Day 280: "We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to bring you this announcement of a Special Event. It's Tippy's birthday!" Today his age matches his weight, but we wouldn't want to call him stout because he carries it well. That said, other than a tiny bit of extra canned food for his breakfast, he won't be getting any special treats in honour of the day. What he will be getting is concentrated Mama-time, either on my lap or playing games. Oh, he loves to play games! He's even invented a few, like trap-the-foot. When I'm down on my knees with him, he circles me, making head-butts, running his tail under my nose and making me sneeze, and then as he moves past, he trails one foot behind, sometimes holding it suspended an inch or two off the floor until I grab it gently and allow it to slip through my fingers. Then I'm expected to trap the other foot before he makes his next pass. And almost without fail, when he's tired of this game, he steps to one side and flops, at which point I put one arm under his head and the other curls around his back so that I can pet him as he kneads my bicep. He developed the routine himself and patiently schooled me in it until I had it down pat. Smart little Boy! They say that in a relationship, you get out what you put in. There's a lot of love here, going both ways.
