Introducing...

Kitten brothers, Harley and Riley.

Naming them was easy. S. had picked out the name Harley for the black cat as we were driving to pick them up, and to our surprise when we signed the paperwork at the shelter... guess what the black kitten's name was? Harley.

We had no idea they even had names! So we considered it a good sign to just keep the names they were given by the shelter staff.

They are about 3 1/2 -4 months old, so very cute, and taking to their new home really well. The best part is they both like to snuggle. They've shown a great temperament so far. And they love David.


Right now, they are sequestered in our finished basement. This weekend, we'll let them get used to the first floor, and eventually the upstairs.

I wish I had a picture to show you... it seems Harley has taken to playing David's toy piano. Cracks us up. It's as if he really knows what he's doing.

This weekend is their first vet appointment. They are already caught up on shots, and both are negative for the dangerous cat diseases, so hopefully that's a good start. After losing THREE pets last year, I am extremely nervous about losing any more.

It feels nice to have pets again!

A good day

Well, the kittens are home (more on that later) and all is well. The kittens are just adorable. They are using the litter boxes, eating, and having a grand old time now that they are out of their small home at the shelter!

I had my pelvic evaluation, trial measurement for transfer, and sonohysterography this morning. And guess what? All was well. No cysts, polyps, or an uterine issues to worry about. In fact, Dr. Nerd used the word "perfect" to describe my female anatomy... that was until I corrected him adding that if I was "perfect" I wouldn't be on this table.

Of course he giggled in his nerdy way.

So, now all that is left is ordering the meds and waiting for my next cycle to start BCP's. Now that all of the pre-work is out of the way I can focus my attention on working.

Big sigh of relief.

Are TWO better than one??

It's been lonely in the house since our pets passed away last year.

Since then, we've pondered "when is the right time to get a new pet?" and we decided that now is a good time.

We won't be shopping for dogs at the shelter anytime soon (too much of a commitment at the moment, and I haven't even refinished my floors yet from when we had Teddi).

So, last week I stopped by our local shelter and filled out an application for a cat. After we were approved, I took David and S. along to narrow down the choices.

Our only must-haves were we preferred a male cat, short-haired.

Yesterday, we happened upon a cage of three brothers. Three male kittens.... one black, one tabby, and one grey/white.

Immediately I felt a bond with the tabby kitten.

Then S. said, "why not TWO cats? after all, they are brothers."

And the shelter manager thought what a fabulous idea (of course she did).

I am on the fence. There are a lot of good reasons to bring two home. They would have each other, it's not incrementally more work for two cats (just extra food/litter). Heck, I haven't even cleaned a litter box since 2002 (S. started when I was pg with David and I never reclaimed the job).

I am a bit concerned on the scratching issue. My old cat, Luke, was declawed (that was not considered horrifying to do 18 years ago), but I will not declaw any future cats.

Do scratching posts really keep kittens at bay with destroying furniture? or am I over-reacting and it's not a big deal? I feel like two would be harder in that respect? or am I way off-base?

This would be my first new cat(s) in 17 years. I am so perplexed. I am definitely ready for one..... I just can't decide if I should bring home one or two.

Readers! Please share your multiple cat stories please.


Update: Life is short, so I'm diving in. Looks like we will be family + 2 this evening! Thanks for your feedback (and to my fairweather friend, Google... because I found way more positive stories than negative ones!)

Mr. Kitty can you hear me?

It's quiet in my office. S. always at work, David at school. Each weekday.

Since I lost all of my pets last fall, it's been eerily quiet at the BagMomma house.

I knew when a stranger or the UPS man was at my door because Teddi always barked to let me know. Around 3pm each day, she would come into my office, plop her fat ass down next to my chair and SIGH and YAWN. It was a good indication that the day of work was almost to a close.

My cat, Luke, would sit in my office on the heater vent in the winter, and on the window seat in the spring when I had the windows open. Occasionally he would meow at me. Or beg for a chin scratch.

He was my audience. They both were.

When I had an important presentation to deliver for work, I would do the dry run with my pets. They would listen intently and sometimes offer comment. They would "yawn" if my delivery was dry or monotone... as if to say "you are boring me".

When I had a bad day, Luke was my rock. When I cried, he would snuggle on my lap. I would pet him, and most times always feel better.

But now I have no audience. No one-sided conversations (except with some of the human dingbats I work with).

It's lonely here during the day.

Last weekend, we happened to walk into a local pet store so David could see the fish. And in the back (in the Adoption center) was Mr. Kitty.

Mr. Kitty (ironically, that's what hubby used to call Luke) was a black and white male cat, 5 years old. There was something about him that made me happy. I stared into his Plexiglas home and he stared back and meowed as he brushed against the glass. I read his dossier on the front... "Mr. Kitty was abandoned by his family when they moved out of state and couldn't take him with them."

My heart was heavy. How could someone leave a gorgeous looking cat behind just because they moved??? I just couldn't fathom it.

We left the store and since Saturday, all I've thought about is Mr. Kitty.

S. thinks he probably was adopted out already because he looked so good. I am hoping he is still waiting there for me.

Because this weekend, we are going back.

If Mr. Kitty is there, he will come home with me.

Random Thoughts

U/S and blood draw was this morning, and I'm down to just two lead follies (one on each side..... a little less exciting than last cycle) 16x15 and 15x15. Another check on Friday, and possible IUI Saturday or Monday.

Did you watch American Idol last night? It was my hometown (Philly) night, and I am now convinced that I live in the land of crazies and crack whores. Most of the people that got through to the next round weren't even from Philadelphia. Am I going to do another season of weekly AI posts here when the finals start? Hmmmmmm... I don't know, I'll have to see if the mood strikes me.

Work.... has been heinous. I am working myself into the ground, all while surfing job postings. I've decided I need a change.

I started walking two weeks ago as a means to get healthier and lose weight while I am in infertility hell. Yesterday, I almost had a heart attack when a neighbors dog (tied to a tree... don't get me started) lunged at me as I walked by and almost cracked its neck. That's the second time in two weeks that I had a dog incident. Now I know why people use treadmills. It's not always safe on the mean streets of the Jersey suburbs.

It's 3 weeks to my 40th birthday (Feb. 2nd). Sigh.

another Senior moment

We had to take our dog, Teddi, to the vet yesterday to remove a small tumor on her eye. As luck would have it, the vet ran some bloodwork before the surgery and it didn't look good.

Do you see what I mean when I say 2006 has not been a banner year in my house?

David is still not over the death of dear kitty in September, and now we are in waiting with our dear dog.

She is going to be 12, so she's not a puppy for sure... we know that she is in her "golden years" as far as pets go, and her breed lifespan. It's just that it's Christmas, and I don't want David to lose a second pet so soon.

So here's the lowdown... $800 bucks later (well, at least her eye is fixed now) we were told that the bloodwork on her liver came back very abnormal. The likely diagnosis at this point is Cushing's disease (treatable, but expensive and can extend her life minimally) OR cancer. To diagnose the issue, we are faced with about another $500 in tests.

Neither hubby and I were ready to put down more money. We decided to bring her home and think about it. The odd thing is she is not having any symptoms yet... so we are watching to see if her appetite changes, or anything out of the ordinary.

I hate making these type of decisions... S. does too.

OK 2006 (again) please stop torturing me!