Sadbh’s update – December 15th 2012

Sadbh had yet another good night and woke up at 6:30. She got to hang out with Julie and Katie for 30 minutes until Julie’s shift ended. They had a really good time and it was fun for Julie to actually get to spend time with Sadbh since she is usually sleeping.

As soon as Julie left Sadbh started to call out for me so it was time for her to head upstairs for a snuggle in bed. We were hoping that she might want to sleep for a bit but she was ready to start the day.

It was as good a time as any to get up so we all headed downstairs so Sadbh could eat breakfast.

She had a healthy appetite and got to watch her Baby Signing Time DVD as she ate.

Our neighbor, Maya, was celebrating her third birthday today and Sadbh was invited.

As we were getting ready, Sadbh decided that she wanted to wear Katie’s UGG boots. It was too funny to see her struggle to get them on and then to see her walking in them.

Sadbh was quite shy when we arrived at the party but you could see that she was intrigued with all the other kids and all the toys.

The party was held in a preschool craft center and there were a lot of fun activities for all the kids.

Sadbh got to make a little bird with fluff balls, glue, feathers and wiggly eyes. She even got to paint a little wooden box and despite the fact that it was her first time painting, she seemed to know what she was doing.

After all the arts and crafts it was time for lunch and after singing Happy Birthday to Maya each of the kids got to pick a cup cake. Sadbh had chocolate and blue frosting all over her face and hands and she couldn’t get enough.

She really enjoyed herself and by the time she was done she had met lots of new friends.

She was exhausted on the trip home and kept drifting off to sleep. We had to keep her awake since we still had to manage trach care as soon as we got home.

We succeeded in keeping her awake and she was delighted to soak in her tub after we arrived home.

Unfortunately, she was overly tired and it took two and a half hours to get her to sleep. The whole time she was either very hyper or very cranky.

When she finally fell asleep she dropped into a deep sleep so trach care was very straightforward.

Sadbh slept for an hour and a half and as soon as she woke up we headed down to South Lake Union for a quick walk. The weather was not great but we were starting to get cabin fever in the house and it was a good excuse to get some pizza for dinner.

She was in an excellent mood and it only got better when we got back home. She was very playful but was also very mischievous. A lot of buttons were being pushed this evening and Sadbh was determined to get a reaction out of either Katie or myself.

When it came time for bed Sadbh wanted to go to sleep by herself so we set the camera up and left the room after placing her in the cot. She did not last long and was soon standing up calling for Katie using baby sign. Despite being extremely tired, it ended up being an effort to get her to sleep.

Julie is working again tonight so hopefully Sadbh will get another good nights rest.

New photos.

Photos from December 15 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh. 

Sadbh’s update – December 14th 2012

Sadbh did not stir all night and slept soundly until she woke up shortly at 6 just as Julie finished her shift.

She was in a great mood and had a nice big breakfast. Afterwards, she wanted to wear her trach cap and about 15 minutes later she announced that she was “all done”.

She had a great morning and later on Su Jin stopped by to work for a few hours. Sadbh loves Su Jin and was delighted to see her.

It was a nice sunny day so they all got to go out for a walk through the neighborhood. 

Trach care was a little later than usual and Sadbh slept for an hour afterwards. Granddad noticed that she was still very tired so he cuddled her for a while until she fell back to sleep.

She slept for another hour and a half.

With such sad news coming from Connecticut today I could not wait to get home to give Sadbh an extra big hug and a kiss.

I met Sadbh and my parents about a block from the house and as they piled into the car I managed to steal a couple of kisses from Sadbh.

We had a fun evening and Sadbh was very playful. It was hard to keep up with her at times.

Later when Katie was putting her to bed they were going through their nighttime ritual where Katie names all the people who love Sadbh. Just as she was finishing up Sadbh said “Santa?” in which Katie answered, “Yes, Santa loves you”.

With that she said, “yup” and dozed off to sleep.

It’s hard to comprehend what happened in Newtown's Sandy Hook Elementary School today and how so many innocent lives were tragically taken. This senseless act has affected so many and will leave people wondering why.

I suppose one silver lining in this dark horrible cloud is that there are so many kids that received an extra few hugs and kisses from their parents today, however it should never take a tragedy like this to initiate that.

New photos.

Photos from December 14 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – December 13th 2012

Sadbh must have had one interesting night as she talking in her sleep non stop.

She woke up in a great mood around 7 and she just sat in her cot for ten or so minutes chatting to herself having a grand auld time.  Then she called for “Mommy” and was ready to get up.

Sadbh had a big appetite and was in the middle of her breakfast when Lana started her shift.

Sadbh had a great morning and since there was a clearing in the weather Granddad packed the stroller up with all the medical equipment and got ready for a walk.

For some reason or other Lana decided to stay in the house so it was just Sadbh, Granddad and Nana out for a walk.

Sadbh loved being out and she even heard Christmas music being played. She was delighted with herself and was excited with the activity.

She was even more excited to find Ali-Baba at home when she got back.

After playing with Ali-Baba for a couple of hours it was time for her nap and trach care.

Everything went well for the most part and Sadbh slept for two hours afterwards.

She only wore her trach cap twice throughout the day for an average of 15 minutes each time.

By the time Katie and I arrived home Sadbh was still in a great mood and she had so much energy.

During dinner Katie and I were talking about the nursing agency and our frustrations with them. I mentioned something about a donkey in relation to the agency and all of a sudden Sadbh was making the sounds of a donkey, “Hee Haw”. It was so funny and were all laughing our heads off.

New photos.

Photos from December 13 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – December 12th 2012

It was an uneventful night for Larissa as Sadbh had a wonderful night sleep without any need for attention.

She awoke at 7 and despite such a good night sleep she was a little off form.

She was very clingy and did not want Katie to leave.

Sadbh’s new day nurse, Lana, started today and Sadbh immediately took a shine to her. They both had a good time getting to know each other.

Later in the morning, Sadbh’s friend, Conor and his grandmother, Marion stopped by for a play date. Sadbh was over the moon when she saw Conor and both kids had a great time.

When it came time for her nap Sadbh was exhausted from all the excitement.

Trach care went well as Granddad showed Lana how it’s done.  When it came time to move Sadbh into her cot she woke up. He tried desperately to get her back to sleep but Sadbh was wide-awake by now and wanted to get dressed and play.

Despite numerous attempts, Sadbh refused to wear her trach cap all day. She had no problem wearing her Passy Muir Valve but had no desire to cap her trach.

Granddad made a final attempt around 5 this evening and Sadbh wore her cap for 49 minutes.

She had a great time and really enjoyed playing around the house.

Sadbh was not too eager to go to bed and unfortunately she bumped her head quite hard when she was getting changed into her nightclothes. She ended up with a huge bump and a few tears, although after a cuddle with mommy she was as right as rain in no time was off to sleep.

New photos.

Photos from December 12 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – December 11th 2012

Sadbh had another good night, she was a little bit more restless than usual but she slept right through until 7am.

After some snuggles and playtime with mommy it was time to wear her trach cap.

She did great and wore it for 45 minutes and immediately wanted breakfast.

She used the trach cap a few more times throughout the rest of the day and averaged 20 minutes each time.

Caity was working today and Sadbh was happy to see her.

She got really excited when Ali-Baba stopped by as she knew the fun was about to start.

She had a great morning and everyone had a lot of fun.

Naptime was around 1pm so Granddad and Caity managed trach care. Sadbh slept for an hour and woke up quite startled as if she had a nightmare.

Granddad was able to calm her down and she fell asleep in his arms for another hour. This time she woke up with a huge smile and in a great mood so Granddad’s good work paid off.

The evening was spent playing with Daddy and Mommy and when it was time for bed, Sadbh fell asleep very quickly.

New photos.

Photos from December 11 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – December 10th 2012

Thankfully Sadbh slept right through the night and did not stir until 7:20.

She woke up in a great mood and immediately asked for her trach cap. Grandad capped her trach and Sadbh went straight into the bathroom to play with her toys and the water.

She managed 20 minutes or so and after she was done it was time for breakfast.

Sadbh’s new nurse, Lana was scheduled to job shadow today for a few hours however the agency got the time wrong so she arrived shortly after Sadbh was done eating breakfast.

Shortly afterwards Su Jin arrived to start her shift and Sadbh was over the moon when she saw her.

Su Jin hasn’t had the chance to work with Sadbh in a couple months and you could tell that Sadbh had missed her.

Both Sadbh and Su Jin had a fantastic day and they could not stop playing together. Su Jin is wonderful with Sadbh and Sadbh has so much fun.

Trach care was a little later than usual and unfortunately Lana’s shift had ended beforehand. She is scheduled to start this Wednesday so we will have to wait and see how well she does with trach care.

Sadbh slept for an hour and a half and wanted to wear her cap as soon as she woke up. She really loves playing with the water.

She averaged 15 minutes on the cap every hour throughout the day and she was very happy. Hopefully we will get to a stage soon where she can wear the cap all day long.

Larissa is back on shift starting tonight so Sadbh should have another good night sleep.

It's hard to believe that she is 20 months today. 

New photos.

Photos from December 10 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.

Sadbh’s update – December 9th 2012

Having a night nurse on the weekends is definitely paying off. Sadbh is consistently getting a great night sleep and has no interruptions.

I took over from Julie this morning at 6 am and was surprised when Sadbh slept for another two hours.

She woke up in a great mood and both of us had a lot of fun as I unhooked her from all her equipment. She was very playful and once we were all disconnected it was time to head upstairs to wake mummy.

She had a fantastic day and even made it down to Costco. It was very busy but Sadbh did not seem to mind. She was very happy and loved all the toys on display.

By the time she got home she was ready for her nap but it still took a while to get her settled down and off to sleep.

Once she was asleep trach care was very quick and Sadbh slept on for over two and a half hours.

She got to wear her trach cap a number of times today and during one session she lasted almost an hour. She even asks to wear it now, however this is due to the fact that she wants to play with the water.

This evening as she was playing with Katie and Nana in the basement Sadbh came across a photo of my family when they were all here for our wedding last year and she started to name off everyone in the photo. Nana, Gerry, Dodo (my aunt Doreen), Ger, Ann, Trish, Dan and then her cousins, Conor and Josh.

It’s amazing how her brain is like a sponge and how much she can absorb.

Bedtime was a little later than usual. Sadbh was in a very playful mood and full of cuddles however she had no intention of going to sleep. It took over two hours to finally get her to sleep, but she had so much fun playing around teasing mommy.

New photos.

Photos from December 9 2011.

All the best,

Wayne, Katie and Sadbh.