Birthday boys

Nada and Belly are seven years old today. Or yesterday. Or tomorrow. We weren't present at their birth. They arrived at our house on August 27, a Saturday, and on the following Monday, the vet said they were about four weeks old. So we assigned them August 1st as their birthday.

From the beginning, they found our mouths to
be absolutely fascinating. Nada once stuck his
entire head in Sandy's mouth as a baby.

I keep singing to them, greeting them with exuberant wishes for a happy birthday, calling them the birthday boys. They don't seem to see anything special about the day. They cuddled with me in bed (keeping me awake when I was trying to get back to sleep), urged me to get them breakfast faster as I opened their can in the kitchen, batted at their locked cat door to try to get outside. Now they're napping in their current favorite spots: Belly's on the guest bed, which is folded into a sofa; Nada's in the blanket basket in the living room.

They might not be excited about the day, but I'm mighty grateful that they were born and that Millie scooped them up and brought them to us. I've been grateful for nearly seven years, but that gratitude increased after Sandy's death.

In some ways, I owe them my life. They definitely contribute to my overall wellbeing. They take care of me as much as I take care of them.

They got much bigger, but they still took comfort snuggling
with each other. This was about six weeks before Pico died.
Belly and Nada still curl up together daily.

Every time I've wondered why I continue to live, I know that I can't leave the boys. When I feel touch-deprived, a little head bonks against my hand demanding stroking. When I'm despairing, their antics make me laugh. When I don't feel Sandy's presence, I can talk to them instead. They pull me out of myself, out of my self-pity. And all the while, they're a bridge to Sandy. They were a great comfort to her at times of fatigue and pain. She didn't always respect their intelligence (or, say, lack of survival instinct), but she adored them.


We were lucky to have Pico for his brief life, and I'm fortunate to have Nada and Belly as my constant companions now. So, whether they register it or not, it's a happy birthday for me.