We Got Kitties!

I've always had a cat. Since I was like 6 years old, when we first got Tinkerbell. I loooove cats. 

Two weeks after Matt and I moved into our house, I got Pepper. She will always be my soul kitty. And since she's been gone, there's been an emptiness. I feel like the house isn't quite right without a cat (or two). 

So, after looking at the Humane Society website (a dangerous pass time), I decided I didn't want to wait until August (original plan). Coon Rapids had three litters, so plenty of kitties to look at. But we only had to check out three. The first kitty was far too timid for our bustling household, but I think we ended up with the perfect pair. 

Their shelter names were Ursula and Melody (and had litter mates named Ariel and Eric). We decided on Ghost and Nymeria after the wolves in Game of Thrones. (I also just liked the name Ghost for a cat, and Matt wanted to stick with the theme). 

The boys are super happy. Harrison is in love and calls them "Go" and "Mera" in his little voice. Sam giggles when they play in front oh him. 

The kittens still have ear mites, so they have only been introduced to Cinder briefly through a gate. Cinder is very wary of them. Nym is very wary of the dog. Ghost is very curious and doesn't seem as afraid. 

Sometimes I feel like a crazy person, so many creatures in my house. But I love cats! It will also probably be the only time we get kittens, since I feel so bad for the adult cats at shelters. I knew, though, that finding a grown cat that would be able to adapt to our crazy house would be difficult. 

Ghost is extremely playful and affectionate. She loves to play, like most kittens, but she's definitely a lap cat too. Super snuggler!

Nymeria was the cat the shelter tried to warn me about, but she was great in the viewing room. They said she was difficult to catch and wouldn't get in the box to the shelter. She has been nothing but wonderful! She's more aloof than Ghost, but she is also extremely affectionate and purrs like a motor. 

Both cats have been excellent with Harrison and are getting used to his hyper manner (we often remind him of slow steps and gentle hands). Overall, Harrison is great with the kittens. He likes to give them kisses in the morning and must say goodnight to them before bed. He has also been picking his storybooks about cats this week: The Curious Kitten and The Color Kittens! He's going to be an animal lover like me. He'll be very excited someday when we get a horse (right, Matt!?) ;)

I have two wonderful, happy boys (though Sammy is a little cranky about his teeth lately) and two cute little kitties! 🐱

And now that the kitties have been introduced, here is my first potty training story:

We went out this week and Harrison picked out underwear, some pull ups for nighttime and a little potty seat. 

He was so excited when we got home that I set it up in our tiny bathroom right away. As I come out to get Harrison, he is climbing up the steps, pants around his ankles and no diaper on. It was hysterical! I advised him to finish removing his pants so he could walk. He sat on his potty seat on and off, wanted to run around naked. He didn't end up going, but I'm going to view his enthusiasm as a good sign. 

CONvergence 2015

Year 14 at CVG was very good, albeit overwhelming at times. 

We had not only a toddler with us, but also our 3 month old. Harrison and Sam were very well behaved but I am so, so, so grateful we ended up in the main hotel. I don't know what we would have done without our easy, quiet escapes. 

I did some volunteer hours and setup time on Wednesday for masquerade. It was a good time, I have fun volunteering. 

Thursday, we settled into the hotel, ate Burger King, played in the Garden Court and let Harrison run in circles. 

 

I was in bed early since one of us had to stay in the room with the boys when they went to bed. Sam slept great! Harrison woke up a lot with "Hi mommy". He's not used to sharing a bed. 

We were able to get muffins from consuite in the morning and then got ready in our costumes: Matt as Star Lord, Harrison as Rocket Raccoon, Myself as Hipster Daenerys, and Sam as my dragon. Mine and Sam's outfits didn't last too long. He's a leaky baby and he kept grabbing my wig xD 

Harrison loved being Rocket and wore his all day! He was very popular. 

 

Harrison played a lot of play dough in the Sandbox and really enjoyed himself. He chose a little mouse finger puppet as his souvenir from the dealers room (of all things). Sam started to get used to the carriers and was less fussy over the day. 

I helped run Costume Wars in the Garden Court. It was a great success and I hope it goes even better next year. It's like project runway, but for nerds. This years theme was Trash is Fashion. Costumes made from things like foil, burlap and plastic bottles (all that Gatorade came in handy!). Next year, since the theme is about Scifi transportation, I'm thinking either traveler gypsy or inspired by your favorite vehicle. TARDIS dress!

The boys left with Grandma and Grandpa at 4:30, and while they had been mostly good, I breathed a sigh of relief at some freedom. I knew they were in good hands and half a weekend is plenty of stimulation for them at con. I was already exhausted. 

Then I rushed into my new costume (last minute Daenerys), helped with Art of the Dress (though that didn't need a lot of work), ran around a little with friends, then helped organize judging sheets until midnight for The Masquerade. 

Reference:

Saturday was the big day. Up early. Backstage. I did Den Mom duties, helping some get their costumes on, making sure people were checked in and ready for Workmanship judging. I did have to take a number of breaks since Sam wasn't there and I had to pump often. After a full day of volunteering, I got my evening costume on, ate something and prepared for judging the performances (this was so exciting for me, I hadn't judged since Detour like 8 or 9 years ago!). 

 

Kara and Sean were spectacular! The show was great! I had a lot of fun! Absolutely loved the Revolutionary super heroes, Howls Moving Castle and the transforming Elsa! After the awards, I helped pack up a few things in the green room. Pumping sucked up a bit more of my time (pun intended!) and then I was able to maintain coherence until 3:30 in the morning! I'm not so decrepit! 

I chose a very interesting year to start volunteering. A lot of drama within the community, and not just the aftermath of the masquerade. I love this con! It's my favorite weekend of the whole year! I wish everyone could just get along and love nerdy things!

I plan on continuing help with the masquerade, I love costumes and putting on a good show. The time commitment is a bit much, but I still had such a good con this year, I think it's worth it. 

I actually don't have a lot of ideas for costumes next year, which is new. What should I make??