A Preview of my Future?

What a Saturday! I drove up to LA to babysit Isabella so that her parents could have a little time for themselves. First I had lunch with Arnaud and Jess, and when they left Isabella and I headed out to the park. It was so much fun. We walked from the apartment, headed west, stopped at the local Starbucks (of course!) and then we went to the playground. There we met Mable, a big bulldog, jibber jabbered with other little kids, and went on the swings. It seems like she is finally not minding the feeling of going back and forth that way. Unfortunately she has now figured out that one can eat sand (even if it doesn't taste yummy).


Isabella was already tired before we went to the park. It was now my turn to get her exhausted so that she would eat a good dinner and then sleep well.

We just arrived at the park, and are going to start a lap to see what looks like fun.

Lo and behold, it was the stones on the trash can that seemed to peak her interest.

Apparently she has not been a fan of the swings. At first, she was hesitant, but after a few pushes and making a fool of myself trying to get her to smile and laugh, she started to enjoy herself. (ultimately, was she enjoying the swing or the fact that I was making a fool of myself??)





After the jungle gym, we went over to the pond to look at the ducks. There we met a little girl, Sasha, who came over and gave us some bread to feed them. Isabella has a hidden talent....she can quack. Yes, she mimics a quack, and only does so to the ducks.





At dusk, it was time to go home. We had spent a good hour and a half playing, and it was getting a little chilly.

Back at the apartment the chairs from the kitchen were still in the living room. Isabella proceeded to make this into her own jungle gym.


Once the novelty of the chairs wore off, we lounged on the sofa, taking a breather.








Dinnertime rolled around and she ate like a big girl...beef, green beans, and carrots. Oh yes, true Belgian style homemade meal. By the time she finished off all three pots of food, it was bath time!! Arnaud could resist giving her little mohawks. Her hair has gotten so long.




I stayed in LA until about 10 that night. Jess, Arnaud and I always get caught up in talking about everything and anything, that time always seems to just pass without a second glance. I realized that at home, Java was waiting for me. The poor little kitty had been cooped up all day, from 9 am until past 11 pm. I knew that I would come home to a nice surprise in the kennel, and sure enough, the poor little one had peed and pooped. She was sopping wet so I scooped her up and put her immediately in the bathtub. Java has now had her first bath!!! I was not prepared to give her a bath so I ended up using my shampoo and conditioner. Let me just tell you, she is as pretty as can be. She has poofy shiny fur that smells like L'Oreal Paris shampoo. The name Java Brigitte definitley completes the role.


She was such a "snuggle bug" after the bath. I sat on the floor and she curled up in my lap, then crawled up on my chest and just shivered and purred simultaneously.






I knew she was ok when she started acting silly. Here she is looking at the camera upside down...

And then jumping on the unmade bed and swatting at my head...

So Saturday was a long day. Is this a foreshadowing of what is to come...of how my life might be in a couple years? If so, I'd better be prepared to not have a minute of downtime. Going from one little one to the next... and staying sane. And this was only one day. All in all it was a fabulously fun and hectic day!

Life with Java

I am becoming one of those people that just can't stop taking pictures of her little one. Java has definitely made herself at home and is living the fabulous life. I was finally able to puncture a hole in the collar for her, that is small enough to stay on her neck. I went to the vet last night with her, and found out that she is barely 2 pounds!!! Talk about little. At night though she tends to wake up, as per the norm for kitties. She goes from being her dainty little self to feisty and rambunctious. I do have a cute bed for her, all comfy and padded, but she tends to like the bed, pictured below, better (if you can spot her :-):



Little did I realize that the box that her kennel came in, would be the best toy ever for her. She can't get enough of the scratching noise of the cardboard:


She loves to show herself off and here you can get a really great glimpse of the little collar that I adore on her. With those little polka dots and bows (and I never thought I'd become one of those cat owners that loves delicate things for a pet):

Seems she can't get enough of that box, funny how it's bigger than she is

Pardon the messiness, I just got home from the gym, but she pounced on me

And here she is ready to pounce the bag on my bed.....the collar still just kills me ;-)

The little bows at least help in letting everyone know she's a girl.

Despite the waking up in middle of the night to let her out, she's been great this first week so far. We've definitely already bonded, and she's my "baby." We've already gotten ourselves on to a sleep schedule, and she's a really great alarm clock in the morning getting me up nice and early. I already love this little one to death!