Chop Chop is Gone

Very very sad. Judith was SO upset, I felt so terrible for her. She cried and cried and cried and I just had to hold her for a while. My heart was broken too, but I knew it was for the best. Chop Chop went to a new home, his new owner is a young girl with 2 female cats who is looking to find them a mate. She said we could have one of the kittens (a female!). Or if her cats don't like Chop Chop, he might be back! As sad as it was to see him go, at least I know that he will have fun at his new home ;). And the girl seemed really knowledgeable about cats, and she obviously really likes them, and he won't be tormented by children anymore. I really hope that he is happier there. I really did love him, but he just wasn't a good fit for our family. I am totally going to miss the cuddles, but not the cat scratches all over the kids. *sigh* I hope we did the right thing. Judith seemed to get over it quickly enough, although every so often she starts crying and says "I NEED THE BIG CHOP CHOP BACK!!!!!" (Because we've told her that we will get one of Chop Chop's babies). I hope that she isn't scarred for life.

Is It Just Me?

...Or have they grown SO MUCH lately?

Gideon looks SO much like Dave in this pic, but also at the same time SO much like my brother. It's weird! He's seriously grown a couple of inches in the last week or so.



Judith has suddenly grown up too. She now talks in perfect paragraphs, and I just LOVE when she speaks with excellent grammar and a varied vocabulary. She has also learned the art of lying, but we're working on that. And I've noticed her size 3 pants are getting a little short already! We only moved from 2 to 3 in November (but Judith insists that she doesn't really need pants anyway)... Chop Chop is getting really big too! I was looking at some old pics recently, and just realized how much he has grown. He can barely fit under the gate into the kitchen these days. When we first got him, he barely had to duck to get under!



Also, happy 1st birthday to Dragon! His birthday was on the 15th.



***
Here is a video we took on Valentine's Day. Please excuse my horrible singing and the tv in the background, but I just have to show off how Gideon can stand and hold up his own weight now, and also give us 5 on command!

Note to Chop Chop

If you didn't want to get wet, you should not have hung out on the side of the bath tub while Judith was bathing.



100% your fault, cat.

Oh Wheeeere is my Chop Chop?

Last week one night I had this weird feeling that something was wrong. Judith was already asleep, and Gideon was fine. But where was Chop Chop? The house was completely trashed, because it was when I had the flu, so he could have been anywhere. It made me nervous, thinking that he might be hiding under something and accidentally get stepped on. Dave assured me that he was fine and was probably sleeping somewhere. I looked around a little bit before I went to bed, but then gave up and hoped that Dave was right. I put some food in his dish in case he woke up in the night.

The next morning I got up, and was so unbelievably stiff from being sick! But I couldn't stop thinking about the cat. I noticed that Chop Chop's food was untouched, and alarm bells were definitely going off in my head. I started going through everything. I completely tore apart Judith's room. But he was nowhere to be found. Then I started going through things in the living room, trying not to freak out. I was calling him, and finally heard a little mew. "At least he's alive!" I thought. I could not, for the life of me, find him though! I was getting really frustrated. The sound was coming from Judith's room I was almost certain, but I had looked through everything, even the closet!

I finally got Judith to be quiet enough so I could pinpoint the location of the meowing. I opened Judith's sock drawer... and there he was. Poor thing! I was SO mad at Judith! Chop Chop had been in there for 12-15 hours! As if she would put him in there and leave him! Fortunately, he hadn't peed or pooped. But boy was he hungry! He was also in a really bad mood for a while, understandably. Judith got quite the talking to, but I don't know if she really understands.

It seems as though Chop Chop has forgiven Judith though, he is currently cuddling with her on the couch.

Chop Chop

So, Judith decided to name the kitten Chop Chop. Although depending on her mood, she also calls him Kitty and Squishy.



She always did like Chinese food...

Mama Didn't Make the Cut

Judith and I are doing dishes.

Me: Judith, who is your best friend?
Judith: Lambie!
M: Who's after that?
J: Daddy.
M: Who's after that?
J: KITTY!
M: Who's after that?
J: Gideon.
M: Who's after that?
J: Roarie.
M: What about Mommy?

(Judith stops for a second, then quietly leaves the room)

I guess I didn't make the list.

Welcome To The Family, Kitty!

Sorry I have been absent the last few days. A few things have happened that have demanded of my time.

But please let me introduce you to the newest member of our family! The name he came with is "Squishy", but we may change it, because my brother has a cat named Squishy. Any suggestions?



I think it will be a good learning experience for Judith. She absolutely adores the kitten! But she has yet to truly understand that the cat is its own entity, and not her plaything, and it does not, in fact, need to obey her every command. She cried herself to sleep last night because she was upset that the cat wouldn't stay on her pillow and sleep with her. She also has a bad habit of lifting him up by the fur on his back instead of picking him up gently by his belly. We're working on that. But he seems to like her despite it all, he follows her around, and if she is sitting on the couch he will sleep beside her or cuddle on her lap. It's adorable! I hope that this is the start of a beautiful friendship.