Happy Thanksgiving

I won't say that today was the best
Thanksgiving we've ever had, but it certainly has been one of the most memorable and the most thankful. Thankful because our beautiful girl is on the road to recovery and her heart is working perfectly. Thankful because she's been given a chance to live a long and healthy life, a life which
would not have been possible for her had she remained in China. We are so thankful and blessed that she is part of our family, and that, God willing, we will be blessed with her sassy
little presence for a very long time. We can tell that she's feeling much better today because our opinionated little diva is back in spades. In spite of the fact that I bought her several new pairs of princess pajamas just for her hospital stay, she has steadfastly refused to wear any clothes since her surgery; preferring to stay in her underwear all day with the covers kicked off, no matter who comes to visit. This child who is ordinarily so modest that she won't take off a shirt for me to iron unless the door is closed and locked has suddenly decided that clothing is an abomination, go figure. We're hoping she gets over this before time to go to the playroom tomorrow, or it might get embarrassing.

She finally got transferred out of ICU to a regular room today, where she was able to see Maili and Holt as well as MeMe and Pa , Aunt Kelli and cousin Lacey. Her first Thanksgiving might have been spent in the hospital, but she was surrounded by her family and that is what is most important. We were anticipating having to suffer through hospital cafeteria food for our Thanksgiving lunch, but we were pleasantly surprised to learn that a local family provides Thanksgiving lunch for patients, staff, and families on Thanksgiving day , and they really put on an amazing feast. Staffed and served by an amazing group of volunteers, it was a great time for families to be together and enjoy a home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner away from home. We later learned that the family who has been doing this great service for the hospital for the past 15 years owns Superior Plumbing, and we have decided that we will not hesitate to use them in the future for our plumbing needs. I know that it meant a lot to all of the patients and their families who otherwise would have missed out on a real Thanksgiving dinner.