Photo credit: http://www.imgfave.com

Three weeks into the new year and what a crazy time it has been!  I must apologize for my absence in the blogosphere, but life once again got in the way.  My mind has been a super highway lately and I have so many new ideas that I want to explore on the blog.  You may have already noticed the new layout.  I’ve been plugging away at #18 on my 30-Before-30 list.  I’ve got an appointment to check off #16 next month and plans in the works for #5, 17, and 23.

And then there’s my personal life.

Work has been insanely busy now that I’m finally getting the hang of things.  I’ve been celebrating birthdays with friends.  I was down for an entire weekend with a nasty stomach bug.  Oh, and the most important and one of the main reasons my lap is often occupied with something other than my laptop: I adopted again.

Lila Lu and her favorite mouse

Throughout the month of December, the local shelter was running a special that I couldn’t pass up.  Since he was raised with other cats and was suddenly thrown into a big home with no one else to play with for much of the day, I had been searching for a buddy for Baxter for weeks.  I wanted to get a female so there weren’t any territorial issues, but also find one that was young enough that the two kitties would have similar energy levels.  Two days before the special ended, a kitten finally came into the shelter that was exactly what I was looking for.  And she was adorable to boot.

I called immediately, but was told that I would need to come in person as they couldn’t reserve her over the phone.  I managed to get off early that day and rushed to the shelter right before closing.  Turns out, the little munchkin was in quarantine or “kitty jail” as I like to call it.  When I inquired as to why she was in there, fearing that she was ill, I was told it was because she scratched someone.

She scratched someone.

I was appalled.  Here was a tiny little kitten, just under three months old, scared and locked up because she did exactly what playful kittens do.  I asked to see her anyway because I thought the whole idea of detention for scratching simply ridiculous.

Lila’s first selfie

As I approached her kennel, it was clear that she was a trepidatious little dear.  Once the worker determined that she wasn’t going to go crazy running all around the room, she was placed in my arms and I tried my best to make her feel comfortable.  When I first met Baxter, the bond was instant and I knew as soon as I walked in the door that he was coming home with me soon.  With this little girl, I wasn’t sure.  Worried that I had been excited over nothing, I told the worker how sad it was that she wasn’t purring.  He assured me that was completely normal in the situation.  I kept petting her and talking to her in a soft voice.

And then I got a head bop.

Yep, she claimed me as hers and was soon purring her little heart out.  I was done and Baxter was getting the little sister I had hoped for.  A few days later, I picked up Lila and had to keep her in isolation while she healed from her spay and was given the all-clear from the vet.

Then it was time to formally introduce the siblings.

The first time they really got to interact with one another.

Baxter didn’t take it quite as well as I was expecting, but in just a few days, my furbabies were chasing each other throughout the house.  They cuddle up together, eat together, and spend their days doing who knows what.  Baxter is still a mama’s boy, but he loves his little sister, often holding her down to groom her.  Lila adores her big brother, waiting patiently as he uses the litter box (even though there is another one she could use if she wanted) and often waking him up to play.  There have been a few times when I’ve had to step in and break them up, but as soon as I do, they both look at me as if to say, “What?  We were just playing!”

As I look at my two kids, Baxter spread out down by my feet and Lila stretched across my stomach, I am overwhelmed with how much I love these kitties.  At the risk of sounding like a crazy cat lady (I’m aiming for spinster, not cat lady), I really am so glad I got both of them and I am absolutely thrilled that they seem to love each other as much as I love them.

I can’t even imagine how I’ll feel if I ever have a child of my own someday.