HK

A little over a month ago, we lost the best nurse we had, but we gained a great friend.  Heather (nicknamed HK so as not to be confused with my sister-in-law) has been with us since a few weeks after Kai came home from the hospital when he was a few months old.  From the get-go we clicked, and there have been many nights where I would stay up until all hours of the morning (it was not uncommon for me to be up past one) just talking.  We bonded over books, movies, tv shows, fitness, life, and of course, Kai.  She kept me sane during his blue spells (I went into a mini depression during that time) and she even bought some special diaper rash cream from Germany to help with his bum (that was also during the period where he had that awful diaper rash that wouldn't go away--which we later found out was due to an allergic reaction to the formula).  She was there when they did the bronchioscope in the hospital, where we discovered Kai's airway collapse, and she was never afraid to let us know when something seemed off with Kai (and possible solutions).

So when Heather told us that she had accepted a new job, it was very bittersweet.  We didn't want to lose her as a nurse, but it would also allow us to connect with her on a more personal level.  We were able to meet her family (who are as awesome as she is) and we have gained amazing new friends.

We met Heather's family for the first time (although it felt like I already knew them) at the beginning of this month when we held a dinner party at our house, and then we went to her daughter's wedding reception a few weeks later where we were able to meet more extended family as well.  It was so wonderful, and her family is such a delight to be around.  We felt right at home with her family and everyone was so excited to meet us (well, Kai was really the star of the show, but you know...).  :-) 

Playing some video games...

The bride!  (Holding Jeremy above and "Just Married!" below).  Also in the picture below are HK, her brother and her mom.


The bride and groom in their first dance

Cute daddy-daughter moment.  Zuri ran up to J and gave him a big hug out of the blue.   I took many other pictures, but I didn't have my camera on the right setting and they came out blurry (it is really hard to get fast action captured in low light), so I am not going to post them, but Zuri had a blast on the dance floor that night with HK's other daughter, who took Zuri under her wing for the evening.

Also at the reception, we met up with another family that Heather had worked with, and it was really great to be able to meet that special little boy and to talk with his mom.  It is the first time that we have had an in-depth conversation face-to-face with another parent of a special needs child.

Our sweet little boy.  We are excited for the upcoming summer and more activities with such a wonderful family!