April 18, 2009

The day of Natalie's funeral was a pretty long and emotional day, but ended on such a happy note and that is what I would like to share with you. I have been meaning to post these pictures since the day they were taken, but since I didn't get home from Kaiser, Sunset till 11p.m. I just didn't have the energy.

Following the funeral was Chris Anthony Aparicio's baptism. His sister, Stephanie did such a good job giving a talk on baptism! Chris was super cute in his new suit that was very long on his arms :) His sweet smile was great to see!

Following the baptism, we went to the park to celebrate Asher's first birthday. Jeff's boys were already there when I arrived and they hadn't seen me since I had returned from spring break. As soon as Ben spotted me from across the park, he took off running towards me screaming my name. That alerted the other two and I soon had three boys barreling into me with amazing hugs. That was a fun moment that I would like to always remember!

I was able to get in a quick 15 minute visit with my aunt Gwen and Uncle Lee who were visiting from Michigan. Here is a quick photo I snapped of he and my mom.

From there, I was whisked off with my brother, mom, and the boys to get to the hospital for a quick visit with Jaimee before visiting hours were through.

This was the first time I had seen her off the ventilator and since I had gotten news that she has moderate brain damage.

The visit was a perfect cap to a busy day!! I was able to witness some of the improvements she had already made from just two days before when my mom had last seen her. Her hand positioning was much more relaxed and her movements has smoothed out some. I was able to witness her adorable horse laugh when J.D. tickled her!!! She responded with tons of smiles to her brothers. It was very evident that those boys will be a great source of therapy for her!!! The crowning moment came, however, when I was able to hold little Jaimee! It was a great moment, since there was only so much contact you could have while she was hooked up to so many tubes and machines prior to that.

While in my arms, I would kiss her on the forehead which would evoke a big smile. I would say Maaah as I kissed her and she ended up copying me and saying it too. What a thrill it was to she her so interactive and responsive!!! I love this little girl and am glad I went to the hospital that night. I sure helped heal a bit of my wounded heart!