A new picture and leg update

I added this picture as Nina's "picture of the month" to the sidebar, but I also wanted to put it in a post. This is one of the pictures that will go to China as part of our first post-placement report. We also used it in our Christmas card, but by itself it's even better.
People often ask me how Nina is doing.
She is a joy.
Yes, she can be whiny and defiant, she can put on this "I could care less" attitude, but overall, she is happy, funny, and basks in our love and our praise.
This picture is like a dream come true. It blows me away to see HOW happy she is, and I'm so, so, so thankful.

On Thursday, 6 weeks were up, and Nina's cast came off. Wohoo! The X-Ray looked good, and we were advised to give her another couple of weeks to take it easy, which means no jumping off the bed or jumping on a trampoline for example. I think we don't have to worry about that (we have no trampoline anyway, and in 20 degree weather it would not be much fun even if we did), as Nina is very, very careful. She was so scared to walk at first, she literally cried big crocodile tears. But then she tried, and everyone cheered her on. That helped. A lot. She is slowly beginning to hobble around on her own, but prefers to scoot still. It's like having a new girl! Again, I really think that a lot of good came out of this, as it was very good for our bonding with her.
I took them to the swimming pool yesterday, and that paired with the renewed walking wore her out. I thought she was going to fall asleep at the dinner table, and by 7pm she was sound asleep in bed, sleeping until 8am this morning!