The Bruesch Bunch Picture Blog

Our Newest Addition

2011-11-06T17:48:00.001-07:00

Rowan Kai Bruesch

born 9.9.2011 12:36pm

7lbs 1oz 20 inches

First Day of School

2011-08-25T20:28:00.002-06:00

Aidan started school on Wednesday at Riverside Elementary in Boise. It was not the tearful, 'my baby is growing up so fast', weepy-mom first day of school that so many of us picture. He was so excited, ready to go, couldn't wait to get there. I was so excited for him, glad he had such a good attitude, and couldn't wait to hear about his first day.

He is riding the van from his daycare to school in the mornings - his school starts at 9:15 - and one of his buddies from daycare is in his class. Above is a picture of Lincoln and Aidan at the school on the first morning. Another boy from daycare, Kenny, is also going to Riverside, but is in another teacher's class. Aidan was very happy to learn that they get a short recess and he will still get to see Kenny at school.

Since I wanted Aidan to get a feel for riding the van to and from school and having the daycare teachers pick him up and drop him off - I took him to daycare like normal and met them at the school for drop off and pick up. It was a little strange, but it worked. I got to see him into his classroom, help him find his name tag, and get settled and ready for the day. Many of the kiddos were crying and clinging to their parents, and Aidan was just so confident and ready to go. It made me feel great about all we have done to help him prepare for this day!

He told me all about his day on our way home and throughout the evening - about how they met the principal, the things that his teacher told them, music class, and all of the little bits and pieces he remembered. He is still telling me things about the first day as he thinks of them. He is interesting that way - if you grill him, he can't remember - if you let him come to you with stories to tell you about his day, he will spill it all in good time.

He had homework last night - had to fill out a worksheet about their first day of school. He was bummed he had to do homework - but once we started talking about the questions that it asked, he perked up a little. I had him write half of the answers and I wrote the other half - about 7 each! His favorite part of the worksheet was when it asked how he would feel tomorrow - and his answer was 'tired from doing all this homework'! Silly kid!

Today was the second day - and he was VERY excited to have been able to visit the school library. He told me about the library mouse, and how you have to be quiet, and that in January they will be able to check out books one at a time. He also shared that on the first day the music teacher said that if they got an angry tummy and had to throw up, that the trash can was the best place to do that. She said that if they tried to run to the bathroom, it would be too far and they would puke on the ground, and maybe some 6 year olds would walk by and say, "Ewwww, gross!" Random!

Anyhow - all this to say that elementary school and kindergarten seem to be as exciting to Aidan and Dylan and I remember it being for us. I can't wait to see how the year unfolds, and all the years to come as he learns and grows!

Greenbelt

2011-02-13T10:13:00.001-07:00

It was a balmy 60 degrees here in Boise yesterday ( quite warm for February), Aidan and I made good use of it.

He could probably do without the training wheels, but I am trying to get his endurance, speed and confidence up so we can all be on bikes by this summer ( and not going at a snail's pace)

its a rough doggy life

2011-01-30T10:02:00.001-07:00

saturdays

2011-01-29T12:42:00.001-07:00

grilled cheese... standard cuisine at the Brueschs on saturdays

2011-01-22T08:33:00.001-07:00

Air and Space Museum

2010-12-23T15:17:00.001-07:00

While we were visiting the Chambers family - Linds and I took the boys to the air and space museum. Cieran had seen it all before so he knew what to expect but Aidan was AMAZED. He was so excited to see the space shuttles, airplanes, the skylab, and exhibits about the planets. While we didn't get to stay as long as Aidan would have liked, we got a good feel for it and know we would like to go back. Once we got home Aidan was so interested on space and wanted to know more - so we have been checking space books out at the library. I hope he continues this love of learning!

2010-12-23T15:06:00.003-07:00

2010-12-23T15:06:00.001-07:00

Pictures from our trip

2010-12-23T15:05:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving with the Chambers Family

2010-12-23T15:02:00.001-07:00

Dylan was unable to accompany us on our first trip to John and Lindsey's place in Maryland due to work. But Aidan and I decided to go anyway. We owe the Chambers clan about 10 visits before we are even, but it was a start. Aidan and Cieran had a blast hanging out together - the weather was so warm (especially compared to Idaho's blizzard and single digit temps) and we took lots of walks around the lake. The boys played on the swings and had a great time together. Aidan was infatuated with Ceinwyn and enjoyed her company as well. Linds and I did a lot of shopping, sewing, and talking which was great. Thanksgiving dinner was shared with some friends who were wonderful. By the time we left the boys were doing a fair amount of arguing and bickering - so it must have been time - but the next morning Aidan told me he missed playing with Cieran! I miss them too buddy - lets get back there soon!

Sicko

2010-12-23T14:56:00.001-07:00

Aidan spent several days in September and october with a fever and home on the couch. The days I took him to the doctor he was fine - the days I sent him to daycare he ended up with a fever and felt poorly. Of course this was also the time that Dylan was on the east coast for work trips - such is the life! He has been well since then - but boy is he a sad sack when he is sick! Here is photographic evidence.

2010-11-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

No, it isn't a backdrop. We were standing on the banks of the Boise River. With a bit of work in Photoshop and some work on framing future pictures a bit better... well... family portraits would be pretty damn decent.

2010-11-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

Fall Colors

2010-11-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

Fall colors...a good excuse not to procrastinate any longer in getting out and taking some shots of my favorite subjects. Decent day, but I'm jonesing for a new lens.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-13T19:56:00.000-07:00

Aidan chose to be Red Power Ranger for Halloween this year. We took him down Warm Springs here in Boise. It was quite crowded, but Aidan had a good time and made a decent haul in the hour or so he wanted to be out that evening (being done was his choice).

Amanda and I were happy to not be the only parents prompting their child to say thank you and mind their manners.

Saturday morning art

2010-11-13T09:33:00.001-07:00

watercolors, markers, scissors, glue, crayons, coffee. good times.

Corn Maze

2010-10-17T09:10:00.002-06:00

A boy and his papa

2010-09-19T17:28:00.001-06:00

Dylan went on the annual equinox campout this weekend and Aidan and I chilled at home. Every morning, noon, and night he asked where papa was and when he was coming back. His eyes lit up when he saw Dylan as we pulled up to the house this evening after spending the afternoon out.

I guess the two week trip Dylan is taking starting next Sunday is going to be tough. Thank goodness kids are resilient. And thank goodness for facetime on iPhone.

Six Months

2010-09-19T12:18:00.003-06:00

Boy - if anyone even checks the blog anymore and sees this I will be amazed. I can't believe it has been 6 months since an update - and yet I can.

It was shortly before Aidan's 4th birthday that Dylan took a job in Oregon. Due to the economy tanking and the company he was working for going under, Dylan had been on unemployment for awhile. We decided to start looking out of state and figured if this was the opportunity to make the move to Oregon we always dreamed about, we were going to see this as a positive and make the leap. Dylan was working and living in Oregon and flying back every other weekend. I was applying for jobs and had several interviews and three job offers when things changed. Due to my dads prostate cancer, some health issues with my mom, and unforeseen circumstances Dylan moved back to Idaho in May and I turned down several job offers to stay with the State - which I am very happy about!

Dylan is working for a great company now and just one month later we moved from our house in Kuna to a townhouse in Boise. Another wonderful move for us - it gives us the freedom from house repair/yard work, maintenance, and lengthy commutes. Aidan is in a new preschool that he is loving, the dogs are settling in nicely, and we are loving the new space!

Things have changed drastically, and yet they are so much the same - we are still the happy little family we have always been, and we have grown and learned so much about our strength as a family, how far we will go to make sure that our family is safe and secure, and about what we really value - eachother.

I am going to get a program on my phone that will let me blog from my iphone in hopes that I will update a little more often!

The Bug Sucker Boy

2010-03-25T19:59:00.000-06:00

Aidan taking advantage of some of his birthday gifts!

Aidan's Fourth Birthday

2010-03-25T19:57:00.001-06:00

Here are a few pictures from the party room at Monkey Bizness.

Aidan's Party at Monkey Bizness

2010-03-25T19:54:00.000-06:00

Aidan's party at Monkey Bizness was a blast - here are just a few pictures of the fun!

Making Music at Settler's Park

2010-03-14T18:37:00.000-06:00

They have all of these great instruments that the kids can make music with - Aidan really likes it there! This afternoon was close to 50 degrees and sunny without the gale force winds we have had the last few days, so we took advantage of it!

More Pics from the Park

2010-03-14T17:38:00.000-06:00

Here are a few more pictures from the park today!

Monkey

2010-02-14T12:33:00.003-07:00

Dare devil

2010-02-13T12:26:00.001-07:00

Olive thief!

2010-02-01T20:17:00.001-07:00

Heavy & Wet

2010-01-31T11:53:00.000-07:00

2010-01-31T11:51:00.000-07:00

Belly down

2010-01-31T11:48:00.000-07:00

2010-01-31T11:47:00.000-07:00

Snow Ramp

2010-01-31T11:46:00.000-07:00

Snow Chair II

2010-01-31T11:45:00.000-07:00

Fun in the snow

2010-01-31T11:43:00.000-07:00

Stockings

2009-11-30T06:56:00.001-07:00

We got our first xmas card this weekend, it had a picture of a stuffed stocking in it. Aidan looked at it and asked ' Toys in a boot?!'

Sprinkles station

2009-11-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

Aidan insisted Amanda's birthday cupcakes have sprinkles on top, so of course he was a prime candidate for the sprinkles engineer on our little assembly line. Maybe I should have reprimanded him for indulging in the product while on the job... then again, how can you tell a kiddo with big blue eyes and dimples no sprinkles?

Frosting Amanda's birthday cupcakes

2009-11-17T18:47:00.000-07:00

post-Halloween play

2009-11-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!!

2009-10-31T20:14:00.000-06:00

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T20:13:00.000-06:00

More Pictures from the Train Ride

2009-10-24T21:22:00.000-06:00

Thunder Mountain Line

2009-10-24T21:21:00.000-06:00

Instead of the usual corn maze, pumpkin patch, bounce house routine we do in the Fall just before Halloween - we decided to take the Thunder Mountain Line Pumpkin Liner train ride. It left Horseshoe Bend and went up to Banks where we got out and picked out pumpkins and stretched our legs. We got back on the train and rode back to the depot. Aidan was AMAZED at the train, loved the train ride, and enjoyed talking about it the whole time! At the end, he wanted to go to the engine and see the conductor. Well, the window to see the conductor was way up high on the engine - so we couldn't see him - but as we were walking away the train released some steam and scared the life out of Aidan. He told me he thought the train was going to shoot him. He had a blast, and was only bummed because at the pumpkin patch they didn't have any pumpkins small enough for him to pack around. We got to ride in the open car on the way back to the depot, and snuggle up with blankets as it was a bit chilly. It was a pricey ride - but worth every penny to see how happy Aidan was to ride on a real live train!

2009-09-28T10:33:00.000-06:00

Napping in the back of Howard's truck

2009-09-28T10:31:00.000-06:00

2009-09-09T10:48:00.000-06:00

Another first day of pre-school pic.

Pre-School

2009-09-09T10:47:00.000-06:00

Aidan started pre-school last week. He's very excited to be learning more and stimulated more during the day. He's also quite fond of his Wall-E backpack. We took him shopping for supplies a couple of weeks ago and quite a hard time finding basics (i.e. 24pk crayola crayons, glue sticks). The third store we hit finally had most of what we needed. Aidan can't wait to use his supplies- especially the water paint and new markers (as if we don't have those already at home). The only disappointment was finding out (after not shopping for one for, oh 20 years) that they don't make the decorated cardboard pencil boxes any longer... only non-descript transparent plastic ones and pencil bags with zippers. What a buzz kill... Amanda and I both agree that getting a cool pencil box used to be the highlight of school supplies. Instead, we bought some stickers for Aidan to put on the outside of his otherwise boring pencil box, and made the best of it.

New Room Decor

2009-09-09T10:34:00.000-06:00

When we originally painted Aidan's room to cover the nursery yellow color, we had intended to buy a large vinyl Cars wall sticker for Aidan to help spruce the place up. The good ones are pretty expensive, and things being how they are, Amanda suggested I paint something. Here's what I came up with. Not perfect, but its good enough- textured walls are a lot more difficult to paint on than canvas.

What a Rough Day

2009-09-02T21:31:00.001-06:00

Well, as rough days go, this one was a doozy. Aidan fell and smacked his head this morning on the playground this morning. Daycare called, said he had a nasty gash in his head, which bled pretty good. He was in good spirits by the time I got there, the bleeding was just about done. I took him home for the day, doctored his wound up.

His nap was not restful, he kept coughing- getting yet another summer cold or more allergies it looks like. He woke up in a coughing fit, puked all over the bed as a result. I swooped him up and rushed him towards the bathroom. He let more go at the door, and still more once we were in the bathroom.

I thought that would be the end of it, the afternoon went pretty well.

About 15 minutes after dinner was done we were playing in the living room, enjoying the power being out due to a passing storm when he tripped on a couch pillow, smacked his nose on the hardwood. Bright red out his nose, out his mouth. Of course, he was crying.... which started the coughing... then up came dinner.

Yep, it was a rough one, and I will be glad to be done with it. Still, had to smile while explaining to him why he couldn't have a Scooby Doo bandaid for his owie in his hair.

August CampOut

2009-08-23T21:11:00.000-06:00

We sent Dylan up on a Wednesday to secure a camp spot for us along the road up to Boiling Springs. We figured he would be able to get this great spot right off the road, with good water access, and spots for trailer since Katey and Russell as well as Stacie and Neil were meeting us up there on Friday with their trailers. We had several backup locations to check in case the prime spot was taken. And of course, even on a Wednesday, it was already full. So we ended up at our second choice - and it was a great spot. Good spot for campfire/eating, great access to the water - and amazing company. We all had a great time, and hope to do another trip together soon!

Summer Harvest

2009-08-15T21:05:00.000-06:00

It was an amazing garden year for us - with harvest over and above what we expected. We grew corn for the first year, lots of salad greens, and some new varieties of tomatoes which worked well. I learned that you should plant broccoli earlier, that three short rows of beets makes 20 pints of pickled beets (oh, my) and that my little boy would make the world's best vegetarian! He loves to go out to the garden and pic sugar snap peas, carrots, and shuck corn for eating right out at the garden. I only hope we can continue to encourge his love of veggies! I lose ambition to plant for fall harvest - in the heat of July and August I can't bring myself to go out and tend seeds to germination - but I am going to work on that next year!

Mackay July 2009

2009-07-20T19:09:00.001-06:00

We all made the trek up to Mackay to visit Aunt Holly and Uncle Howard while Granny Laurie and Grandpa David were in Idaho. While there we camped out in the Copper Basin area. It was a great campsite with a little stream nearby. We had smores made with orange cookies instead of graham crackers - and I have never seen adults demolish a bag of marshmallows so quickly!

It was very different this year - instead of trying to contain a toddler and keep him from getting into stuff - we were constantly showing Aidan new stuff, throwing rocks in the river, and hanging out outside.

Howard taught Dylan and David to fly fish while we were there - and they caught quite a few trout!

It was a great trip - and we are headed back up there to meet Marta and Rod in September!

Grandpa David and Granny Laurie's visit

2009-07-18T21:41:00.000-06:00

During Grandpa David and Granny Laurie's visit to Idaho we went to the zoo. While Aidan loved to see the animals - his favorite part was riding the carousel with Granny Laurie.

Vocabulary

2009-07-15T18:29:00.001-06:00

Aidan's vocabulary and sentences continue to impress me. Today I put a movie on for him, turned the volume up at the receiver. To this he asked, "why did you turn the audio up?" it made me chuckle a bit- first that he called it audio instead of just up or say he couldn't hear or it wasnt loud, second that he knew which of the stack of various home theater components controlled the audio. He made Grannie Laurie pause when he walked up to her and asked her "what tempurature is it at your house." Odd questions for a 3 year old. Whats next, " what is your car mileage averaging?"

Visit from Uncle Dave

2009-07-06T21:39:00.000-06:00

My brother Dave from California came to visit of the July 4th weekend. We had a BBQ Sunday night and went on a hike on Monday. We decided to hike into a hot springs that was in a book we have. It sounded like a pretty good hike - about two miles in. So we drove up through Horseshoe Bend onto the Banks Lowman Highway and drove through Crouch. We went 18 miles up a dirt road to a trailhead. We got out and started walking down the trail. It wasn't a bad hike, until we got to the point where you have to decide: cross the river, or climb the mountain. It was a steep uphill and downhill trek through the mountainous terrain - and we weren't sure we were gonna make it by the time we got through it all. But there was a beautiful little sandy beach area for Aidan to play, some great rocks to sit on in the water, and the hot springs was right around the corner - two great pools! On our way out we decide to do the river crossing and it was a MUCH easier hike. We won't make that mistake again!

Fourth of July Fiasco

2009-07-05T21:37:00.000-06:00

I swear, if it isn't one thing it is another! Fourth of July started off innocently enough with us going to Boise to see the parade and take part in the Saturday market. We had a great time - the parade was kind of interesting but fun. And we made our way back home to get ready to go to my dad's house. We decided to go to Mtn. Home for the fireworks and set off in that direction. Aidan slept in the car and woke up happy enough when we got to my dad's house. He told me his belly hurt, so we headed to the bathroom - standard protocol for him. But then he started crying out, saying "owie, owie" and writhing in pain. I freaked out - we have done the respiratory virus thing many times - neb him, lots of drinks, listen to his lungs for the wheezing, etc. Never have we done a stomach bug. Dylan bolted to the store for some kids pepto, and I tried to console him. I got him a drink of sprite and a couple crackers. He didn't want to drink or eat. He said he needed to go potty - so back to the bathroom we went. He is crying and screaming owie all through this. He had a little diarrhea, he had a little vomitting, and then he rolled around on the floor in my lap just unable to get comfortable. He was in so much pain. He finally went limp in a cold sweat and laid there for awhile.

And then

in the blink of an eye - he was up and playing and happy as could be. As though none of the last 30-40 minutes had ever happened. When they said kids are resilient - they aren't joking! The rest of the night went off without a hitch. He enjoyed the fireworks, we had a great visit with my dad, and we headed home that evening. Of course he didn't sleep in, so we were up at 6:30 on the 5th - but oh well!

Hooked

2009-06-28T18:58:00.000-06:00

I bought my first VR lens this last week. It isn't top of the line, but there is a BIG difference in the photos I have seen so far. Its amazing how much crisper the photos look when the jitter and small movement isn't transferred to the lens. I'm hooked. Not that this particular photo is really all that great, but I guarantee if I had been shooting with my 70-300 non-VR it would not look this good.

Whachu lookin at a' me?

2009-06-28T18:53:00.000-06:00

Well, if the circus doesn't pan out, he might have a future in the mob... or at least he could play the part well.

Caleb's Birthday

2009-06-16T18:05:00.000-06:00

Erica and I met at the breastfeeding bunch support group offered at St. Lukes back when our boys were just a few months old. It seems like we have been friends forever! Since her little girl was born just a few days before Caleb's birthday, they decided to wait and have a party in the park in June. We had a great time, Aidan got to play with Caleb, and I got to hold the new baby - which Aidan was infatuated with.

We went to the toystore and bought Caleb's birthday present - some ImagiNext dinosaurs and put them in a gift bag to take to the park. We told Aidan it was a surprise and we couldn't tell Caleb what we got him - we had to wait for him to open it. So as we were walking up to the table where everyone was at Aidan yells, "Caleb we brought you some dino--" at which point I put my hand over his mouth to keep him from saying the whole word. He was very upset, thought he was in trouble, and started crying. I had to assure him that he wasn't in trouble but we didn't want to tell Caleb what we brought him. Kids!

Walking his pet dragon

2009-05-26T17:45:00.001-06:00

Playing at our favorite park

2009-05-26T17:44:00.001-06:00

My two best buds

2009-05-26T17:42:00.001-06:00

Memorial Campout

2009-05-25T21:33:00.000-06:00

We went with our friends Katey and Russell on our first campout of the year. Dylan and Russell drove up near SageHen Reservoir and found us a spot on Thursday - then Katey, Aidan and I followed on Friday after work. Not only was it a great camp spot away from the road with lots of room for the dogs to run around, but it was near the water - which was so nice. It was Aidan's first real camping trip. We took him once right after he turned one, and last year we just never made it out - but this year - we were bound and determined to go!

The first night was a lot of fun - Aidan was ready to go to sleep in the tent pretty early. We had great conversation around the campfire and everyone stayed warm overnight. The next day was beautiful with a hike around a pretty meadow with a stream running along one side. We also played in the water and drove up to a nature trail a little closer to the reservoir and walked around and took pictures. That night after dinner, a storm started brewing. When the wind picked up, we put out the campfire and headed to our tent, Katey and Russell to their trailer. After about 30 minutes of torrential downpour outside, we started to get a downpour inside. Our tent was leaking! We packed up everything we could and stowed it in the back of Katey's vehicle, and then piled into their trailer. It was the two of them and their 3 large labs, and the three of us and our two miniture dogs! It was a little close quarters, but it was kind of fun - we played yatzhee and talked for awhile - then pulled out the couch/bed and all got comfy. We stayed warm and dry.

The next day was sort of triage from the night before - and with the storm clouds brewing we decided not to stay another night. We headed home on Sunday and Katey and Russell stayed until Monday. Never the less, it was a great trip - taught us a few lessons about camping with a 3 year old, and prepared us for next time!

Zing Zing Zhong Zhong!

2009-05-04T19:48:00.000-06:00

Kind of a neat picture. He runs around the house slicing and dicing, yelling "zing, zing, zhong, zhong!"

May the Fourth be with you

2009-05-04T19:45:00.000-06:00

Happy Star Wars Day! May the Fourth be with you!

Amanda and Aidan went to a circus on Sunday. I didn't attend, thus no pictures, but Aidan had a grand time. Amanda spoiled him rotten too, including buying him the light saber in the picture.

All is well here... minus the enormous fits Aidan can throw now, along with name-calling. He also recently picked up the F-word from day care recently. Congratulations, you now have a swearing 3 year old. Hmmm...Amanda and I are not pleased with this latest addition to his vocabulary to say the least. Foul tasting soap in the young Jedi's future I see, hmmm, yes.

Despite that, we are looking forward to summer and the chance to go camping, backpacking, and fishing soon. Aidan says he is going to catch a big one- he has been eyeing my tackle box all winter, inspecting the non-pokey contents with great care. I'm looking forward to seeing his reaction when we pull one out of the water. Personally, I think I will take advantage of the extra time I have off while my career has been put on pause for recession and make up for the little R&R time I have had the last few years being on-call 24 x 7 x 362 and actually catch some fish this summer.

Super Aidan

2009-04-23T21:11:00.001-06:00

Thank you Cieran, Linds, John! Aidan had me flying him around the house until I was physically spent. Then he had me play villain while he threw pillows at me and jumped on me. Take that you evil-doer!

Sandboxes

2009-04-14T15:58:00.000-06:00

All the new, shiny toys in the world won't amuse Aidan half as long as a good pile of dirt/sand and some clunkers to push around in it. He even forgot about the candy for a while. We're hoping to take him to the sand dunes this weekend if it isn't windy. What a hoot that should be!

Wearing off some sugar

2009-04-14T15:52:00.000-06:00

Grandpa & Grandma Bruesch have a sizable sandbox, Aidan burned off a bit of the sugar buzz digging, getting dirty, and having fun.

What a loot

2009-04-14T15:46:00.000-06:00

I think he was given enough easter candy to fuel a continuous sugar buzz until July. Lucky us. :P

Collecting more eggies

2009-04-14T15:44:00.000-06:00

Apparently, the bunny left eggies for Aidan and Grandpa and Grandma Bruesch's house too. What a lucky guy!

Collecting Eggies

2009-04-14T15:41:00.000-06:00

Top Gun 2

2009-04-03T20:17:00.000-06:00

If they made a Top Gun sequel and needed a three year old, I'm pretty certain he'd get the part.

Wall-E Cupcakes

2009-04-03T20:13:00.000-06:00

2009-04-03T20:12:00.000-06:00

2009-04-03T20:11:00.002-06:00

Thank you so much Aunt Alicia for the super cute stripey shirt - Aidan looks great in green!

Thank you to everyone who was so generous with gifts - you guys spoil this boy rotten. The thank you cards are currently being made and filled out - hope to have them in the mail SOON!

He gifted himself

2009-04-03T20:10:00.000-06:00

The Box Monster

2009-04-03T20:08:00.000-06:00

2009-04-03T20:06:00.000-06:00

3,2,1 Blast OFF!

2009-04-03T20:04:00.000-06:00

Finally, some birthday pics

2009-04-03T20:02:00.000-06:00

Aidan and the stomp rockets Grandpa and Grandma Bruesch gave him. No batteries, no sound effects.... love it...until he starts chasing the dogs or cats with them...

2009-03-18T18:22:00.002-06:00

He decimated a chocolate cupcake.

Aidan's 3rd Birthday!

2009-03-18T18:20:00.002-06:00

"I have chocolate whiskers, Papa!"

Aidan is on 'roids

2009-03-11T17:47:00.003-06:00

What started out as a dry cough on Saturday has morphed into a phlegmy bronchiolytic cough that has Aidan a little down. I freaked yesterday when I thought he might be wheezing and we got a script for steroids. Dylan and I talked and I expressed how out of my control this situation feels. How I feel like we are heading into the downward spiral that ended up in the hospital last time. But Aidan was no longer wheezing (if he ever was) and he seemed okay this morning. However, my call to the after hours pediatric clinic was enough prompt for our pediatrician to call this morning. She thought it might be best to see Aidan - just to make sure we were doing everything we could to keep him out of the hospital again. We went in and his oxygen saturation was checked - thank Dog he was satting at 97%! The pediatrician was concerned by how tight his cough sounded and that he was breathing a little faster than normal. She suggested we go ahead with the oral steroids to get him over the hump of this cough. In addition, she prescribed an inhaled steroid daily until May to see if we can get out of cold season without going back to the hospital.

We learned from last time that the oral steroid makes Aidan a "little" hyper. He was lifting my dumbbells and making some great faces. I only got a few pictures - and this was the best one!

We are very hopeful that we can get past this cold season - into summer - and that he will continue to grow and this asthma won't be such a problem for him. It is frustrating that he was so strong for the first three years of his life without hospitalization for anything like this, and now we are starting to have these problems. The doctor did say that this has been a tough winter on all of her wheezers - so we aren't the only ones - but still.

We are prepping for the birthday party - can't wait - there will be tons of pictures!

Take care -
love
The Bruesch Bunch

Don't Ask

2009-03-08T16:28:00.000-06:00

Those are magnets he is holding up to his ears, a blue whistle in his mouth. Yeah...I just dunno about that boy sometimes...kinda reminds me of, well, me.

2009-03-01T14:06:00.001-07:00

Update on Us

2009-02-23T19:20:00.004-07:00

We left the hospital on Saturday the 14th - Happy Valentine's Day! It was an amazing recovery - from requiring 3 liters of oxygen per minute on the first night at the hospital to running around rough-housing with Dylan on the third day. It was obvious that he needed the help and support of the hospital staff, the oxygen, the breathing treatments, and the steroids because he quickly came to life and back to his normal, rambunctious self!

I had a few moments of worry that first night back home because it looked like he was retracting when he would breath - which could be a sign that he was still struggling, but I think it was just my over-reacting self, and not him having trouble breathing. We finished a couple of days of steroids and antibiotics and then saw the pediatrician. She was also amazed at how quickly he recovered and was back to normal. Since this really was his first bad reaction to a cold that required hospitalization, etc - we aren't yet looking at doing any maintenance meds like a daily inhaled steroid. We are all hoping this was a fluke occurence and won't happen again - but we will be watching him closely.

In other excitement - Aidan had his first away-from-home poop in the potty while we were at the hospital. Prior to that he was perfectly content to soil his pants, ask to be changed, and go on about his merry way. I don't know what changed, but I am glad it did because now, in addition to being dry almost 100% of the time - he is now regularly going in the toilet. The sticker chart that I was pretty sure we weren't going to have to pay out on for sometime is nearly full. Aidan will be getting a 'big prize' for his hard work and I believe we have cemented a habit in place! Yay! It gives us hope that we might be able to have a second child, that he won't be leaving for college in pull-ups, etc. It is amazing how it all goes from the very physical demands of taking care of his needs to the ever exhausting job of teaching him all of the millions of things he wants to know. He is so inquisitive. It is quite amazing to watch him grow into his own little person!

Well - I guess that is enough for now. Hopefully we will keep posting pics with some regularity!

Till then - take care!

Here's a spiffy one

2009-02-22T12:21:00.001-07:00

2009-02-21T16:53:00.001-07:00

Work in progress

2009-02-21T16:52:00.001-07:00

90% done. Aidan is thrilled!

Saturday morning toons

2009-02-21T08:12:00.002-07:00

Found a spiffy app for my phone to do selective desaturation... Love that effect.

We're painting Aidan's room today, getting him a big boy bed. Will post a pic after the project is done.

Doodling

2009-02-18T18:41:00.001-07:00

We're blowin this popsicle stand

2009-02-14T12:26:00.001-07:00

Doc just stopped by, the verdict is in- we are headed home- yay!

Aidan slept well all night without oxygen, took his nap without too.

It has only been three days, but it is amazing how slow the hours go when you have to micro-manage a toddler in what is basically solitary confinement.

Lots of Coughing

2009-02-13T18:45:00.001-07:00

On the road to recovery, Aidan has been doing a lot of coughing. He needs to get rid of all the mucous that is making it hard for him to get much oxygen into his blood thru his lungs. But it is not the most pleasant experience from his perspective or ours. Listening to him cough, cleaning up the vomit, and feeling helpless to make him better - it is all hard. He is progressing, feeling better for longer periods of time. Hopefully we will be headed home tomorrow.

Update

2009-02-13T10:56:00.001-07:00

Aidan is doing a bit better today, although he sounds worse. He is coughing more, but getting some of the nasties out of his lungs.

He is napping without oxygen right now; Amanda and I are hopeful he can do the same tonight. If so we are looking at a late release tomorrow. If not, maybe Sunday.

The primary doctor/physician is pleased with his progress.

2009-02-12T19:53:00.001-07:00

Watching movie after movie

2009-02-12T14:54:00.001-07:00

High Spirits

2009-02-12T14:51:00.001-07:00

The status of things

2009-02-12T13:03:00.001-07:00

We took Aidan to the doctor yesterday morning because he had a bad cold, a fever, and was beginning to wheeze when breathing. They did some breathing treatments, listening and monitored his blood oxygen saturation levels. His saturation levels were in the high 80's when they should be in the high 90's, so they admitted us to a local hospital.

He tested negative for RSV, flu, etc, which is great news. He is getting regular breathing treatments and steroids to break up the mucous in his lungs, help him breathe.

Unfortunately, he needs oxygen when he sleeps right now, and has to be off oxygen for 24 hours before he can come home.

He doesn't act sick though- is rowdy, awnry, playful- just like normal. The hardest parts are keeping him entertained while he is mostly bed bound, and keeping the oxygen sat. monitor on his foot ( he doesnt care too much at all for it ).

He did make it into the playroom for a few minutes this morning, but got worked up, began coughing , couldnt stop, and then lost the contents of his tummy. So back to the bed he went, and was none too happy about it.

Here's to hoping for a speedy recovery!

Snow Throne

2008-12-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

It has stairs so he can get up into it, down out of it... soft lighting, exposure a little off- they are hard to see.

The Frosty Family Portrait... and Aidan

2008-12-28T11:36:00.000-07:00

Left: Mrs Frosty
Right: Mr Frosty
Front: Frosty Jr
Center: Aidan