Bella's Story -- 2012 Secret Santa Gifts
Bella was a rescue who needed a new home fast. She passed from her former owner to Lilysmommy (on HHC) to Kalandra to me in short order in a few short weeks this past June.
Upon arrival, I found a rather skittish little girl who worked herself up into quite the huff. She huffed continuously to the point of panicked hedgie-yelps from time to time. She protected herself the very best way a scared little hedgie could: huffed and puffed and curled up in a little hedgie ball. She took a few months to let me know she had four feet. Technically, I knew she had four of them, but she only let me see two. I held her in my hands, she put out her front two, but kept her back to feet curled up in a protective quillball. Perhaps a month and a half passed before she opened up on her own and let me feel her soft little hedgie belly and let her rear feet brush against my fingers as I put her back into her home one night. Then, depending on how she felt, either I had a two- or four- footed hedgehog in my hands each morning and evening. These past few months, I’ve had a four-footed hedgehog. She is more huffy than Satin or Tex were, but certainly less huffy than she was when she first came home. She’s grown more adventuresome and bold… at least in my arms.
Tuesday night, we took another big step. We talked about “Christmas.” I said Christmas was a time when we celebrate the good things that happen during the year. I told her that her coming to live with me was one of the very good things in my life and I thanked her for being there. I said I hoped she felt good too. I talked about another good thing: how there are more human friends out there. I said I told these humans about her, they cared about her, and one made some very special things for her.
There's pengi blankie, pengi hedgiebag, zebra hedgiebag, & pengi snuggle pillow all for Miss Bella. Serving as the model hedgie in this pic, the stuffed hedgie arrived snoozing inside the zebra hedgiebag.
I told Bella that I put two of those very special things in her house. I told her I had the other two things (the hedgiebags) out with us and she could look at them now if she wanted. I said they were just for Bella. And would be just like her other things: she could play and snuggle with them until they got messy, then they go back in the laundry until they are clean, then they would come back to her again because they are hers. We snuggled and I showed her my camera phone. She studied it for a long time... a loooooong time. She watched herself on the screen and let me take a few pictures without running away or curling up in fear.
Then she explored the pengi hedgiebag.
Yep, that's little hedgie bum you see there.
When she was all done, I brought her back to her house and she went into her igloo and snuggled with her new blankie.
Have to adjust it so it’s “just right” you know?
Thank you Secret Santa!
