We moved the kitty boys to their transitional home (a.k.a. my parent's house) and there they will stay until they move to their new permanent homes. For Eli that will be about another 10 days. For B'Oscar, we aren't sure yet. It was a long ride to Virginia with two unhappy kitties and a grumpy baby, but we all made it no worse for wear.
As we were packing for the trip out there, we realized that we only had one cat carrier... ONE... I thought, "That's not good!" Images of both kitties shoved into the same carrier, paws frantically swatting at us through the holes fleeted through my mind before shaking off that idea of a bloodbath! But Tim came to the rescue. He found a file box, cut holes in the top, and we lowered a squirming B'Oscar kitty inside. Then, we taped the lid closed. No fear, he had plenty of air, and I could even reach my hand down inside and pet him a long the way.
I have come to learn that kitties hate car rides. And it has also been my experience that Eli hates them the most. For as brave and bold as he is in everyday life, he turns into a gelatinous, furry pile of kitty mush in the car. We hadn't gone more than 20 minutes when we smelled something most foul and had to pull off at the nearest gas station, wipe down said kitty and his carrier. Fortunately there were no more mishaps.
When we arrived, we unloaded the cats in a closed room. In true Eli form, he was up and about, ready to take on the world. (Now that the world wasn't zooming past at 65+ miles an hour!) B'Oscar kitty headed for the first hiding place he could find... under the bed. But don't worry. Within a couple of hours, his hungry belly coached him out and about to explore his new surroundings.
We spent the night at my parent's, and the kitty boys shared the room with us. Eli made himself right at home in the bed. When Eli wants to be some place and knows that you might not want him to be there, he goes limp. Yup, a dead weight... Nearly impossible to move. So, he spent the night at our feet. B'Oscar kitty was a bit restless, jumping in and out of bed. At times, he would curl up in my arms and purr. I think he was pretty uneasy. By the next morning, he seemed back to his old self again.
Coming home without my boys was hard. The moment I opened the door to my house, I stuck my foot in, a habit I developed early on in my kitty owning days to prevent any adventurous kitty from escaping. But who was I trying to keep from escaping now? No one. Cause there was no one there to even try.
Throughout the evening I kept seeing them, B'Oscar mostly, darting past the corner of my eye. I swore he was in the hallway. Was that Eli sleeping on the couch? No... It was a white t-shirt. It's after 9pm. They must be hungry. I'll go feed them. Wait... They aren't here. Three minutes would pass and I would already forget they were gone. I'd look around for them and that sinking feeling would return. I keep hoping this phase passes quickly, but it hasn't yet.
A weekend of happy...
While we were out at my parent's house, we got to see a few of my cousins that I haven't seen in ages. They got to meet Charlotte. Charlie got to spend time with her grandparents, which she always enjoys. She sat on GP's lap for about a half an hour and became very fascinated with his ear. She kept trying to pull at it and talk into it. She was having so much fun!
While I wasn't looking she did manage to shove several pieces of cat food into her mouth on two different occasions, but her daddy dutifully dug them out of her mouth, to a lot of protest.
It was her first night away from home, but she did really well. She slept through the night and didn't even wake up from the really loud thunderstorm.
I got to see some of my father's new artwork and it was stunning! I can't wait to get it photographed and start entering it into shows!
Sunday evening, we took Charlotte to see her first fireworks. I wondered how it would go. Charlie isn't a big fan of loud noises and hates abrupt, loud noises even more. She's been known to start screaming when someone breaks out into laughter near her when she isn't expecting it.
We went to North Beach, to my brother-in-law's house for a cook out and then a walk down to the beach for the show. It was sprinkling when we started walking down in the dark. We got to the shoreline and waited. When they finally started Charlotte was mesmerized. Every once in a while there would be an extra loud bang and she would look at me to make sure it wasn't something she should be worried about. I would smile and tell her that it was all fine and gush about the colors and she would go back to watching the show. About 10 minutes later, it started to pour and we had to high tail it back to the house. It was alright though, because as entranced as Charlotte was, she is still just a baby and had pretty much had enough.
It definitely was an emotional weekend. I'm so thankful to my parents for taking in the boys and taking such good care of them. (I'm getting daily updates. They are doing great!) I am also very thankful for such a loving husband, and grateful for his 'cat-food-removal-from-baby-mouth' skills! I am also incredibly blessed to get the chance to watch my little girl discover the world around her. Growing up again is so much fun!
