Claire and the Kitten Quest

Today this little baby turned 10. She was my biggest, chubbiest, smiliest, happiest baby and she remains my bright, happy, rainbow girl. My fiercest hugger, constant cuddler, and always up for all the things, I can't imagine our trio without Claire in the middle.

Ten feels like a big age. Double-digits, the end of the phase of life where you can show your whole age on two hands. More than halfway through her time at home with us, already so much shaped into the human she is going to be. She's been excited about this day for weeks - the decorated table for breakfast, donut run with dad, and picking her meals for the day (donuts and fruit for breakfast; Mac & Cheese "from the box from the store" for lunch; BBQ Chicken Quinoa Salad for dinner). Presents and phone calls from family, and in this strange new world, a drive-by birthday honking from friends later that night.

Her gift list consisted of a new scooter, two books, some tiny toys I don't understand, a mermaid tail fin for the pool, a light-up writing board, and unicorn slime. I hate slime and she knew her best change of getting some in the house would be for a birthday. A DOUBLE-DIGITS birthday. And so my sister totally got her some.

And between family and friends she actually got everything on her list, except one thing. A kitten.

(And not a balloon one, no matter how adorable. This one was from my brother and his wife- Claire loved it, named it "Hope" and sadly declared it the "only kitten I'll probably ever have.")

Claire has wanted a kitten for YEARS. For as long as she's known how to say the word, really. It's the top of every wish list and a part of any school journal entry she can work it in.

We picked up her school books last week and I smiled as I flipped through:

Aug. 22, 2019
What I have been wanting forever is a kitten, a very small and playful kitten. If my mom or dad did get me one I would want it to be a boy because they are a little bit nicer than girl kittens. I would want the boy kittens color to be brown or black. If it was brown I would name it moose or something else I don't really know yet. But if it was black I would name it ninja. But if I did get one it would be in like next year cause my dad doesn't want one but my mom does just not as much as me. But hopefully I will get one soon.

Sept. 16, 2019
A pet that I really want and have been wanting for a long time is a kitten. I really want a kitten because they are cut and small. I have a bulldog that is really big so it is hard to hold her. But that's why I really want a kitten because you can hold them and snuggle with them really well. A pet that I already have is a bulldog. She is a girl and is named Magnolia but we call her Maggie for short. I love her with all my heart and love to spend time with her. And kid of play with her but mostly inside because bulldogs get really hot when they're outside for a long period of time. I love Maggie very much.

Oct. 8, 2019
If I could buy anything I would buy a kitten. I would buy a kitten because they are cute and friendly. And my parents never let me get one. And my dog would be such good friends with a cat or kitten.

Nov, 2019
There are many things I want to do in the new year. This new year I really want a cat. One reason is because me and the cat can play. Another reason is I could teach the cat tricks. I could teach the cat many things, like how to sit, stay, and lay down. I could also be a little more advanced and teach it how to hold a ball on its nose or how to ride a skateboard. You never know what you could teach a cat. Now that's just one of the reasons I want a cat. I also want a cat so I can play with it when I'm bored and lonely. When I invite my friends over we could play with the cat. I also just really really really want a cat.

June 1, 2020
If I could make 3 wishes I would wish for a kitten so I could play with it and hug it. My second wish would be to have no fears at all, so I could be able to to go and swim at the lake without being scared of alligators. My last wish would be to get a car for kids (that you could drive and press pedals) so I could drive around the street.

June 2, 2020
My favorite memories with mom are when we talk about getting a kitten. (Even though I know we won't be getting one any time soon :(). I like this memory because I always laugh when we talk about it. And it always brings up funny conversations. But don't worry mom I have lots of other great memories of you and me too!

I smiled because I'd already been to visit a kitten.

Two weeks ago I'd met this fluffy, spunky little boy, rescued from an overcrowded shelter in Laredo through Saving Hope and currently being fostered by Claire's school music teacher. Maggie happened to be with me (we were returning from cleaning her teeth) and though somewhat bemused by meeting her first kitten, she seemed to quickly and heartily approve.

I filled out the adoption papers, bought everything in the cat section on chewy.com, and waited. We snuck boxes of kitten supplies to the garage (at one point, while transferring another box, James was like, it's one cat right? one small cat?), kept joking with Claire about her fruitless kitten campaign, and waited. We waited for two whole weeks until this morning when I ran over to the foster mom's house at 8 a.m. to put the little guy in the carrier I'd ordered weeks ago and bring him home while James took the kids to pick out Claire's donuts. He delayed a little, running an extra errand, so I could get our new cat sequestered and safe in our bedroom.

Claire got home, donuts in hand, and we ate and opened her presents. She was ecstatic with her things from our family- from Papa & Gigi, great-grandparents, aunts and uncles, and even a sweet blog reader who treated her to some temporary hair chalk that was a very fun surprise. James and I got her a James Avery necklace to commemorate what felt like such a special birthday and she was so excited and honored to have her first "real" jewelry.

She told me she felt older when she put it on. It's engraved with her name on the front and "Happy 10th, Love Mom & Dad" on the back. I hope she can keep it for a long time.

And then I told her there was one more thing. I'd wrapped a file box with wrapping paper days before and lined it with a towel. I stepped to our room to gently place our big surprise inside and walked out to the dining room, already crying while singing Happy Birthday. What unfolded was pure joy and kitten magic:

I had tears running down my face, Claire still couldn't bring herself to actually touch the kitten she was so overwhelmed, Landon and Cora was in shock, and James was just beaming holding the phone to film it all.

I helped Claire take the little guy out and set him on her lap.

She remained utterly overwhelmed.

This continued for some time.

"I can't believe this is really happening? Is it really happening?"

"That's a cat. It's a real cat. I got a cat mommy.

It was the best morning we've ever had, except for the one in which we met our Clairebear, so it's only fitting that on her 10th birthday I can introduce you to Moose.

Playful, feisty, sweet, and shockingly relaxed given the volume of love and attention thrown his way so far, we all love him very much.

And I look forward to telling you the future tales of Maggie and Max, our dynamic duo

If you need some joy in your life, I can't recommend this 90 seconds of video more. I've watched it a dozen times and cry every time. It's just the most pure, joyous thing. [Link is fixed and shouldn't require a login now!]

Happiest Birthday sweet Claire, we love you so.