Annie One Can Cook: Beautiful Bella

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Beautiful Bella

As I mentioned in Tuesday's post, we had such a fun and perfect Saturday that went by way, way too quickly!

I talked a little bit about our time at the Children's Museum NW of Denver but now I'm going to talk about the rest of our day (and the new addition to our family).. but to do that, I have to start at the beginning, so here it goes:

Jackson was really sick all day Thursday and Friday morning and was running a 102.5 temp along with some nasty tummy troubles--so after a rough couple of days all cooped up in the house, Jax and I were both ready to break free and have a fun weekend. Brandon and I had talked about taking a one-night trip to my family's cabin in the mountains but decided against it because we didn't want to push Jax too much when he was just starting to get better. That's when we decided to head to the Children's Museum for a couple of hours to let Jackson play and socialize for a bit (for the record: Jax's Dr. thinks he was sick from teething so it wasn't anything contagious).

As I was getting Jackson ready, Brandon came into the room to tell me that he'd been doing a lot of thinking and decided that it was time for us to get another pet (we've been wanting to get a dog since getting married but have decided against it for the time being with all of our upcoming travels)--he went on to say that maybe having another cat wouldn't be such a bad idea because Jackson is absolutely obsessed with cats and because a cat would be a lot lower maintenance than a dog.

After Bitsy had passed away, I'd vowed to never get another cat--Bitsy was our forever girl and I wasn't going to replace her. However, as time went on, I occasionally flirted with the idea but wrote it off (figuring Brandon would never be up for it). Once Brandon brought it up, I was sold. We were adopting a kitty!

We played and played at the Children's Museum and once Jax was all finished, we headed over to our local animal rescue. When we arrived, we were a little disappointed; there was only one cat available for adoption and we just didn't "click" with her. After leaving the rescue, we got Brandon's car washed, went out for a late lunch/early dinner (linner?), and decided to try our luck at Petsmart.

That's when we first laid eyes on our sweet Bella.

Great pic, iPhone

I'm not sure what it was about Bella but Brandon and I both knew she was the kitty for us as soon as we saw her. Within minutes of "meeting" her, we began the application process and were shopping around the store for litter boxes, food, and toys. Once the store gave us the go ahead, she was ours and we were on our way home!

The drive home was hilarious. Poor Bella was freaking out in her carrier (who could blame her?) so I decided to let her out to sit on my lap. Naturally, she wanted to roam around the car and we soon learned that she's a vocal little thing--she meowed and meowed and each time she did, Jax (who couldn't see anything because his car seat faces backward) began to squeal and jabber. I wish I had a video of their adorable little conversation!

Once we were home, we opened the carrier and let Miss Bella explore her new home while we set up her little pad under the stairs. Unlike Bitsy, Bella warmed up to us almost immediately and follows us around everywhere--she is so, so sweet and I'm so glad she's part of the family!

We're still working with Jax on being more gentle and giving her space but he's come a long way in 5 days--he absolutely loves his kitty and likes giving her pats, throwing her ball for her, and watching her play. Brandon was insistent that we adopted a younger cat this time (she's 2) and I'm so glad we did; I can't wait to watch her and Jackson grow up together!