Sadbh’s update – October 7th 2013

Sadbh slept like a log and did not wake until just before 7. She was delighted to see mommy first thing but asked where Crystal was.

When I asked her if she had a good night sleep she told us that she had some bad dreams and they involved monsters eating her. She did say this with a smile on her face so we are not sure if she is pulling our legs.

We had a fun morning and after Jenna arrived it was time for some serious fun to begin.

We had planned on going for a walk but by the time we got everything ready it had started to rain.

Instead we loaded up the car and headed to the shops to get the groceries.

Sadbh and Jenna had a fun time in the shop and by the time we were done Sadbh was starting to show signs of getting tired.

When we arrived home we dropped off the groceries and went around the block for a walk to really tire Sadbh out. By now the rain had stopped and Sadbh was happy out stretching her legs.

We ended up at the local pea patch to check out how the pumpkins and sunflowers were doing. The pumpkins were looking a lot better than the sunflowers.

On our way home Sadbh stepped into the biggest pile of dog crap and it completely encased the sole of her shoe. Another fun clean up job for daddy.

Trach care went well as Sadbh listened to Jenna’s singing. We hoped that Sadbh would fall asleep but she was not having any of it. For the next hour or so Sadbh happily hung out in her cot but she refused to sleep.

She was extremely tired for the rest of the day and by dinnertime she was asking to go to bed. For the next hour and a half she fought sleep and wanted Katie to read and then snuggle her until finally she fell asleep.

New photos.

Photos from October 7 2011.

Photos from October 7 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh. 

Sadbh’s update – October 6th 2013

Sadbh was wide-awake and chatting with Helen when I took over at 6. She was in a good mood but I could tell she was still quite sleepy. After Helen left Sadbh and I headed upstairs to Mommy and we all got a little extra sleep.

Katie played some Beatles for Sadbh this morning and 'You say it's your birthday' song came on. Sadbh said 'No, it's not my birthday.  It's Nana's birthday!'

She had a busy morning playing and when it came time for trach care she was exhausted. It did not take long to get her to sleep and this allowed us to manage trach care without any issues.

She did wake up towards the end and did not want to go back to sleep.

Since she was awake we headed off to Greenlake for a walk in the sunshine. It was a beautiful day and Sadbh really enjoyed being out in the sun especially while getting to wear her heart shaped sunglasses.

She fell fast asleep on the way home and was initially very groggy when we woke her up for dinner.

She soon perked up and was in a good mood for the rest of the evening.

Bedtime came a little earlier than usual but despite being very tired she fought going to sleep until the bitter end.

New photos.

Photos from October 6 2011.

Photos from October 6 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 5th 2013

Helen is covering for Danielle this weekend and half way through the night Sadbh woke up, sat up, gave Helen a big smile and went right back to sleep.

Ali-Baba came by this morning to help with trach care and afterwards the three ladies went out shopping for a few hours.

Sadbh wore her fairy princess outfit and looked way too cute with her little wings and sparkles.

We had dinner at Ali-Baba’s this evening and celebrated Kirk’s retirement and birthday. Sadbh was extremely tired since she did not nap but she was in a fantastic mood and helped Kirk blow out his candles.

After two helpings of cake Sadbh cuddled up with Ali-Baba and watched some of Mary Poppins.

Despite all the sugar she fell fast asleep on the way home in the car.

New photos.

Photos from October 5 2011.

Photos from October 5 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 4th 2013

Sadbh woke up just before Crystal finished up and she was in a great mood.

She had a play date with Conor and his little sister Aibhin. As usual Sadbh and Conor were quite shy but soon all three kids were having a great time playing with Conor’s fun toys.

When it came time to head home Sadbh did not want to leave.

It seems that Conor did not want Sadbh to leave either and he almost followed us home.

By now Sadbh was getting very tired but to make sure we went for a walk before finally putting her to sleep.

She was exhausted but still fought going to sleep. Jenna worked her magic and before long Sadbh was fast asleep.

Sadbh’s monthly trach change was scheduled for this weekend so Jenna and I decided to take care of it today to get it out of the way.

With Sadbh fast asleep it was very straight forward and despite it being Jenna’s first time she did a fantastic job. Sadbh did not notice when I inserted the new trach in and she slept on for two more hours.

She had a play date with Grace scheduled for this afternoon but unfortunately Grace got a cold so she could not make it. Hopefully she will feel much better soon.

Sadbh’s afternoon was fun and she had a huge appetite for lunch. She was sad to see Jenna leave but was over the moon when Mommy arrived home later.

Before bedtime Sadbh and I were playing around when all of a sudden Sadbh said, “stop daddy, calm down, deep breaths”.  It’s what we usually say to here when she starts to struggle to breathe with her trach cap but it was so funny to hear her say it back to me.

She was very tired when it came time for bed but it took a while to get her to sleep. By the time she fell asleep we were all quite tired.

New photos.

Photos from October 4 2011.

Photos from October 4 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 3rd 2013

Sadbh slept like a log and woke up just before 7.

Jenna came early today so I could bring Sadbh to the clinic to get her flu shot. Katie had prepped Sadbh on what to expect and why it was important for her to get a shot, however she was not happy about getting a needle in the leg.

Jenna found a cartoon called “Sid the science kid” that explained everything about receiving a flu shot however Sadbh was still not convinced when we arrived at the clinic.

She refused to cooperate but relaxed when I jumped up on the bench and rolled up my sleeve to get my shot.

Seeing how easy it was she sat on my lap, allowed me to pull her pants down and she did not even flinch when the nurse gave her the shot. It was extremely impressive to say the least and we were all very proud of her.

As a treat she got a new fairy princess dress when she arrived home. Here eyes nearly popped out of her head when she saw it and could not wait to get it on. She looked so cute.

It was a cloudy but dry day so we headed out for a long walk through the neighborhood. Sadbh was happy walking along in he new outfit and was thrilled when we arrived at the pea patch.

We even made it to Nora’s Wood for a hike. The hope was to get Sadbh tired enough so she would fall asleep when she got home.

No dice, she had no intention in sleeping and bounced around in her cot for over an hour. We managed to get trach care out of the way easily and even without the help of Fireman Sam or Kipper. However the rest of the evening was not so easy due to a cranky little girl and her cranky father.

New photos.

Photos from October 3 2011.

Photos from October 3 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – October 2nd 2013

Sadbh had a much better sleep but was awake bright and early again this morning.

She could not wait to find a nice dress to wear and found a pretty yellow dress that belonged to Katie when she was Sadbh’s age.

Sadbh was not really in the mood for breakfast so we played with play dough instead.

We are planning a play date with her friend Grace for Friday evening and Sadbh could not stop asking for her all morning.

Ali-Baba stopped by for a tea party with Sadbh and they both enjoyed themselves sitting in the front window looking out at the rain. 

Naptime was not so easy despite Sadbh being very tired. She started off with a big snack and then a bath but when it came time for trach care she only wanted to sleep. When I tried to get her to sleep she fought it and wanted trach care.

Trach care went well but it was impossible to get her to sleep afterwards.

After an attempted quiet time for an hour or so Sadbh got her way and got dressed in another pretty dress that belonged to Mommy.

We had an appointment with her homeopathic specialist, Dr. Herron so as soon as Mommy arrived home from work we loaded up the car and headed off.

By now Sadbh was getting very sleepy but thankfully she stayed awake. The visit went well and Sadbh was charming as usual.

Dr. Herron gave us the same remedy as before but in a different form and to be given daily as opposed to once.

When our appointment was finished Dr. Herron invited us in to her garden to pick cherry tomatoes. Sadbh had a great time and even found a couple of yummy raspberries.

Sadbh was exhausted when we arrived home so after dinner we got her ready for bed. She did not put up a fuss and was out like a light in less than five minutes.

New photos.

Photos from October 2 2011.

Photos from October 2 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh. 

Sadbh’s update – October 1st 2013

I was changing Sadbh’s nappy when Crystal arrived last night. We noticed that her humidifier hose had filled up with condensed water and leaked all over her pajama top and mattress. Unfortunately, she woke up as I attempted to change her pajamas and put up a huge fight. She grew very upset and it took an hour and eventually her Mammy to get her back to sleep. 

When Katie took over, she asked Crystal if she wouldn’t mind going out of Sadbh’s room while she got Sadbh back to sleep.  Just after Crystal left, the room Sadbh looked at Katie and said “Who’s that girl there?”  It was funny, but also a bit surreal.  We’ve gotten so used to having nurses in our home, sometimes a simple statement like this from a 2-yr old brings it all back to our strange reality.

Just before dozing off, Katie had one of the sweetest moments ever.  Sadbh very purposefully dropped her binkies on the floor.  She knew that she shouldn’t have done this and she immediately said to Katie “You happy?”.  Katie responded that she was happy and was always happy when she was snuggling with Sadbh.  With that, Sadbh reached up, put her arm around Katie’s neck and said, “oh, I love you so so much”.  It was very sweet.

She was an early bird this morning and woke up just before Crystal’s shift ended at 6. She seemed a little tired so we both headed upstairs so she could snuggle with Mommy.

When it came time for Katie to leave for work Sadbh was not too impressed. After a little distraction Sadbh was soon in a good mood again and it was perfect timing for breakfast.

Jenna worked today so the fun and games continued. She had a fantastic time dressing up in a few different outfits that Nana had brought over last year and even wore one that was a little too small for her. She is quite the fashionista.

Sadbh was very tired during lunch so we decided to forego the bath and get her ready for trach care as soon as possible. For the first time in a while she wanted to go straight to sleep so I sat with her until she dozed off. Soon she was in a deep sleep so I bundled her up on her changing table and got her ready for trach care.

Everything went well and Sadbh slept on for an hour and a half.

She was a little cranky when she woke up and did not eat much of her lunch.

The sun was out so we bundled Sadbh up nice and warm and headed out for a stroll through the neighborhood.

Sadbh was fussy the entire time until we came to the pea patch on the way home.

Sadbh was definitely off form the rest of the evening and was extremely fussy.

Bedtime was not easy as Sadbh bounced from one side of her cot to the other. She’s gotten into the habit of pulling her equipment off and even playing with the monitor camera.

Finally she gave in and dozed off in Mommies arms, a very tired little girl.

New photos.

Photos from October 1 2011.

Photos from October 1 2012.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.