Sadbh’s update – December 7, 2014

Sadbh slept great and woke up just as I was taking over from Harjinder.

Katie got up at the same time and Sadbh was delighted to see her coming down the stairs. 

Harjinder mentioned that Sadbh woke up at six and was ready to head upstairs. Harjinder explained that it was still night time and that she should go back to sleep. Sadbh responded "but I'm not tired". Thankfully she was still tired and she fell back to sleep. 

Katie and Ali-Baba were meeting up for a few hours so I had Sadbh all to myself.  We got to Skype with Nana and Granddad and Nana showed Sadbh the beautiful doll that she is bringing over for her.  Sadbh was so excited to see it.

She was very eager to set up the Christmas tree so as soon as Katie left the two of us got to work. She had so much fun taking the ornaments out of storage and she did a very good job of keeping everything organized.

It took a while to get the tree set up straight in its stand but it looked great and was ready for the lights and ornaments.

Katie was picking up new lights so we had to wait until she got home before we could add those to the tree. This was hard for Sadbh as she wanted to get everything on as quickly as possible.  I had stepped out and Sadbh kept telling Katie that “daddy said, when you got home, we could put the lights up.” 

When we did get everything set up Sadbh was ecstatic. The last piece to be added was the angel and Sadbh wanted to add that herself.

Sadbh was a complete and utter zombie when it came time to go to bed and thankfully was out like a light as soon as her little head hit her pillow.

New photos.

Photos from December 7 2011.

Photos from December 7 2012.

Photos from December 7 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh

Sadbh’s update – December 6, 2014

Sadbh had a very restful night and woke up around quarter to eight. We had a very busy day planned so it was guns blazing right from the start.

Our first port of call this morning was to visit Santa. Santa was not accepting visitors until ten so we headed off to University Village as early as we could so we could beat the crowds.

When we arrived there was no one in line and by the time we got out of the car there was already a family at the front of the queue. We were lucky to snag second place and within ten minutes there must have been at least fifteen families behind us, and it was not yet nine thirty.

Sadbh was thrilled to be visiting Santa but when it came time to sit on his knee she lost all courage. I had to sit next to Santa with Sadbh on one knee and Katie on the other. It was fun and eventually Sadbh told Santa what she wanted for Christmas, a doll from the "mazagine". By this, she meant an American Doll that she glimpsed in a catalog that came in the post a few weeks ago.

On the way home we stopped off to get our Christmas tree. Sadbh got to meet a drag queen that was dressed up as a Christmas tree and she was fascinated with his very long and pink eye lashes.

There were plenty of trees to choose from so we picked a lovely one and headed for home.

Once home it was time for a bath and then her monthly trach change. Earlier in the week Sadbh picked out a toy for trach change and thankfully it arrived in time. She had picked out a Lego medieval horse and prison carriage and she could not wait to play with it.  She also received a Nut Cracker statue from Katie in which she immediately fell in love with.

Trach change was so easy this time and she opened her neck up nice and wide when it came time to remove the old trach and insert the new one. Her stoma looked great and despite some coughing everything went well.

Immediately afterwards Sadbh and I got busy building her new Lego.

The rest of the afternoon was spent playing with Mommy and snuggling. It had been a busy morning and Sadbh was tired and needed a nice rest.

In the evening we met up with Grace, Christina and Curtis for dinner and a trip to the zoo to check out the “Wild Lights”.

As soon as we left the restaurant the girls headed off hand in hand. They were so quick to get reacquainted.

The zoo was a lot of fun and the two girls had a great time being towed around the place in the wagon.

It was so good to see them having so much fun together and we realized that we should have more play dates together.

On the way home Sadbh was adamant that she was not tired and that she wanted to play with her Lego’s when she got home. She kept saying, over and over, that she was not tired and eventually she started to nod off. It was hilarious.

Bedtime was very easy and she was fast asleep long before Harjinder arrived.

New photos.

Photos from December 6 2011.

Photos from December 6 2012.

Photos from December 6 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh

Sadbh’s update – December 5, 2014

Sadbh slept well however I had a tough time sleeping as she was grinding her teeth all night.

She slept in until half past eight and was in a great mood. Mommy had already left as she had an appointment first thing this morning and thankfully Sadbh was not upset.

Sadbh was in for a couple of treats today.

First, Ali-Baba came by around ten for a play date and to help with trach care. Sadbh and I were working on a jigsaw puzzle when she arrived and Sadbh was so excited when she heard the knock at the door.

Ali-Baba brought a jigsaw puzzle for Sadbh and she could not wait to put it together.

Once the puzzle was solved it was time to read some books until it was time for trach care. Trach care went well and soon it was time for lunch.

Ali-Baba left shortly after lunch and Sadbh was sad to see her go.

She was in for treat number two, her friend Charlie from down the street was coming by for a play date.

Sadbh could not wait and as soon as Charlie arrived with her dad, Tom, Sadbh was eager to bring her downstairs to play with her toys.

The two girls got along very well and had a great time. Charlie even told us one of her jokes and had us all in hysterics.

Eventually Sadbh started to have a tough time sharing her toys and she ended up having a bit of a melt down. I think she was tired after an exciting day but it was definitely putting a strain on the fun activities.

Charlie was a great sport all the same and did not want to leave.

We are already plotting their next play date for next week.

As soon as Charlie left Sadbh got very needy. I had to remove her trach cap numerous times in an effort to help calm her down and eventually I gave her a hug and laid her down for a nap. She was exhausted and fell asleep in an instant. I allowed her to sleep for a half an hour and she woke up in a much better mood.

The rest of the evening was much better and she was full of fun and laughter.

The late nap backfired when it came time for bed and Sadbh would not fall asleep. I kept Harjinder entertained while Katie watched over Sadbh until she finally fell asleep until shortly after ten when she finally dozed off.

New photos.

Photos from December 5 2011.

Photos from December 5 2012.

Photos from December 5 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh

Sadbh’s update – December 4, 2014

Sadbh’s humidifier alarm went off just before midnight and it took Katie and I a while to troubleshoot and solve the problem. It ended up being a fault with her humidifier hose so once that was changed out we were back in action.

Sadbh did not wake the entire time and slept soundly until seven when she jumped into my bed to snuggle and pull on my face. She was giggling like crazy while saying “Good morning Mr. Potato Head Daddy”.

We had a busy but fun day. While Katie and Sadbh were eating breakfast I loaded up the car with extra medical supplies that I wanted to donate to a local charity.

Once Mommy was off to work Sadbh and I got busy with home school and after that we read a few books.

She was looking forward to going for a spin so around noon we packed up her equipment and jumped into the car.

Before leaving we discovered that Katie had forgotten her lunch so I grabbed it and we set off to see Mommy. Sadbh was all excited and was especially delighted to see the Space Needle along the way.

Sadbh was so happy to see Mommy when she came out to the car to grab her lunch. Katie asked if Sadbh would like to come in for a visit and Sadbh responded with a shrug and “Nah, I’ve been here before, it’s ok”.

Our next stop was a medical charity on the east side. Traffic was easy and Sadbh and I had a lot of fun singing and joking on the way.

By the time we got home we were both tired. Regardless, Sadbh still had a lot of energy and wanted to play. We first had to read some more books and once done it was time to head down into the basement to play with her toys.

Dinner was a little later than usual and as a result so was trach care and bedtime. Sadbh was very tired so after a quick snuggle with Mommy she was off to sleep. 

New photos.

Photos from December 4 2011.

Photos from December 4 2012.

Photos from December 4 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh

Sadbh’s update – December 3, 2014

Sadbh had a great night and woke up shortly after seven. We quickly got ready as we had a meet and greet with a new nurse an hour later.

The meeting went great and Sadbh was very chatty with the nurse. We were happy with how things went so she is scheduled to start next Monday.

Sadbh and I had a fun day and after some home schooling we headed up to Capitol Hill for a walk. Sadbh managed to walk for a few blocks before getting lazy. She jumped up on the back of the stroller so I ended up pushing her the rest of the way.

It was such a beautiful day and we both really enjoyed being out in the sun and fresh air.

She was tired when she got home so she took a nap for an hour. I was impressed that she wore her trach cap while she napped and that her breathing was not strained the entire time.

I ended up waking her up as I figured it would be near impossible to get her to sleep when it came time for bed.

Our evening was good and we managed trach care after dinner.

Bedtime was a little later than usual but Sadbh drifted off to sleep after a while.

New photos.

Photos from December 3 2011.

Photos from December 3 2012.

Photos from December 3 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh

Sadbh’s update – December 2, 2014

Sadbh slept like a log until three or there about and was restless for the remainder of the night.

She woke up in a great mood and climbed into my bed and snuggled for twenty minutes or so.

We both had a great day and spent the afternoon and early evening playing with her toys in the basement. She had so much energy but she started to hit a wall shortly before Katie arrived home from work.

After dinner Katie and I managed trach care and got off to bed for a well needed sleep.

The agency was scheduling a meet and greet with another nurse for quarter past eight tomorrow morning but they could not confirm it until almost eight tonight.

New photos.

Photos from December 2 2011.

Photos from December 2 2012.

Photos from December 2 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh

Sadbh’s update – December 1, 2014

Sadbh woke up shortly after six and after a quick chat with Harjinder she went back to sleep for another hour. Once unhooked from all her equipment she bolted past me in the hallway and headed up the stairs to Mommy. Once upstairs she declared to Katie that “Harjinder freed me from my equipment”.

Sadbh came down asking to be suctioned. Her trach sounded very goopy and it took quite a few suctions to clear her trach. Her secretions were very thick but still clear so it did not look like an infection or anything serious.

She found a bunch of quarters in our bedroom and she could not wait to fill up her piggy bank. She was well proud of herself and took off around the house looking for more coins.

Sadbh was sad when she realized that Mommy had to go to work today but we had plenty of fun activities planned.

After home school and lunch it was time to head out to the shops for groceries and the likes. It was cold but very sunny so we took a detour and headed up to Volunteer Park for a stroll.

Sadbh had so much fun sliding around on ice, checking out the ducks and searching for monsters in the wooded areas. We had such a great time.

I was hoping that Sadbh would be ready to relax when we got home but no such luck. She was full of energy and was desperate for the two of us to head down into the basement to play with her toys. I was exhausted from all the running around, especially running all the errands.

She was kind enough to allow me five minutes rest.

Once dinner was done with it was time for a few books and then Sadbh got to watch some TV. It was getting close to bedtime so Katie and I managed trach care and got Sadbh ready for bed.

She was very tired so it did not take long before she was fast asleep. Katie had to suction just as she was going to sleep and this time her secretions were thinner and fine.

We were supposed to meet a new nurse tonight however the agency failed to get back to us with a confirmation. I e-mailed earlier in the afternoon and did not get a response so we had to follow up with a phone call. Turns out that the nurse that was supposed to meet us has not yet been fully through the on boarding process with the agency so it might be another week or two before we can meet her.

New photos.

Photos from December 1 2011.

Photos from December 1 2012.

Photos from December 1 2013.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh