Kerrigan loved animals, plain and simple. Horses, cats, cows, sheep, goats, fish...you name it, she adored it. Most of all, Kerrigan loved dogs. But there was one specific dog that she held in the highest esteem: Heidi. Now, there are two forms that Heidi comes in. The first is her Oma & Opa's border collie, Heidi. In fact, "Heidi" was her first word. There was a time that dogs were not known as dogs but rather "Heidi." Anything that barked, had floppy ears or a tail was "Heidi." The second Heidi in our family was her stuffed puppy by the same name.
Heidi in a picture taken by Kerrigan
Never have I known a stuffed animal to be so loved! You never know what stuffed toy your child will latch on to, and Heidi was certainly not anything we considered. It was just a stuffed dog that Grandma & Grandpa Foulger had at their house. A few years ago when Kerrigan was diagnosed with a severe case of bronchitis that bordered on pneumonia, she latched on to Heidi and there was no going back!
Heidi went everywhere that Kerrigan went! The grocery store, post office, overnight stays at grandparents' houses, preschool, doctor's appointments...Heidi was Kerrigan's shadow. Not a night went by that Heidi wasn't cuddled snuggly in her arms as she slept; not a morning went by when Kerrigan didn't bring Heidi into bed with us when she came to wake us up. When Kerrigan was potty training, Heidi learned to use the potty right along with her (you can see them in the video a couple posts down). Heidi learned how to do the Time Warp, learned her ABC's, watched movies with Heidi, and was a frequent guest on our girls' nights.
Heidi was hands-down Kerrigan's best friend. It was only fitting that after spending almost every waking moment with Kerrigan for nearly three years, Heidi should be the one to keep Kerrigan company until the day when we're reunited as a family. No little girl could have asked for a better companion!
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