Arien's 1st Birthday!

I don't know the precise date that Arien was born, but when I met her for the first time on September 5, 2019 at my parents' house, I knew she was only a few days old.  The next day, when I brought her home because I decided to hand raise her myself instead of waiting to see if someone else could, I figured based on her ears, eyes, claws, teeth, and weight that she was only about a week old.  That is when I decided that her birthday would be September 1st.  Over the past year of raising her and deciding to keep her, I have lost a TON of sleep, but overall, I'd say it was worth it.  😊  She has such a strong, sassy personality and definitely likes to pounce and bite (although she quickly licks you as if to make it all better).  She loves cuddling and riding on shoulders (thankfully she basically never uses her claws and is surprisingly gentle).  

Hand raising a kitten so young was obviously a daunting challenge and there was at least one time when I truly didn't know if she would make it through the night, but watching her grow was incredible!  I relied heavily on Kitten Lady's Youtube channel and website for information to make sure I was properly caring for a neonatal kitten.  I also called, texted, and visited my vet SO many times in the span of just a couple months and their help was priceless.  There were definitely some aspects that were easier and some that were much harder since I only had one kitten.  Kira definitely didn't like Arien as a baby, which was frustrating because I was hoping she would be more helpful in raising the tiny kitten.  Thankfully by the time we decided to keep Arien, Kira had warmed up and grew to love her.  Kira has also lost weight this past year from playing with Arien which was awesome because she had gotten larger than I intended.  😁  

Arien wasn't sure about the hat I made her.  In her defense, the hat was actually fairly heavy because of the beads.  😂  Also, I think these pictures do a decent job of showcasing Arien's personality.  Make sure to scroll to the bottom to see a picture of the first time I met Arien.  😍