Thanksgiving anniversary

I can not believe that a year ago on Thanksgiving we were two weeks post Mia's first major surgery - her lip repair - and were finally able to take off her Pedi-Wrap arm restraints.  Man, we were so excited for that day and terrified all the same that somehow she would do horrible damage to the surgery site once we actually took them off.  She still had her Hitler style steri-strip on her lip from surgery that we'd been slowly trimming down, but was such a little trooper and was doing so good. I can't believe we are a year out!  Mia's made it through lip AND palate surgery like a trooper. We are SO THANKFUL to have her in our lives and SO GRATEFUL that we are on the other side of these surgeries and ready for a much needed break for a few years.  :)

So thankful for this little bug that's growing up so fast and for the cooler weather we are FINALLY having.

Last Thanksgiving finally free of the arm restraints. Man, look at this little cutie - so tiny and so precious!!! (even with her Hitler-style bloody steri-strip mustache)  :)

Only 5 months old in this photo - my how time has flown! She's growing up so fast, but continues to be such a joy. She's learning and growing and changing so quickly and continues to amaze us. She's doing so many great things that I don't even know where to start. 

At 17 months Mia:

• is finally walking, though her locomotion method of choice is still crawling
• seems to walk better for anyone BESIDES mom
• gives huge two-armed hugs that just slay us
• loves to climb on the couch, rocking chair and almost anything else she can find
• loves to look out the windows and pull the string on the blinds to tilt them open
• gives kisses by either leaning her head towards you to kiss or sometimes leaning towards you with her sweet little baby mouth
• does baby sign language for 'more', 'hungry/food', 'all done' (which she also uses for 'no thank you') and has started doing the sign for stop (although her version is one powerful clap) lol
• regularly says "up", "more" and "dog"
• has recently started nodding and will nod to let us know that she wants what we are asking for, though her nod cracks us up because it is slow, over-exaggerated and very deliberate
• LOVES LOVES LOVES dogs
• has a hard time sharing
• is constantly taking off her shoes and socks
• loves going "out" side for walks or to the park
• is fearless and loves to go down the slides at the park
• will wave her hands "no thank you" when we ask if she's ready to go mimi's (Spanish nickname for 'dormir' - to sleep) but goes down to bed easily and sleeps 12 hours through the night
• loves to stack her stacking buckets and will stand up and balance to stack the highest cups
• likes putting the shapes and numbers in her sorter cube
• loves playing with people's phones
• is growing like a weed
• is moving into size 18 month clothes, but still wears a small size three shoe - we aren't sure where she got the tiny feet from!
• does not like you to take things from her, but if you say, "Can I have it, please?", she'll usually hand it over
• is still the light of our lives and such a joy to have as a daughter
• she loves to eat scrambled eggs with cheese, hot dogs, oatmeal, quesadillas , McDonald's dollar hamburgers, macaroni and cheese, soggy breakfast cereal and fruit leather, among other things  :)

I definitely need to write about our last few weeks, especially our road-trip to El Paso for Thanksgiving, but that will have to wait for later.  Right now I'm thankful for my comfy king sized bed with it's memory foam topper.  :)

Sadness

Sadness. Super duper sadness. Today Nikki and her family left Mia and I behind today to head to San Antonio and Mia and I got a small peek into what life is going to be like once they leave, and let me tell you, it's going to be super quiet and lonely around her. Super duper quiet and lonely. Super duper sadness.  Mia and I are going to be so lonely once they leave. It's been so fun having them here, and having them here for three whole weeks makes them feel like part of our little family - like they are a permanent part of our life.  I'm sure they will be relieved to be back in their own space and their own beds and I know Sara has really missed their dog, but we sure will miss them!!!


Here are a few photos from the last little bit:

Nikki and Fia spider swinging - fun!

Mia's loving the licorice. By the time she was done both her AND papa were covered in red drool.  :) 

Mia walking with the help of Sara and Fia. 

Sara loves to push Mia everywhere we go. She's such a good little mama!

This one of all of us girls was taken right after we picked them up from the airport. Man, we are going to miss them!!!

On Sunday we went on the Austin Duck Adventure. It's this bus/boat contraption that drives you on a tour around town and then drives into the lake and putters around the water as well. I'd gotten a great deal on Groupon before they'd come and so we were in a scramble to find a date that would work for all of us. I was a little worried how much the kids would enjoy it, but it was so fun. They gave us all these duck bill whistles that were a big hit with the three girls and I SO wish we could have captured the look on the girls faces when the big bus made a HUGE splash down as it drove into the water. Too too fun!!!

Our classy bus/boat ride looked like this. (from www.austinducks.com)

All aboard the boat/bus!

Almost everyone sporting their cool complimentary duck bill whistles (can you spot the party pooper?!?!).

Cheese! ...or should I say, "Quack?"

Mia was very relieved to find that mama was willing to share her duck whistle. 

Mia LOVED the duck whistle, even though she couldn't make it quack, and pretty much chewed on it the entire ride.  lol

My beautiful nieces taking in the water view after splashdown.

Man are we going to miss the Lindgrens!  Thankfully we still have three more sleeps before they head home!!!

Apendicitis Sucks

So, this year Halloween wasn't so fun. About 4:30 pm I started having a pain in my side. By 6 pm I was in horrible pain and my entire abdomen hurt so terribly and was super tender to the touch. Zeus was tired from working all weekend so between the two of us, we sat on the front porch with Mia (non-costumed, sadness) and passed out candy. I'd heard of someone experiencing something similiar, had gone to the ER and had an ultrasound etc., and it had ended up being gas pains, so I was really holding out on going in. However, by 9 pm I thought I might be dying. It was worse than labor pains not only because it hurt so bad, but because it was constant and just would just NOT stop. We headed to the ER where they did blood work and even a CT scan. My white blood cell count was slightly elevated and my appendix was slightly enlarged, but they were perplexed by how sore my entire stomach was. At about 3 am they admitted me to the hospital and my appendix was removed the next morning. When they went to take out my appendix, they found a pocket of puss that they had to suction out as well, which was probably the cause of the extreme abdominal pain. Luckily, they were still able to do it laproscopically, so I have three small incisions versus one longer one that would have had to go through four layers of muscle. Ouch! Because of the extra "goody" they had to suction out, I got to stay an extra day in the hospital. Got home today and feeling MUCH better than Monday, but still generally crappy. This is my second surgery this year, you think I'd be over it by now. In the last two years this is my third surgery. Man, between Mia and Zeus and I, we've had seven surgeries in this household in the past 16 months!  Sheish!  I say, enough all ready!


Luckily we were able to have some fun before "the appendix" took over and ruined the last few days.  On Friday we trick-or-treated at the nursing home. On Saturday we "Trunk-or-Treated" at the church parking lot. We hung a spider web over the hatch of my car and hung our home made decorations and spider rings on the stretched out web. I think it turned out pretty awesome, and apparently others agreed because we won second prize in the trunk decorating contest!  Yay!

Looking pretty great, eh?

Sofia and Sara rocking the cake walk, and Mia and I rocking the cake walk. 

Cake walk winners and their winnings. 

Sara and Fia trunk-or-treating.

Mia surprised us by carrying her own bucket at actually walking from car to car for a little bit!

Zeus worked his part time weekend job was was able to jet over after work and catch the last few moments of trunk-or-treating. Mia's cheeks are full of candy in this one. lol

Mama and papa and Mia trunk-or-treating. Cute little butterfly!

Man, we just can't get enough of her!  :)

On Sunday after church, we went to two Halloween themed activities. The first was our friend Chrissy's little mommy-and-me Halloween party and the second was at the University of Texas for students and their family. What a full, full day!

Mia looking cute as a bug in a rug on Sunday at church.

Sofia and Sara decorated scary mummy cupcakes at Chrissy's.

Sara and Fia also painted some mini-pumpkins. 

Mia caught up on her snuggling of some good friends we haven't seen for a bit and charmed everyone in her little butterfly costume.

Then it was off to the Erwin Center at UT for their Halloween celebration. Zeus was able to get out of work a few hours early and meet us there.

Fun Halloween peek-troughs. 

Mia thought the free balloon was the coolest thing ever.

Sara and Fia fished for candy and bowled for candy. 

I gave Fia a ride on my shoulders so she could see the dancers. Her dress made for a cute bonnet and a silly photo op.  :)  

I got recruited to help with the super complex scary face Sofia chose when grandma's hands got tired. Man, at times I wondered if I would be able to even finish it!

Grandpa helping Sara with her happy jack-o-lantern.

My easy ghost one for Mia, Sofia's scary grin, and Sara's happy pumpkin.

We were able to get them out and lit before their papa got in from the airport.

That night their papa finally flew in from Germany to join the party. However, Zeus still got some quality Sofia time in before her papa took over. They have such a fun bond and it's fun to see them together.

Then on Halloween we decorated Halloween cookies before the trick-or-treating took off. Sara and Sofia were able to wear their costumes one last time for a trip around the block with their mom and dad and grandpa while Zeus, Mia, grandma and I held down the fort and handed out candy before the fateful trip to the ER. Man, no wonder my appendix gave out. Way too much Halloween fun going on in the past few days!

Got home from the hospital today and was suckered in to going and sitting by the pool while everyone swam. The pool by the house was finally on lock-down so we went to the neighborhood YMCA. Good times!  Go ahead, I know you're already singing it... "It's fun to stay at the Y, M, C, A!"

Nikki, Sofia, Sara, Zeus and Mia swimming in the pool at the YMCA today.

Sofia and Sara could swim all by themselves with the life vests on and thought they were super cool.

Though you can't tell by the look on her face in this photo, Mia enjoyed swimming and her life vest as well.  lol

Anyhow, it's time for my next dose of antibiotic and pain meds, so I'm off to pop some pills and catch some much needed rest. Nightey night.