Goodbye Missy

We said goodbye to Missy last week. She was a faithfully loving cat for 16 years. I don't think that I've ever seen a cat adore a person the way that she did Jonathan.

Shift

Elanor next to the cats then:

and now:


She has begun to show quite a bit more interest in them. As her ability to reach and grasp has improved, she has made quite a few lunges in their direction. We're working on the idea of "pet the kitty nicely!"


The boys had been getting used to her as the squeaky new inhabitant with interesting toys. Now they are a bit more dubious of the benefits of her presence

Two

Two year-olds are all the same-fascinated with scissors.

What? I'm not supposed to play with these?

Elanor at Home

Bundled up on the bed:

Looking at daddy:

Hanging with the boys:

Playing on the changing pad:


Full and happy:

Swaddled and ready for bed:

Firsts

First bath:

Elanor loved the warm water and didn't seem to mind being washed at all. Being taken out of the warm water to be dried and dressed, though, not so much.

First time being worn by daddy in the moby:

All bundled up and being soothed down to sleep to the gentle strains of John Philip Sousa. I hope that this doesn't mean that we have a trombone player in our family future.

First time out in the yard:

By the time that Elanor was a week or so old, I had to get outside into the sun or go stir crazy inside. She joined me on her mat and blanket for a trip to the backyard for some weeding. We've been outside for at least a little bit most non-rainy days since.

After first trip to church (on Easter Sunday):

Elanor was five days old on Easter Sunday. I don't think that we would have attempted going if it hadn't been such a special day and we were prepared for all sorts of possible catastrophes. However, she ended up sleeping through the entire service and the admiration following. This was also my first attempt at a coordinated outfit.

First meeting with the cats:

This was as close as they got. There were a few tentative sniffs in her direction before deciding that this strange little being was initially puzzling and perhaps alarming but ultimately not of significant interest. She, of course, paid them no attention whatsoever.

Car Cats (from 6/09)

We've been trying to accustom the boys to the idea of being outside in harnesses and riding in the car. While I'm sure that we won't ever be taking them camping with us, they handled it fairly well.


Max must get a little dizzy when the car is moving because he pretty much hunkers down until the movement is over. Edison is happiest in a lap but looking out of the window. Unfortunately, it's usually Jonathan's lap that he wants to be in.

We live on such a busy street right now that letting them out unsupervised (especially during this crazy kitten stage) is a little too hazardous for our taste. However, a bit of curtailed yard exploration can be fun for everyone. What is it with cats liking to sit in dirt?

Silly Boys

This is an experiment in inserting the video that Jonathan put up on YouTube. The boys are quite a bit bigger now, of course, but they still like playing in the tissue boxes.



Here is the other video of them playing on the cat tree for the first time.

A Little Help, Maybe

Sometimes, Max thinks that he really needs to be on my lap. While typing, eating, talking--or sewing.
He was fascinated by the whirr of the motor and the flying foot. I was afraid that he would try to catch it and get his foot punched with the needle but a few whacks of the screw on the side of the foot settled that.
He finally settled down just as I decided he needed to move in order for me to finish the project--last minute baby blankets for Abby's shower.

Sleeping Boys

So cute!

Tower of Cats

This is the fantastic cat tree that Jonathan and Tim built. It is obviously well appreciated.

Missy will sit on the lowest perch but has left the upper ones for the boys. You can almost hear her muttering to herself, "Those young whippersnappers can have their heights. The couch back is the best spot to sit in the sun anyway."
The boys think that it is a perfect place to watch us and bat at each other. Since taking this picture, we've also added some toys to dangle from the middle levels.

Maxwell seems to have decided that the top spot is his.Uneasy lies the crown, however, since Edison knows full well that the upper position offers a vulnerable tail to the upstart below for clawing and chewing. Fortunately, the whole apparatus is very sturdily constructed (can two engineers do less?) and has no trouble standing up to eighteen pounds of rambunctious cat.

Growth

There really are some things going on around here besides playing with the boys.

Really.

Jonathan started part-time at B&N and we are pondering how much we should take advantage of the employee discount. I have another finished project to share--as soon as it is photographed and on the way to the recipient. We are gearing up for Holy Week and the upcoming trip to the midwest.

But the boys are so much cuter than any of that.

There is an armed truce underway between the boys and Missy. We even saw them sniff noses the other night. Of course, they took that as an invitation for increased familiarity and proceeded to swat at her and grab her tail as she walked away. Two steps forward, one step back...

Grandma:

It's amazing that they have grown from this (how they looked when we met them):

To this elegant though slightly gawky adolescence:

Jungle Gym

My crazy boys!

The Boys

The boys have been with us for three weeks--the same as another boy!

The day that we brought them home, we were both exhausted.

Max is the curious one. They particularly like chewing on our slippers.

Jonathan's chair is the prime sleeping spot. He will sometimes move his chair away from the desk and use mine instead to avoid disturbing them.

Bonded brothers. They play with each other constantly, look for each other around the house, groom each other and sleep curled up together. It was such a good decision to take both of them. Not only do they chew on each other rather than us, they have been less inclined to bother Missy since whatever their brother is doing is far more interesting than the sitting around that she does. They are still quite curious about her and she will now let them be on the same piece of furniture with her as long as they are at a respectful distance. Excess encroachment is met with hisses and swats. "Too close, a little too close!" It is tempting to think of them in terms of how much they have grown in the last three weeks but we get reminded of how much bigger she still is (despite her otherwise diminutive stature) whenever they are out in the main house together.
Such fun, even when they are climbing our legs!

Newcomers

In the spirit of bringing new life into families that seems to be the mode right now, we are embracing our own version.
These cuties were found by my parents' neighbors a few days before Christmas. Their mom had been sneaking in to eat their cats' food. Once they realized that she was nursing, they found the tiny kittens under their deck. Being the generous people that they are, they brought them inside and provided a safe environment for the mom to finish raising them.

She was in the process of licking herself (and the nearest kitten) when this picture was taken but my mom said that her expression is a classic nursing face. They were about seven weeks old at this point and getting most of their nourishment from non-mom sources. However, they were still being offered tasty mom-snacks.

The one in front is Maxwell, named for the physicist, James Clerk Maxwell and the darker one in the back is Edison (Thomas Edison). Anyone catch the theme?
Maxwell is the clever one. He has already figured out how to kill feathers and climb the baby gate to get out of the room. Edison would be the despair of his elementary school teacher, if he were ever to have such a thing. He is still being distracted by his tail and passing sunbeams.

Cute boys!
They are beautiful, tabby siamese mixes. Their mom, despite her black coat and yellow eyes, clearly has some Siamese genes that show up in her svelte shape and mournful yowl. There is no way to determine who the father is but it appears that he was a siamese-tabby mix.

We are looking forward to bringing them home next weekend and are preparing the office for their reception. What a great way to celebrate Valentine's Day!