What a Difference A Day Makes.

After just 24 hours of living with Miss Buttercup, we feel like we know her. What a difference a day makes. The tinkling of the little bell on her pink collar has become music to our ears. I have been collecting thoughts since her unexpected arrival. This is a composition of free form without edit. It's a "have a thought and share it" segment. Please note, these revelations appear in no particular order. I offer you this random list of thoughts which in our house we endearingly refer to as “word soup”.

She loves to crawl up into any tight space and hang. (We already knew that)

While the name Buttercup suits her completely, her middle name should definitely be “Bad Ass”. If she could dress herself, she’d be in a leather bomber jacket and Ray Bans. We did find her after all, in the engine of a car that had been driving all over town. I think she earned her stripes. She would look just as sweet in a white eyelet sundress with espadrilles. She is the "it girl" who plays on every sports team but also wows the crowd in her prom dress.

Her purr sounds just like the motor of an engine.

Her eyes are Carolina blue but will likely change color.

She is teeny tiny but mighty. Her track record speaks for itself. If she tells you she's never played pool and challenges you to a game, watch your back. She took to litter within an hour of being notified she got the job. Her temp status has been upgraded and she has being placed permanently. She definitely fell into a tub of butter. I imagine her kitty IQ will be off the charts. Any kitten that can live outdoors, on her own and find her way into my car engine not once but twice, in two different cars, two days apart gets street cred in my book.

She appears to be happy wherever she goes… my little yellow ray of sun.

The name Buttercup is three syllables and does not roll off the tongue. It’s here to stay but we are working on a suitable nickname. “Missy” has a ring to it and she is a little missy. The Divine Miss M comes to mind but that is 5 syllables. We considered “B-cup” as her rapper name but that won’t do for our sweet little one. So we are open to suggestions for a term of endearment for this lucky little girl who zoomed right into our hearts.

I am eternally grateful for the experience of her finding us exactly the way she did. I am glad it rained so hard that she hopped into Eliza's car to seek dry shelter the night before we found her. I'm amazed she was unharmed by her travels on Wednesday and again on Saturday. (Note to self: no more getting in cars with strangers) And most of all, I am both surprised and elated that Alan realized what this meant to me. Rather than dig his heels in, he stepped up his game and read my heart. He set his own agenda aside and joined in the fun.

This was one of the greatest gifts he has ever given me. Sometimes (emphasis on some) we make the other person's needs more important because we love them that much. Somewhere along the way in desperately wanting to give Buttercup a home, I was reminded of why my heart feels at home with Alan. This wouldn't have happened had he not given me the green light. While I did a lot of tongue and cheek teasing on Facebook (Alan's not on FB), I made a conscious decision not to pressure him or manipulate him into giving me what I wanted. I knew he would have to find his way to wanting this and in doing so, I gave him the space to come around on his own terms. Thirty years of marriage has taught us how to give and take without keeping score.

Cupcake and Buttercup are still playing cat and mouse. One walks over and sniffs and walks away, and then the other comes over and just sits. They've had a few "moments". There is no more hissing, or Halloween cat going on and the “fear” aspect of the equation is gone. They've come to a peaceful "live and let live" existence and at times are genuinely interested in each other. am convinced that they already really like each other and just haven’t gotten the memo.

Buttercup has brought a hum into our empty nest. I am excited to pull into my driveway. Home feels like Home Sweeter Home today. We stocked up on kitty supplies and are ready for whatever our latest parenting adventure will bring. Every morning I count my blessings. Today's list is longer than yesterday's and there's always room for more. This past month tested me in a number of ways. But I see now how it was all worth it. There's always room in my heart for more and kitten makes 4.