Marshmallow was born on March 1st with low birth weight (~60% of the normal expected weight at about 66g or 2.3 oz). A month later, Marshy is breaking one pound, about 7 times the birthweight. At this point, we're just thankful that she's made it through the first month. What a blessing she is.

Below are some notable changes in Marshy's behavior:

She refuses to stay in her nest box, rebelliously clawing and crying murder when she is placed there. Marshy is also able to regulate her body temperature better now to the point where she no longer needs a heating pad or "rice socks" to keep warm when mama Mochi is not around. We used to place a heating pad beneath the nest box to cover about ½ of the surface area, so Marshy could keep warm, but also move off the heated area if she felt hot.

With her head held high and steady, Marshmallow has become more photogenic as well, often times staring curiously straight into one's eyes, a move that would melt any stone heart.

Marshmallow's developing curiosity drives her to walk a whole lot more to explore the seemingly vast world in front of her. It's amazing to witness her stumbling movements refine into a more stable gait as her hind legs and coordination strengthen and improve to match her front paws. To keep her safe when unsupervised, we have set up a couple of playpens so Marshy can walk "freely" without worries. Besides starting to walk about at a faster pace, she has also picked up scratching and chewing on objects.

Marshmallow loves to interact with her humans, claiming our laps with her naps, climbing up our shirts, playfully grasping our fingers, and sending sweet meows our way.

Maintaining a fluffy hairstyle is not easy. So to keep her coat clean and fluffy, Marshy has instinctively started selfgrooming, licking her paws, body, and even wiping her face clean. Of course mama Mochi is around to put on the final touches of tongue baths.

More Pictures at:
http://sweetfurr.blogspot.com/2012/04...