Grand Total = 5

Yesterday was a success! Prussia had at total of five kittens between 9am and 2pm Central time. Way to go Prussia! Mom and kittens are doing fine. All of the kittens are healthy, crawling around and hangin’ out with mom.

I’m waiting on some pictures to post. Please be patient.

In the meantime it’s VEGGIE time! Here’s the photo I promised of Kristin’s trip to pick up her veggie share. She got lots of cool vegetables…some she’s not even sure what to do with – hello rhubarb!?!!

Here’s the photo from the pick-up location.

I have done some research and found a farmers market in Alexandria…Jason and I are going to try to go this Saturday!

Good to know: If you have 6 cups of fresh rhubarb….check out this Rhubarb Tart recipe!

It's Happening!

Hey everybody! Let the Queening begin! ….this just in from 1109 W. Chestnut…as we speak…Prussia has given birth to two kittens already. All is going well so far, Prussia is calm and relaxed and acting normal….strangely so are Kristin and Steve. They’re acting like pros! The process began around 9am Central time. I will post an update when I get one! Go Prussia Go!

Good To Know: Some queens will have all the kittens within an hour and others will take several hours for each kitten. Expect about 2-6 hours to deliver all the kittens.

Chef Jason

Last night Jason whipped up a nice dinner for us. He just whipped it up! Grilled chicken, green beans and little red potatoes baked golden brown. Yum! Jason is always making delicious meals. He could be a chef! He may think it’s a thankless job, but I am thankful everyday for his cooking. Thank you Jason!

Speaking of food, my sister Kristin has entered into a three way agreement with some friends of hers to get a fresh bin of fruits and veggies from a local farm each week starting yesterday. As soon as she sends me a picture of her goods I’ll post it! I was looking into purchasing my own “share” of a local farm this season…but with just Jason and I, we were afraid we’d have too much food each week. We’re hoping that the petition goes through for a farmer’s market to set up shop in Cameron Station on Sundays. No word on whether that’s happening yet.

Not to mention - no word on the closing date of our new condo. We are spinning with excitement, yet, with no closing date, I feel like we’re hovering in space….just waiting for that day to be set…so we can plan our move! Once again, the general move-in time has been extended. We’re now looking at mid-August! Here’s the latest update from Cameron Station!

~~~~~BIG NEWS!! The fourth floor units are going into drywall! This is a critical component for our final permits and one of the last BIG steps towards completion.

The lobbies and corridors on the ground, first and second floors are well on their way with final paint and trim this week. We have just (today) received the hydro inspection on the sprinkler system which will now allow us to close in the remaining portions of the corridors. Carpet will be installed in the ground floor corridors over the next week. We will be sending pictures of these areas out in the next new letter. We hope you are as impressed as we are with the paint and trim selection. They are stunning!

The exterior grading in hardscape is in the final stages. The hardscape at the lobby entries will be completed this week and is looking great. The irrigation system for the courtyard and the fountain has been completed and is being tested on a timing system and should be up and running soon.

Internal Quality Inspections are underway on the 2^nd floor. (That’s us!) The ground and first floors have been completed and the units are in “lock-down” mode waiting final cleaning and PSO’s.

Highlights from the preliminary walk-through with the city will be shared next week.~~~~~~

AND the waiting game continues….Kitty Watch 2007 is in full swing! Prussia is FAT! But no kitties yet!! Here’s the Mom-to-be.

Good to Know: At this point, people at Kristin’s work think she is making this all up!

Nothing, Nada, Zilch

Ladies and Gentlemen: We have been on pins and needles awaiting a small batch of kittens @ 1109 W. Chestnut! And wouldn’t ya know it – nothing has happened for the last 7 days!!! What are you waiting for Prussia?

Meanwhile, Kristin has been reading how-to info, so she can help Prussia if there’s any assistance needed during Queening (giving birth).

I’ve been told that Prussia is now considered “Wide Load” and walks bow-legged around the house.

Guess that’s what happens when you’ve got 5 or 6 siblings in your belly!

Something’s gotta give!

Good to know: Kristin has now admitted she doesn’t know the exact date Prussia escaped from the porch. Ahhhhhhgggggg….Kris…you’re killing us with the suspense!!!

Oh My Gosh!

Have you heard the news???!!! My sister’s cat is having kittens!!!! Here is the mom to be!! Her name is Prussia.

(If you want to get technical, it’s actually her boyfriend Steve’s cat.)

So, I have been getting daily kitten updates from my sister, and seriously…everytime the phone rings…I wonder if it’s kitten time! How is this all possible? Well, you can thank the first warm day of the year when Kristin decided to clean her enclosed front porch and their cat Prussia accidentally got out for the first time ever. For the record, they haven’t had this cat for very long, so they were going to take it to the vet soon to prevent a situation like this…but it looks like the cat escaped before an appointment could be made!

It’s ok, I can’t think of a better “kitten mom” than my sister. After all, she’s had years of cat practice…including the birth of our cats Mr. Twinkacetti and Balki. (yes, named after Mr. Donald “Twinkie” Twinkacetti and Balki Bartokomous from the sitcom Perfect Strangers (circa 1986)…OMG we were geeks.) These two were born under our Mom’s bed. Sparky was the mom.

Anyways, back to Prussia…the mom to be. On Saturday, May 12^th, Kris took Prussia in for an ultrasound. It was a fair price to pay just to know what was going to happen. And it’s happening!! The Vet said 5 OR 6 kittens are on the way!!!! 5 OR 6!!!!!!!! Kristin will soon be tending to a gaggle of cats !

Here’s the kitten x-ray from her visit on Saturday. Look for the tiny black spines in the photo.

I will write more soon, because it will happen any day now! Kris is nervous AND prepared! Just look at the supplies she’s gathered for this special occasion :)

Good To Know: A full term pregnancy for a cat is 65 days.