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.  :)