Farewell Bao Bao, safe travels to China tomorrow
The time has come to say goodbye to Bao Bao. I remember it like it was yesterday...on August 23, 2013, I was on the bus ride home from "school"...scrolling through facebook, I came across a post from the National Zoo, saying that Mei Xiang was in labor. I rushed to my computer as soon as I got home, and not long afterwards, Bao Bao was born. Those little squeals she made filled my heart with love and happiness. Since I didn't get to watch her big brother Tai Shan grow up via the cams, I knew I had to tune in as much as I could with Bao Bao, and I'm so glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed watching her pass milestones, and grow bigger as the days went on. Of course, we were all hanging in suspense for a while with the government shutdown that fall, but once the cams returned, all was well in the world again.
My first in-person visit with Bao Bao was magical, and each visit from there on out was very special and unforgettable. No matter what she did, she made me smile. I was very lucky to be there for her 3rd and last birthday party in DC. Many people gathered to see Mei Xiang enjoy Bei Bei (Bao's little brother)'s cake, but I knew I had to stick around Bao's enclosure and be there as soon as she saw her cake for the first time. It was very special to be there for that moment. Afterwards, I attended a big party consisting of panda lovers who came near and far for this special event. Being there, I was reminded that although I had been a panda lover for 9 years prior, Bao Bao was the reason I went to that party. If it weren't for her, I would not have made many friends and memories that weekend.
Bao Bao was almost like a miracle panda. Her mother, Mei Xiang, gave birth to a cub in September 2012, her first birth in 7 years. Unfortunately, her cub, a female, died within a week of being born. The following year, Mei ended up pregnant again, and I was cautiously optimistic about a cub surviving. Thankfully, Bao Bao survived. Her stillborn twin was not so lucky, but one cub surviving is better than none. From then on, my life was changed.
I could not help but fall deeply in love with Bao Bao, both through the times I watched her grow up on the cam, and when I visited her in person. She is unique...the first surviving daughter of Mei Xiang, and the first surviving female panda cub born at the National Zoo. Her playfulness never failed to make me laugh. I managed to be there during her last big snowfall in DC, and those memories were some of the best I made with her. She made me smile, she made me laugh, but leaving her was so hard, but she made it a little easier by being asleep. Being a panda lover has its ups and downs, but I would never trade it for the world.
So farewell Bao Bao, may you have a wonderful life in China. I look forward to seeing and hearing how you'll do in a new environment, and I look forward to seeing pictures of the beautiful babies you will make in the future. I love you so much, sweet girl ♥︎
Made Explore #321 on February 21, 2017.
Farewell Bao Bao, safe travels to China tomorrow
The time has come to say goodbye to Bao Bao. I remember it like it was yesterday...on August 23, 2013, I was on the bus ride home from "school"...scrolling through facebook, I came across a post from the National Zoo, saying that Mei Xiang was in labor. I rushed to my computer as soon as I got home, and not long afterwards, Bao Bao was born. Those little squeals she made filled my heart with love and happiness. Since I didn't get to watch her big brother Tai Shan grow up via the cams, I knew I had to tune in as much as I could with Bao Bao, and I'm so glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed watching her pass milestones, and grow bigger as the days went on. Of course, we were all hanging in suspense for a while with the government shutdown that fall, but once the cams returned, all was well in the world again.
My first in-person visit with Bao Bao was magical, and each visit from there on out was very special and unforgettable. No matter what she did, she made me smile. I was very lucky to be there for her 3rd and last birthday party in DC. Many people gathered to see Mei Xiang enjoy Bei Bei (Bao's little brother)'s cake, but I knew I had to stick around Bao's enclosure and be there as soon as she saw her cake for the first time. It was very special to be there for that moment. Afterwards, I attended a big party consisting of panda lovers who came near and far for this special event. Being there, I was reminded that although I had been a panda lover for 9 years prior, Bao Bao was the reason I went to that party. If it weren't for her, I would not have made many friends and memories that weekend.
Bao Bao was almost like a miracle panda. Her mother, Mei Xiang, gave birth to a cub in September 2012, her first birth in 7 years. Unfortunately, her cub, a female, died within a week of being born. The following year, Mei ended up pregnant again, and I was cautiously optimistic about a cub surviving. Thankfully, Bao Bao survived. Her stillborn twin was not so lucky, but one cub surviving is better than none. From then on, my life was changed.
I could not help but fall deeply in love with Bao Bao, both through the times I watched her grow up on the cam, and when I visited her in person. She is unique...the first surviving daughter of Mei Xiang, and the first surviving female panda cub born at the National Zoo. Her playfulness never failed to make me laugh. I managed to be there during her last big snowfall in DC, and those memories were some of the best I made with her. She made me smile, she made me laugh, but leaving her was so hard, but she made it a little easier by being asleep. Being a panda lover has its ups and downs, but I would never trade it for the world.
So farewell Bao Bao, may you have a wonderful life in China. I look forward to seeing and hearing how you'll do in a new environment, and I look forward to seeing pictures of the beautiful babies you will make in the future. I love you so much, sweet girl ♥︎
Made Explore #321 on February 21, 2017.