The Girlies are 3

Sometime this month the girlies will have their third birthday. We've all survived.

There were four left when I got them, three girls and a boy. I didn't choose - I was afraid I would end up with four rather than two. The woman who was caring for them was surprised that I wanted her to pick two and bring them to me, without me even seeing the others. She chose Sophie and Molly because she said they were more bonded to each other.

Sophie was a very pretty baby. Molly not so much, but Molly was the sweet one. I often wonder, had I chosen, whether I would have picked her. I like to think I would have. Even now people remark about how pretty Sophie is and say nothing about Molly. As a baby, Molly was known at the vet as "the ugly one," and a couple of neighbors thought she was ugly, too. One of Sophie's accomplishments is to flop down and roll over when I tell her how pretty she is. Recently when Molly jumped up on my desk, I told her what a pretty girl she is, and she turned to see if Sophie was coming. So now I make an effort to tell her she's pretty to try to heal her inferiority complex.

Finally, they have settled down a bit. They still have high-speed chases through the apartment, and I still stand in the shower hearing the noises and crashes and wonder what they're doing. I've moved the cat tree so there are no more tightwire walks along the curtain rod, and I've moved chairs so that they can no longer be tipped over.

Sometimes I miss them being "busy" all day every day. Well, not sometimes, all the time. Recently I needed a password that I hadn't used in a couple of years and couldn't remember it. The hint was "evil cat." I knew instantly who that was. I still have flashbacks to them escaping into the garage and hiding under the car, just out of reach, usually when I had someplace to go. Or working on a deadline and having them unplugging my footpedal and chewing my headset wire in two. Those were the good old days.

Now they're almost three years old. I'm rather pleased at how they've turned out. They're curious, smart, independent, dependent, and very loving. I'm very proud to say that my girlies are full of joy.