Wednesday, March 17, 2004 6:07 PM CST

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Aidan had his final follow-up medical check-up yesterday -- an ultrasound to check his kidneys, and then a clinic with the nephrologist (kidney doctor). All the news was good. The hydronephrosis (water in the kidneys) was gone and there was less calcification than in previous ultrasounds. There was a little kidney scarring, but his kidneys are growing normally so they are not worried about this.

The new pictures in the photo album, taken by Aidan's grandma yesterday after clinic, will show you how much better Aidan looks these days. He has gained almost five pounds since January, and all of it is "real weight" -- not abdominal fluid. He is talking up a storm! He is asking "Why?" and "What?" questions and yesterday at the hospital was proudly pointing out the colored tiles: "That's a purple, that's a blue, that's orange..." He even mimics the exact tones that his Headstart teacher and me (his mom) use when teaching him. It is scary

Now that it is spring, Aidan constantly asks to go outside... we are trying to figure out a way to get him out there since the ground is pretty rough and he is still having a lot of trouble walking even around the house. He does improve day by day, though, and loves to go on stroller walks with his siblings. The weather is beautiful outside here in the California Sierras, though there is still quite a bit of snow on the ground.

I haven't updated for a long time because things have been going so smoothly as far as Aidan is concerned, but his Grandma points out that people need to hear the "good news" as well as the not so good things. That makes a lot of sense -- it's just that there doesn't seem quite as much to tell when there are no surgeries scheduled : )