Life Changes

At first I thought it was just a super intense case of gas. Then it felt less like bubbles and more like kicks…that’s when I got suspicious.

And then some other changes started taking place: it’s harder to jump up on the counter, I feel heavier, my girlish figure is slowly but VERY surely vanishing, I crave strange foods, and some other obvious physical changes. It’s official. I am pregnant.

Sure, I am excited, but it is also very scary, especially since I am so young. Luckily there are some people around here who are helping take extra good care of me and the little ones that are coming soon. I’ve learned that I have to change how I eat and take care of myself to make sure the kittens are born healthy, that I need to learn how to nurture them so that they develop at the correct rate once they are born. Otherwise, they will not be ready to do “big cat” things when the time comes. I am so glad someone told me, otherwise I would not have known how to best take care of my babies!

Something tells me that this kind of situation can be similar for my human counterparts. I hear of something called the CARE program that is here at the Center that is run by Liv. (Liv REALLY loves me.) Sometimes I hear her talking about things like pre-natal care, eating right for you baby, getting vaccinations, nurturing your baby, and preventing another unexpected pregnancy. Turns out this is good information for me too. I know she usually just mentors young ladies in the local high schools, but I wonder what my chances are for getting into the CARE program. Humm….

I love to eat. I eat all the time. And seeing as though eating is one of the…5 activities that make up my daily life, (including napping, licking, sitting, and playing with shiny/dangling objects), I figured that its something I should know more about.
There is something in my inner cat that craves the rich, juicy, and satisfying taste of food that is not necessarily so good for me…like red meat. Oh how I love red meat! However, as it turns out other things are better for my little kitty system than all that stuff that I love the most. And turns out that those good-for-me things aren’t too bad to eat either. Here are a few nutritious things that I like:

Spinach:

Salad:

And you know what else is great? Here at the Center, we have a great garden started so that we can get even more fresh veggies—both for me and people who live around here. Some students who come to school here planted some big boy tomatoes and basil plants in the back of our building that were donated to us (thank you!) and so I am so excited about the Italian salads that should be poppin’ up soon!
And there is a LOT of gardening going on all around me. Across the street, Dr. Hanna has taken the whole side yard of his dental office property and last weekend planted a HUGE garden. It looks great and he is going to donate some of the good stuff for us to give out here at the Center! It is called “Dr. Hanna’s Victory Garden for those in Need”. YAY! I am excited.



The only question now…where is the ranch dressing? Oh wait…I guess I need light ranch!

Nutrition is important for everyone—not just for kitties…so here are some resources for the human types!

MyPyramid for Kids: Helping Parents Make Healthy Choices www.mypyramid.gov/kids
MyPyramid for Pregnancy and Breastfeeding moms: www.mypyramid.gov and click on “MyPyramid for Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Moms