September

Audace and Ruse learned lots of things in September: where to find a nice private place to take a nap (high on top of the kitchen cupboards!), where their food came from, how to play on their multi-level scratching-and-jumping toy (Austen was teaching them!), how to play in the water, and how to play with and in a box until it's in shreds.





What active little boys! And what a patient mommy they have, not to mention their servants!

Wow! It worked!

... and with photos, now, too.

Here's another test -- this time with Ruse and Audace baby pix! (Ruse above; Audace below.)

Quandry

I love the looks of this blog -- thank you, ML, for setting it all up! -- but the inability to post, with or without photos is becoming VERY frustrating. I'm looking into typepad.com and squarespace.com as alternatives, but I'd really rather have this one work and not have to switch.

So this is a test. Will Blogger work today??

Last June

When the kittens were first with us, they had many new people and things to become familiar with. It didn't take them long!! All these photos were taken between June 6 and June 16. Fast learners, these little guys!

Tummy Tuesday

This is Audace's favorite snoozing position -- toes curled and tummy up!

It's hard to resist patting that nice, soft, white little tummy. And he doesn't even wake up!

August

In August we introduced the cats to the Cat-Sitter DVD. At first only Ruse seemed interested, but eventually both of the kittens seemed to think it merited a passing glance. Grace was never impressed!

Audace is interesting, though, because he reacts to sounds he hears during regular television shows -- animal and bird sounds, doorbell or telephone ringing, things like those. You just never know what's going through those developing brains!

Hmmm...

More problems -- Blogger isn't letting me post photos today. The rats!

What's up with all this, anyway??

July

During the month of July, we were captivated by all the different kinds of play that our new babies found fascinating.


They loved the new stuff we brought home (e.g., flexible cubes that hook together, special from Target!) as well as the stuff that was already around the house (empty laundry basket!). They chewed on anything small and cylindrical, so we had (still do) to keep them away from computer cables and electrical cords.



But the most fascinating thing to me was not only the amount of time they slept, but that they always were together when it was naptime -- always. They needed to touch each other, whether they were in full body contact or just one foot each!


Grace, of course, was ever watchful -- and still did all the the cleaning, caring, feeding things she seemed to believe was her duty! Such an excellent mom!!

Beautiful Grace

On June 6, 2006, when I first saw Grace, I was just amazed. The photos we had seen of her online, including in this very blog, were impressive. Such a beauty, and she seemed so serene. All of those qualities that came through in those first photos were and are true. She's wonderful and beautiful and loving. Not even her rascally boys could fluster her!


She has filled out a great deal, now that she doesn't have four kittens to care for and is no longer nursing -- although I have to say, Audace and Ruse do still try, occasionally! Silly boys!! She didn't even weigh 9 pounds when she went in to be spayed, but now she's more like 14 or 15 pounds. She likes to guard the water dish, as you can see, and her two kitten-cats know enough to keep their distance when she's in guarding mode!

I do love this cat, and I cannot thank Deb and everyone else enough for rescuing her and her kittens that day in April.

While waiting ...

In case anyone doesn't know, I've been posting movies, photos, and little stories about Grace, Audace, and Ruse elsewhere since they came to live here in June.

Movies ~~> http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=writeacher

Photos and little stories ~~> http://writeacher.blogspot.com Look in the June, July, August, September, and October 2006 archives.

Re-naming kittens

When Deb brought Grace to us, she also brought Pete and Foster, whom my older grandson considers his own. He decided to re-name them -- to match their personalities. Heh! How can you tell that much about a kitten's personality at less than 2 months of age? Well, Austen played with them, watched them, fed them, etc., and sure enough -- the names he chose continue to suit them well.


Pete became Audace because he acted so boldly, barging right in where he seemed to think he belonged, where he was entitled to belong! This little guy continues to act like this. Whenever I come home, he's right there near the door to greet me. Whenever he sees anything interesting outside (such as one of the neighborhood cats!), he goes right up to the door or window to peer out at it and see what's what. At night, when I'm watching TV, he expects to cuddle up right next to me. He's been doing this all along.


Foster became Ruse because he's such a little imp, very sneaky, very tricky! He's always trying to get where he shouldn't go (such as in my own room or the computer room, the only no-no rooms in the house)! When he does make it into my room, he immediately skitters under the bed so I can't get him. I've learned not to bother chasing him. He'll come out eventually!

Deb and others referred to these guys as the twins, and they really do look alike. The primary way we can tell the difference is that Audace has more white on his little face, as well as a white patch on his back. Ruse has more orange on his face and all over his back. Both have this wonderfully soft and very white fur on their chests and tummies. They are perfect candidates for Tummy Tuesday posts!

These guys have truly wormed their ways into all our hearts -- and by "our" I mean myself and my daughter's family. They are loads of fun, really beautiful, and very loving. I wouldn't trade them for anything.

Bringing this up to date!

Slowly, over the next few days or more, I'll post photos and little stories about Grace and two of her kittens. It'll be fun to relive the last 4 months in this way.

Stay tuned ...