Palmer and Dillon

As you may know, long before Ryan and I met and began dreaming about Mac and Lincoln I had two very special men in my life. For the past six years Palmer and Dillon, my precious baby kitties, have been the center of mine and eventually Ryans lives. At the Whitney home the bathroom sink is left running so my boys have continuous access to running water. Ryan and I sleep in a third of our king bed to allow Palmer and Dillon ample room to stretch out their long kitty legs. When I eat my nightly chocolate ice cream, a bowl is prepared for Palmer and Dillon enjoys his cat treats while Palmer and I indulge. In the morning I wake up when Dillon, the more demanding of the two personalities, has decided that he is done sleeping.

Yes, for the last six years Palmer and Dillon have lived a life any cat would dream of. As I lay awake in bed this morning snuggling my two faithful companions I couldnt help but think of the ways in which their lives were going to change with the addition of the new boys. As I lovingly patted Dillons belly and teased him about becoming a 'big brother' I thought about the differences in Palmer and Dillons personalities that make the two of them so different and so special. Palmer is very specific about who he spends time with. He prefers quality to quantity and his momma to any one else in the world. If I sit down, Palmer is on my lap. If I stand up, he follows me. Palmer sleeps at night curled up under my arm and wakes me up by licking my hand in the morning. When we have visitors Palmer likes to see what everyone is up too but doesnt interact much. Dillon...Dillon, Dillon, Dillon. Its not that Dillon isnt kind or sweet, its just that Dillon is a 'love the one your with' kind of guy. Dillon loves company, loves to mingle at parties and is most often seen throwing himself on the floor, belly up, to enjoy attention from strangers. Dill is a love bug. Dill is a Daddys boy - he would follow Ryan to the ends of the earth and if Ryan fell off Dillon might consider coming back to look for me.

The differences between these two sweet boys are enormous and every day I enjoy watching their behavior and seeing the different ways in which they gain attention and share love. I think its amazing how different two animals can be but both with the goal to give and get attention, either from licking hands to rolling on the floor belly up. I know Palmer and Dillon love Ryan and I equally but the quality of attention they seek from each of us is different, Palmer is calm and enjoys reading and watching TV with me. Dillon is like a crank toy and loves the action, therefore he prefers to spend time with Ryan who play fights with him, throws him on the bed and entertains his sillys. I have enjoyed watching and interacting with Palmer and Dillon for the last six years and it makes me think how exciting life will be watching Mac and Lincoln and the varying ways in which they interact, give attention and obtain attention from Ryan and I. I do think that some days it will be hard to remind myself that, like Palmer and Dillon, Mac and Lincoln will seek out Ryan and I for different forms of attention all the while (hopefully) loving us both the same.