About two days after moving to China I got really tired of coming home to an empty apartment. My family had always had numerous pets in our house growing up, and I missed little furry friends greeting me at the door. A few months later I bought a baby bunny in desperation, which turned out to be a huge mistake....who knew such a little guy could poop so much and then grow so quickly! He became part of a wonderful catch and release program when we let him go in Chaoyang Park (Beijing's equivalent of Central Park).
Here's Joey
A year after arriving Justin surprised me with two kittens for my birthday. His boss' cats had just had a litter of little British Shorthairs and wanted them to go to a good home.
So, Wei Wei (pronounced "Way Way" and short for Wei Da, one of Mao Zedong's nicknames meaning "Great One" because the kitty is so huge)
And Mei Li (pronounced "May Lee" and meaning "Beautiful")
Entered the picture and endlessly enhanced my life in Beijing - which can sometimes be lonely. They are fantastic cats. Very affectionate and loyal to each other and us.
Before we became parents to a human baby, we had our fare share of protective parenting experiences with Wei Wei and Mei Li. One of the most traumatic for all involved was when we took them to a local vet to get spayed and neutered. (Though perhaps it was actually good preparation for Judah's circumcision experience because the operations were equally hands-on, up-close-and-personal, traumatic, stressful, and memorable for us.) At one point I thought Wei Wei had died when it seemed they were giving him a vaccination, but it was actually general anesthesia. He went completely limp with eyes rolled back in his head - all while I was holding him. We also had to do their post-op care in the waiting room - putting drops in their eyes and manually blinking them and making sure they were still breathing. Finally the doctor didn't think Mei Li was coming out of the anesthesia fast enough, so he gave her another shot which conveniently took effect when we were in the taxi and she started going nuts. She had no pain killers and cried for 24 hours, during which time she could only be consoled by being held. (This truly is starting to sound more and more like Judah's circumcision experience.)
Here she is in her recovery wrap (cut from a t-shirt after she ate through the gauze put on her by the vet).
While I was pregnant, Mei Li laid on my side and across my belly every night. She knew something was going on, but nothing could have prepared either of them for the little creature that was soon to emerge....
Wei Wei's first introduction to Judah Dixon
Mei Li checking out the sleeping Lion in his swing
The first few months were a nice adjustment period for Judah's feline friends. They thought they had everything under control and were starting to relax...but then the little Lion started to MOVE! Since then life has been a lot more exciting for Mr. Wei Wei and Miss Mei Li.
Judah and Mei Li "playing"
"Go-Go Gadget Arms" finding Wei Wei
Judah loves them both and the first word he recognized was "cat". Whenever he hears it he looks around trying to find them. For the most part, they're okay with him too. Whenever he cries or plays in his crib, they're both posted right outside his door. They'll also let him pet them when they're desperate for some loving. But we'll see if the love continues when he's able to walk and climb...no more safe sleeping spots!
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