon for dinner and unfortunately she did not care for it.

It seems that our bedtime ritual is to sing and dance to “Ring-a-Ring o Rosey”. She gathered everyone into the living room and she had a great time.

By bedtime she was wrecked and it did not take long before she was fast asleep.

New photos.

Photos from October 24 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 23rd 2012

Sadbh slept great and despite a few moments of twisting and turning, she slept through until just after Larissa left at 6.

As soon as she was dressed it was time for breakfast and Sadbh had a good appetite.

Caity was working today and Sadbh was ready for the games and nursery rhymes to start. She had a lot of fun and after a couple of hours they all headed out to the shops for some groceries.

Sadbh walked a portion of the way and was very happy waving to the people she passed. At one stage she stopped to wave at a young woman sitting in her porch and they could not get her to move on.

Sadbh was ready for her nap not long after arriving home so it was time for her bath, a bedtime story and of to sleep she went. Caity managed the cleaning of her trach while my father kept the trach secure.

Everything went great and Sadbh slept soundly for two hours.

Her afternoon started with a big lunch and then she was back to having fun with her toys.

The weather was great so my parents took Sadbh for another walk just after Caity finished her shift.

They all headed up to the Seattle U campus and Sadbh got to check out a bunch of motorcycles that were parked there.

She had a very exciting evening and even got to see the moon for the first time in a few nights.

After dinner she dragged us all into the living room to sing and dance to “Ring-a-Ring o Rosey”. She couldn’t get enough and was thrilled to bits that she had us all dancing with her.

New photos.

Photos from October 23 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 22nd 2012

Sadbh had another good night sleep and just around 1:30 I woke up to her standing in her cot waving to get our attention.

I got up to bring her into bed but Katie got to her before I did. As soon as Sadbh’s head hit our pillow, she was back into a deep sleep until 7am.

Sadbh had a very leisurely morning and was very comfortable in her pink and white polka dot robe.

Later in the morning there was a break in the rain so Sadbh, Granddad, Nana and nurse Caity all headed out for a brisk walk to the shops for some fruit for Sadbh.

Sadbh fell asleep on the trip home, but she woke up just as Grandad and Caity prepared for trach care.   They decided to postpone trach care until the next time she was ready for a nap.

After an hour or so of very active playtime, Sadbh was ready for her bath and trach care, so Granddad and Caity got everything ready and prepared Sadbh for her cleaning. Despite having a nice relaxing bath, it took some serious patience to get Sadbh to sleep.  Once she was out, though, it was a fairly easy procedure.

Sadbh slept for almost two hours and woke up a very happy baby.

She had a very big lunch and was ready for an evening of fun and games.

She had a great evening and was full of kisses and hugs. She ran up to my mother a couple of times and said, “I love you”. It seems to be her favorite thing to say lately and it certainly makes everyone feel great.

New photos.

Photos from October 22 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.