Don't let the creepy eyes fool you

Say hello to our newest edition, Valerie.

Previous posts may have alluded to our intention of getting a pet at some point, and this is the result. Kim found her at a local cat charity and the girls took to her quickly.

A recent mom herself, Valerie was helping to nurse another litter of kittens before moving in. Judging from her prolonged mewing and constant looks outside the window, we suspect she's at that time when a boyfriend would be especially handy, but she's got an appointment with the vet this week that hopefully will take care of that. So far, she's been really good and the girls are having a blast with her.

The name? Apparently her original name was "Bahama Mama," but neither Kim nor I were having any of that. Ellie immediately suggested Valerie, the result of seeing one-to-many Weight Watchers commercials featuring Valerie Bertinelli and asking, "What's that girl's name?" I personally was lobbying for Rhoda -- a fairly clever name, given our new home state -- but Valerie took hold before I could make any headway. (If push comes to shove, I guess I can always say that she's named after Valerie Harper instead.)