November 16-22

Hemodialysis runs went fine this week. Thankfully Saturday is the last home UofM game we have to deal with. What a nightmare traffic can be on game day. We did not go to speech therapy this week but have been practicing with Aidan’s speaking valve all week. He seems to be tolerating it a little better each day. Early on made another weekly visit; nothing new to report there again. We started OT again this week. We visited the ARC again this week to get some new toys to play with. Next week will be busy. Mommy has the entire week off. We are finally getting family pictures and Aidan will be visiting Santa as well. We will be having Thanksgiving over at Grandpa and Grandma Marino’s. Also, Grandpa and Grandma Troxtel will be coming in for a visit as well. We hope everybody has a Happy Thanksgiving. Gobble Gobble!!!

November 9-15 - Daddy almost got into a fight

Daddy almost got into a fight with some lady at Speech Therapy. Long story but needless to say the cops were called because daddy was threatened with bodily harm. Some crazy lady threatened to “punch him in the face”. Hemodialysis runs went fine this week. Early on made another weekly visit; nothing really new to report there. The foot doctors did add about an inch to Aidan’s prosthetic foot because he has grown so much.

Week of November 1 - Aidan's Baptism

Aidan had a very good week. He got to exercise in PT with his old friend Dan from the NICU. He had a very good speech session with Casey. His labs look very good and he was able to get his H1N1 shot in kidney clinic this month. Mommy got hers as well through Daddy’s doctor. There where no major problems with hemodialysis this week. On Saturday Aidan was baptized (finally). We just never had the opportunity and we were finally able to accomplish this important milestone. His Grandma Lee and Ray came down from up north for the baptism. Unfortunately his Grandpa and Grandma Marino were sick and could not make it and his Grandpa and Grandma Troxtel could not make it either. They were all there in spirit though. Aidan would like to thank everybody for coming and for the generous gifts. The family went out to eat at a really nice restaurant followed by some play time with Aidan and Grandma Lee. On Sunday Grandma Lee was able to give Aidan a bath. I think she and the little guy both really loved it. Aidan has made some great progress over the last few months. He is even starting to clap on a consistent basis and seems to be on the verge of being able to communicate (non-verbally with us). We will keep working at it. Well that is about it for this week. Talk to you soon. All our love.

Aidan's Baptism

Bath time with Grandma Lee



Having fun with Grandma Lee

Week of October 26th - Happy Halloween

We had a pretty fun week other than the orthopedic appointment debacle this past Monday. We started off by going to Chris and Megan Polak’s Annual Halloween party. Although we didn’t stay long it was nice to see our friends and get out of the house for a bit. Daddy went as a banana, Aidan was a monkey, and Mommy was a Goddess. On Monday we tried to get Aidan’s 6 month follow up x-ray for his hip. However, when we arrived for the appointment we were told that it would be about a 1 hour wait for his x-ray followed by a 2-3 hour wait to see the doctor. Needless to say we cancelled the appointment and returned home. We did get the x-ray at the University Hospital later in the week and as it turned out Aidan’s hip has gotten better and he may not need any surgery in the future after all. Later in the week we dressed Aidan up for his school pictures. He was a really good boy and his picture turned out really well. Hopefully we will get them before Christmas so we can send them out to everybody. Later that day the Early-On teachers stopped by and put Aidan on a Rody. It’s hard to explain so just check out the picture. Mommy had a chance to sing me one of her favorite songs. On Halloween daddy and I dressed up and hit a few houses for some nice tasty candy. Hopefully next year I will be able to hit some more houses and get some more candy.

School Picture

Aidan and Rody - We bought him his own Rody. He loves him.

Our little monkey

Week of October 19 - 25th, 2009

Aidan had a very busy week. On Monday we went to get him a hip x-ray as a follow up to earlier in the year. He has a small left hip alignment problem which will require surgery in the future. We would have waited 1 hour just to get the x-ray and then another 2-3 hours to see the doctor. The appointment was cancelled and Daddy made other arrangements. On Tuesday Aidan had his usual hemodialysis followed by a wheelchair evaluation. Aidan will be getting a new high tech stroller, high chair, and bath chair (if the insurance company approves) around February. On Wednesday Aidan had a visit from the Early On teachers which went very well. On Thursday we had hemodialysis followed by the rescheduled hip x-ray (we were done within 40 minutes) and then an endocrinology appointment. Aidan has been on growth hormone for about a month and it is showing. He has grown about ¼ inch in just the last month. On Friday Aidan had a small surgical procedure – he got another bronchoscopy (the ENT doctor wanted to look at the granulation tissue in his trachea and we upsized Aidan's trach. Everything went well and we were home by 12:30 that afternoon. On Saturday we had hemodialysis which took a bit longer because one of Aidan’s hemo lines was clotted. Later that evening we went to a Halloween party. We all dressed up and had a nice time at the Polak’s annual party. On Sunday it was just Aidan and daddy for most of the day since Mommy had a baby shower to attend. Aidan’s speech therapy will restart next month (we finally got approval after waiting 2 months) and we were able to make a dentist appointment in January to look at Aidan's green tooth. Well that’s about it for now. See you next week.

October 11-18

Aidan had a great week. He continues to “crawl” or at least attempt to and is making great progress. On Friday we went to The Arc of Michigan. It’s a place where you can “borrow” toys for a month at a time to see if your child likes the toy. You can then purchase the toy at a local toystore and know that your child already likes the toy. We also interviewed a back-up/on-call nurse on Friday that can fill in for our other two nurses when needed. Daddy had to go to a wedding in Chicago over the weekend so Mommy took Aidan to the craft show on Saturday. They then celebrated Sweetest Day with Grandpa and Grandma Marino with a nice dinner later that evening. Well that is about it for now. We have a very busy week coming up. We will update everybody next week.

October 4, 2009 – October 11, 2009

Aidan is doing very well. He continues to make progress in many areas. This week was exciting because Aidan received his min-wish from the Rainbow Connection. Here is their website so you can check them out http://rainbowconnection.org/. They are a great organization and we are very fortunate to be a part of their program. On Tuesday Aidan was visited by one of the representatives from the Rainbow Connection. They explained the program and gave us some history about the charity. The following day he received all of his gifts from the Rainbow Connection via Amazon.com. As you can see he was given many, many gifts that he enjoyed immensely. When he gets older he can decide for himself what he would like his big wish to be.

Mommy and Daddy also took Aidan to a new cider mill on Sunday. They had some animals for him to pet and a wooden cut out of an apple with a worm in it so you can take his picture. We picked up some cider and doughnuts and a few pumpkins for Halloween. It was pretty chilly so we did not stay long. Well that’s about it for this week.

10-5-09- Week of Sept. 28 through Oct. 4

We are going for 3 weeks in a row of nothing exciting happening. Erik and I are really starting to like this. Monday night mommy had suite tickets to the Tigers game but it got rained out and rescheduled for Tuesday. Unfortunately, Nurse Stacie was not feeling well on Monday so we had no nurse until Thursday. So that meant mommy could not go to the rescheduled Tigers game on Tuesday. Tuesday was a busy day for mommy, daddy and Aidan. We had dialysis in the morning from 7:30 am until 10:30 am. Then it was off to the physical therapist for some PT. Aidan did really well in PT. He was bearing some weight on his knees and trying to crawl up some stairs to get to a toy. It was really exciting to see him advance. I know that he is behind for his age, but he has really been active lately. Then after PT it was off to the ENT doctor. It looks like the next big surgery after the transplant will be something called Mandibular Distraction. Here is a website for you to look at about this surgery (http://www.pedsent.com/surgery/swfs/distraction/distraction.htm). We talked to the doctor a little bit about this surgery during our visit. We are thinking sometime next year for the Mandibular Distraction surgery. We also setup Aidan for surgery on November 16th. He is going to have some granulation tissue removed from his trachea, they are going to inserct a new trach one size bigger and then he will be receiving another bronchoscopy. Early-On came for another visit on Wednesday. They were very impressed at how much progress Aidan has made. Thursday was another trip to hemodialysis in the morning followed by kidney clinic and pulmonary clinic. Everything checked out ok for Aidan. On a lighter note, Aidan wore his University of Michigan gear to hemodialysis on Saturday for good luck but it didn't work as the Wolverines lost 26-20 to the Michigan State Saprtans. On Sunday Aidan wore his new Tigers shirt that Mommy got him on Monday at the stadium. That seemed to work as the Tigers won 5-3. He then switched to his Lions shirt but again that didn't work as the Lions were beaten badly by the Bears (Grandpa Troxtel's new team) 48-24. Well that's about it for this week. Thank you all for the support and prayers. We miss and love you all.

9-28-09 - Week of Sept. 21 through Sept. 27

Another quiet week for the Troxtel's. Monday we had no nurse because her family was sick. Dad just hung out with Aidan all day. Below is a picture I took Monday when I walked out of my office to get a drink of water:



Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday were dialysis days. Pretty uneventful.

Wednesday the early on team came to the house again and worked with Aidan.

Friday night Erik and I were able to go out for our anniversary. We went out to dinner, Best Buy to look for a new dishwasher then headed over to Target. We picked up a couple of Halloween outfits for Aidan.



Saturday Aidan wore his Michigan outfit that Grandma and Grandpa Marino got for him:



Sunday we gave Aidan a bath in the tub. He was a little weary in the beginning but then realized that he was able to kick his feet under the water and had a great time.





After the bath we put Aidan in his Lions shirt that daddy got for him from the game last week. The shirt must have worked because the Lions won for the first time in over 2 years. Daddy is convinced that Aidan wearing his shirt on Sunday helped the Lions win and he stated that Aidan has to wear it every Sunday now.

The big news for the week is that Aidan crawled a little on Wednesday. We were so excited. It was just a couple of steps forward but it was a big accomplishment for him.

9-21-09 - Week of Sept. 14 through Sept. 20

Erik and I made a promise that we would start updating the blog on a weekly basis. This past week was pretty uneventful. Which is nice to say for a change. We had dialysis on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Everything went good on all 3 days. The only problem was mom was late for the Saturday's dialysis appointment due to the Michigan game starting at noon. We will have to leave the house at 9:30am now when there is a noon football game in Ann Arbor on Saturdays. Aidan had PT on Tuesday and an Audiology appointment on Tuesday. Both appointments went well. On Wednesday Early On came to the house. Aidan decided to show off a little. They were really impressed with his progress over the summer. Mrs. Lisa was also impressed by how big Aidan is getting. Friday was fun here at the house. We had the driveway and back porch redone. They started at 7:00am breaking up the existing driveway and back porch. They finished around 5:00pm. They did a really nice job. Sunday, mommy and Aidan let daddy go to the Lions game with grandpa Marino. They lost of course, but daddy did not mind because he was watching the game from a suite. Mommy and Aidan had a great day just relaxing around the house. Mommy was hoping to get some things around the house done, but that did not happen.

The biggest news of the week is that Aidan finally has a tooth popping through. It is the top front right tooth. Mommy and daddy are so excited because for a while there we thought that Aidan would be toothless for his 2nd birthday. We even questioned the doctor once if Aidan really had any teeth. We hope everyone has a great week. We will update again next Monday.

Hugs and Kisses.... The Troxtel's

9-13-09 - Renaissance Festival

Since it was such a nice day we went to the Renaissance Festival. Aidan got to see Lords and Ladies, Knights, and all sorts of medieval events.

I can't believe that mom made us go to the Renaissance Festival on the first Sunday of football season. The things that dad and I do to make mommy happy.

You told mommy we could go to the festival instead of watching football?

Aidan cheered for this jouster and he beat all the other knights.

Just chilling at the festival under a tree.

Mommy and Aidan

9-9-09 - Back on the Transplant List

Thankfully Aidan is back on the kidney transplant list. He was off for a couple of weeks. Hopefully we will get lucky and he will get a match soon.

9-7-09 - Labor Day!

Today is Labor Day! We had a nice cook out at Grandpa and Grandma Marino’s.

9-4-09 - Arts, Beats and Eats!

Summer is almost over. We went to Arts, Beats, and Eats today in Pontiac. It was a really nice day to get out and enjoy walking around. Aidan went to his first petting zoo. He seemed intrigued by the animals. There was a pygmy goat that kept licking his little nub. It was very cute. We can’t wait until he gets a little older and really starts to get into the animals.

Pygmy goat

Donkey

8-26-09 - Leaving the hospital

I am outta here!! Luckily Aidan only had to spend a few days in the PICU. What we originally thought might be pneumonia turned out to pulmonary edema. Thankfully Aidan was able to recover quickly. Unfortunately Aidan had to be placed on hold for the kidney transplant list until he is cleared by the doctors; hopefully by Labor Day.

Pulmonary edema is fluid accumulation in the lungs. It leads to impaired gas exchange and may cause respiratory failure. Symptoms of pulmonary edema include difficulty breathing, coughing up blood, excessive sweating, anxiety, and pale skin. A classic sign of pulmonary edema is the production of pink frothy sputum. If left untreated, it can lead to coma and even death, in general, due to its main complication of hypoxia. If pulmonary edema has been developing gradually, symptoms of fluid overload may be elicited. These include nocturia (frequent urination at night), ankle edema (swelling of the legs, in general, of the "pitting" variety, wherein the skin is slow to return to normal when pressed upon), and paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (episodes of severe sudden breathlessness at night).

Pulmonary edema is either due to direct damage to the tissue or a result of inadequate functioning of the heart or circulatory system. It can be caused by congestive heart failure, heart attack, severe arrhythmias (tachycardia/fast heartbeat or bradycardia/slow heartbeat), pericardial effusion, or fluid overload, e.g., from kidney failure or intravenous therapy as was Aidan’s situation.

It can also be caused after upper airway obstruction, intravenous fluid overload, or neurogenic causes (seizures, head trauma, strangulation, electrocution). It can also be seen with ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome) or the inhalation of toxic gases, aspiration, e.g., gastric fluid or in case of drowning, multiple blood transfusions, or a severe infection.

8-24-09 - Rushed Aidan to the ER (Scary Day)

Today was a very scary day. We had to rush Aidan to the ER. We think he stopped breathing at some point but the doctors were able to get Aidan breathing again very quickly. Mommy ran in from the car crying holding Aidan in her arms. We were fortunate enough to have one of the doctors that knows Aidan really well on at the time and she was able to give the ER team his history. After a brief scare Aidan was nearly back to his normal self. We initially thought he might have pneumonia again.

8-21-09 - Watching TV with Grandpa Marino

Tonight we all had dinner with Grandpa and Grandma Marino. Afterward Aidan watched wrestling with Grandpa. I think Grandpa was really loving it as they sat together on the couch.

8-14-09 - Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

Today is Daddys birthday!! Aidan also had surgery this morning to remove his PD catheter, replace his g-j tube with a g-tube, and had a bronchoscopy performed on his lungs. Mommy and Daddy spent the whole morning in surgery, the afternoon in dialysis, and then we visited some friends in the evening. The bronchoscopy led to a diagnosis of bronchomalacia for Aidan.

A bronchoscopy is a technique of visualizing the inside of the airways for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. A bronchoscope is inserted into the airways, usually through the nose or mouth, or occasionally through a tracheotomy. This allows the doctor to examine the patient's airways for abnormalities such as foreign bodies, bleeding, tumors, or inflammation.
Bronchomalacia is weak cartilage in the walls of the bronchial tubes, occurring in children, presented with noisy breathing and/or wheezing. There is collapse of a main stem bronchus, on expiration. It can best be described as a birth defect of the bronchus in the respiratory tract. Symptoms varying from recurrent wheeze and recurrent lower airways infections to severe dyspnea and respiratory insufficiency can occur.

8-09-09 - Troxtel Family Visit

Today the whole Troxtel family stopped by to visit Aidan; Grandpa and Grandma Troxtel, Aunt Kim and Aunt Rachel and his cousin Courtney. It was a really good visit.

3 generations of Troxtel men.

Dad/Grandpa with his kids and grandkids

Grandpa Troxtel and Aidan

Grandpa Troxtel kissing Aidan.

8-7-09 - Aidan Stands for the first time

Today during PT she worked on getting Aidan to stand.

Aidan standing.

8-6-09 - My article in the paper and Aunt Kim and Cousin Courtney Visit

The article appeared today on the front page of the local paper. We rushed right out and bought over a dozen copies to give to friends and family. For those of you that missed it here is a link to the article. We were very pleased with the story and the pictures.

http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20090806/NEWS10/908060517&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

Daddy’s sister and niece Kim and Courtney stopped by for a visit. It was the first time Aidan got to meet his cousin Courtney.

Doing my favorite thing "pulling hair".

Hello Aunt Kim.

Playing with my family.

8-4-09 - Livonia Observer

Today a reporter from the Livonia Observer came to the house to interview the entire family and to learn about Aidan’s story. She spent about an hour with us and we think it went very well. We can’t wait to see the article. Hopefully this will help inform people that kids need organs too and that adults can donate to children as well.

7-26-09 - Aidan is 18 Months Old

Today Aidan is 18 months old. I can’t believe that it has been that long since our little baby boy came into this world. Time sure does fly. I remember when he was just a tiny little baby just under 4 lbs. Now he weighs about 23 lbs. A lot has happened in the last 1.5 years. Some of it good some of it bad; the surgeries, the hospital admissions, and the numerous clinic appointments. All of the nurses we have gone through (bad again) until we found the ones that we could trust; Nurse Stacie and Nurse Amy. It has been a long and exhausting time in Mommy and Daddy’s lives but it has also been very rewarding as well. I never thought someone so small would have such a huge impact on my life. Everyday when I see that little guy smile at me it makes me want to do everything I can to help him overcome his challenges. I know we have a long road ahead of us, but if Aidan keeps smiling at me everyday it will be all worth it.

7-23-09 - Mommy's song to Aidan

Mommy’s song to Aidan -

I love you more than theres
Fishes in the sea
I love you more than theres
Stars up in the sky

I love you more. more. more. more

Mommy took some pictures of Aidan having fun watching TV.

Thanks for the song mommy!!!

Now how do I work this remote?

7-20-09 - Backyard Fun

Today is Aidan’s 2nd week of outpatient hemodialysis. Aidan spent a few hours outside this afternoon. He had a really fun time.

Hanging with Nurse Stacie

Who is that in the mirror?

7-18-09 - Dialysis Appointment

Today is Aidan’s 4th outpatient hemodialysis appointment and completes the weekly treatment schedule. Mommy and Nurse Amy took Aidan to his appointment to give Daddy a break. Unfortunately Aidan developed a small blood clot and the treatment took a little bit longer than expected.

7-17-09 - Blue Angels Visit

Today is Aidan’s 3rd outpatient hemodialysis appointment. The Blue Angels stopped by for a visit and gave Aidan some stickers and a booklet on their history. We also got some great news today from UofM. Aidan is finally on the kidney transplant list!! Anyone interested in getting tested as a possible match and wiling to donate a kidney please call Sandy Feldkamp at 734-615-3962. Due to HIPPA regulations we are not allowed to answer any questions you might have.

7-16-09 - Aidan Rolling Over

Aidan had a Neurology and Pulmonology appointment today. They both went well. Daddy was also able to catch Aidan rolling over giving his audience a special surprise.

Aidan farts in this video. (You need to listen really hard.)

Aidan shows off his new trick.

7-15-09 - 2nd Outpatient Hemodialysis Appointment

Today is Aidan’s 2nd outpatient hemodialysis appointment.


Dialysis Machine


Dialysis Machine

7-14-09 - Speech Appointment

We finally had our 1st Speech appointment at Milestones. Aidan met his speech therapist Casey. She is really nice.

7-13-09 - 1st Outpatient Hemodialysis Appointment

Today is Aidan’s 1st outpatient hemodialysis appointment. Daddy and Nurse Stacie have to take Aidan to UofM 4 days a week to get his hemodialysis treatment. We have to be there at 7:30AM.

7-12-09 - Plymouth Art Fair

Today Mommy and Daddy decided to take Aidan to the Plymouth Art Fair. It was a beautiful day and he actually spent most of it sleeping. We got Aidan onto the ground and played with him for about an hour while we watched some children put on a play about knights, dragons, and fairies. He is being very playful and smiling a ton. Mommy also bought him a plaque to hang in his room that says;

“Promise me you’ll always remember you’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think” Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh

What a great quote and something that Aidan can definitely relate to.

7-11-09 - Aidan is coming home...

What an awesome day today turned out to be. Aidan is finally home!!! He is extremely happy to be home as are his Mommy and Daddy. It has been a very exhausting 6 weeks that we have spent in the hospital.

7-10-09 - Happy Birthday, Grandma Marino!

Aidan had another hemodialysis run with no problems. Today is Grandma Marino’s birthday!! We went out tonight to celebrate with a nice dinner.

7-9-09 - Getting Aidan on the Transplant List

Mommy and Daddy had a very long discussion with Dr. Collins today regarding his kidney issues and the possibility of getting him on the transplant list. He also underwent another hemodialysis run with no problems.

7-6-09 - Separation Anxiety Issues

Aidan seems to be developing some separation anxiety issues. He cries every time his Mommy walks away from him. Also today is a very good day because Aidan has come off the vent. He also underwent another hemodialysis run with no problems.

7-5-09 - What did you do with Aidan

Grandma Lee stopped by for a visit again on her way back home up north. Aidan was extremely fussy for 4 hours straight and everything that Mommy and Daddy tried to do to calm him down was not working. What a frustrating day!!




Aidan pulling Grandma Lee's hair again...

Playing with Grandma Lee

7-4-09 - Happy 4th of July

Happy 4th of July!! Aidan brought in cupcakes for the entire PICU staff. Grandma Lee and Ray also came down from up north for a visit. Aidan underwent another hemodialysis run with no problems today.

Aidan in his hospital bed.


Aidan and Mommy


Aidan and Daddy


Pulling Grandma Lee's Hair

7-3-09 - Blood Clots

Today was supposed to be Aidan’s 1st full in-patient hemodialysis cycle, but it had to be stopped early because he developed some clots in the machine’s filter chamber.

7-2-09 - Hemodialysis Line Inserted

Since Aidan can no longer undergo PD he had his hemodialysis lines inserted into him. It was a very quick procedure and before Mommy and Daddy could even sit down in the waiting room the doctor came in and told us he was done. Aidan had a trial hemodialysis run today that went fine, just to make sure the lines were working and that there where no complications.

6-29-09 - Things are going downhill

This morning things have gotten worse and we had the entire PICU team of doctors in Aidan’s room trying to fix him and determine what the issue was. In the end they felt it was necessary to put him on vent support.

6-28-09 - Change of Plans

Change of plans! Aidan developed an infection he caught from being in the hospital. Mommy and Daddy spent the night because we were very concerned. It was a very restless night. Mommy spent the night in Aidan’s room while Daddy spent the night in the waiting room.

6-27-09 - Hope of Coming Home Soon...

Today we think Aidan is almost ready to come home. We are hoping to be discharged on Monday. Grandpa and Grandma Marino came to the hospital for a visit today.

6-21-09 - Happy Father's Day

Today is Fathers Day!! Unfortunately Daddy had to spend it in the hospital with Aidan.

6-18-09 - Back in the Hospital

Unfortunately we had to take Aidan back into the hospital. Aidan developed what is called a pleural effusion. It is a small sac of fluid that surrounds the lung causing him to have issues with breathing. We believe he got it from the PD fluid. As it turns out we were correct. There is a small hole in his diaphragm that allows some of the PD fluid to leak into his lung cavity. Regrettably this will now cause Aidan to have to stop PD and now undergo hemodialysis. Also Aidan scratched his forehead really bad as you will see by the pictures going forward.

6-13-09 - Out of the Hospital

Aidan is finally out of the hospital and coming home today. After a few days in the PICU, then down to moderate care, and then to the main floor it is time to leave. Aidan had to spend about 4 extra days here in the hospital because he developed some complications regarding his PD. Once those were solved we were able to leave and finally bring our baby boy home. Mommy had a really frustrating time during this hospital stay and just wanted to bring her son home.

6-2-09 - Off to the ER

Today we had to take Aidan back into the hospital. We think he might have pneumonia again. This is such a frustrating experience. Back and forth to the hospital. In and out of the hospital. It seems like we live most of our life here at the hospital. He was doing so well. We hope this doesn’t ruin his chance to be put on the kidney transplant list next month.

6-1-09 - Last Day of Early On Appointments

Today was Aidan’s last Early On appointment. They only come during the school year and will return in September. They have been very nice and good to Aidan through out the year.

5-29-09 - I don't want a pacifier!!!

Tonight while Daddy was getting Aidan ready for bed he did something kind of funny. We think Aidan is teething since he is putting everything into his mouth these days. Daddy decided to try and give him a pacifier to put in his mouth. He has never been very fond of the pacifier. Daddy gave him the pacifier, he looked at it, examined it with his fingers, and then he smiled at Daddy and threw it across the room. He did this three times. Every time he did it he smiled and laughed.

5-28-09 - Aidan Laughs

Tonight was a very special night. Mommy and Daddy got to hear Aidan laugh for the very first time.

Aidan's Laugh

5-27-09 - Daddy Sees Aidan Rollover

Today we learned how to use a catheter on Aidan. We will need to do this everyday until his surgery. We will have to start cathing him at home. Today also marked the first time Daddy got to see Aidan rollover.

Rolling Over

5-25-09 - Happy Memorial Day!!!

Today is Memorial Day!! In honor of today’s holiday Aidan is wearing his camouflage outfit. We all went over to Grandpa and Grandma Marino’s for a BBQ.



Linda, Me and Grandma Marino

5-21-09 - Eye Doctor and Horse Hoof

Aidan had his annual eye exam today and the doctor said that everything appears OK as far as his eyesight goes. We also went to see the foot doctor and she put a little stopper on the end of Aidan’s prosthetic. It kind of looks like a horse hoof.

Aidan's Foot - Horse Hoof

5-20-09 - Urology Appointment

Today Aidan had an appointment with Dr. Wan to discuss the results of the VCUG. Essentially Aidan continues to retain urine in his bladder and we will need to insert a catheter into him on a daily basis to drain the excess urine. Also Dr. Wan will need to perform surgery and rebuild his urinary system.

5-11-09 to 5-13-09 - Peritoneal Dialysis Training

Mommy, Daddy, Nurse Stacie, and Grandma Marino spent the last 3 days learning all about peritoneal dialysis (PD). Aidan started PD on May 13. PD is the process by which Aidan filters all of the impurities and waste products from his system. A small amount of glucose solution is inserted into his belly via a catheter. The fluid then dwells in his belly cavity for about an hour allowing the waste products to accumulate. It is then drained and the process is repeated 8 times over a 12 hour period over night.

5-10-09 - Happy Mother's Day

Today is Mothers Day!!! Here are some pictures and video of Aidan snuggling with his Mommy. Daddy also made a very nice shadow box with all of Aidan’s NICU/PICU beads.

Mommy and Me

Card from Aidan

Shadowbox from Daddy and Aidan

5-8-09 - VCUG & Speaking Valve

Today we took Aidan to get a VCUG exam. It is a urinary exam where the doctor shoots dye into him and takes x-rays to see where the dye travels all through his urinary system.

We also took Aidan for a speech evaluation right after the VCUG exam. The therapist was able to give him a speaking valve, which allows him to make sounds more easily. This will help us to learn to communicate with Aidan more easily.

5-2-09 - First Haircut

Mommy and daddy took Aidan to get his 1st haircut today at Snip-Its. He was a very good boy and handled getting his mullet cut very well. He didn’t cry at all. Unlike his dad when he got his cut off back in the day.

First Haircut

Bye... Bye... Mullett...

I look like a little boy again.

Video #1

Video #2