It's time! Our job is done. My family has successfully fostered our first litter of kittens from SpokAnimal. Sweet Baby B (aka Bixby), the last of the litter of 5, is big enough and healthy enough to be spayed and adopted out. Her siblings have all found new homes through SpokAnimal, now it's Sweet Baby's turn.

When we got the litter, the kitties were so tiny, weighing about a half pound each. When we'd had them for about a week, Sweet Baby (who was the runt) became very sick. She was diagnosed with a parasite, which all the kittens ended up with. With the help of the wonderful staff at SpokAnimal, we nursed all of them back to health. Sweet Baby now tips the scale at a whopping 2 pounds. She should have her procedure today and should be ready for someone to adopt her tomorrow.

She is fiesty, cuddly and very social. My family has loved and handled her for weeks. We think she'll make a great pet.... you will love her!

Silvano Bitencourt is a native of Brazil. He came to the United States with pretty much nothing but the shirt on his back and the American Dream in his heart. Silvano not only has accomplished the American Dream he recently became a United States Citizen.

I had a chance to talk with him recently about his Dog & Cat Grooming business in Spokane, becoming a citizen and what he has planned for the future.

Tell me a little about yourself, I know you're Brazilian. How does a Brazilian wind up living in Spokane?

I am Brazilian born in Brasilia Distrito Federal Brazil, I belong to the first generation of the federal capital of the nation. When I decided to fight for my American dream, get out of Brazil to Miami FL, where I started the whole course of my life in America. After a few years in Florida, several economic problems and other personal reasons, I was curious and sought other places to follow my dreams.

I decided to move to Spokane, I thought it was a charming city and not expensive to live. I didn't know anyone here, I faced problems of adaptation and acceptance in this community. I was the victim of discrimination in a sporting goods store when I first moved here. My accent if very thick so I think it was surprising to see a Latino. But Spokane has come a long way in terms of acceptance of different people.

Here is the latest on our foster kitties. We just had the "babies" weighed and checked for parasites. All clear and looking good! They are done with the medicine and are gaining weight, getting closer to being ready for adoption.

This little guy I'm featuring has been named "Kitty Kitty" by my kids. It's very creative, I know. Equally as creative is what I call it... "Grey"  or "Little Grey".  (If you are a fan of Grey's Anatomy, you may also want to call this kitty Lexi).

Little Grey is hilarious.  It is usually the first one racing out of the cage, climbing over its siblings in the process.  It is also the first to wrestle with a plastic shopping bag on the floor, or the first to try climbing up my leg.

Four of these kittens will be spayed or neutered next week, then they'll be ready for new homes through SpokAnimal.  The 5th (the runt) still needs to catch up on the weight gain, then she'll be ready to roll, too.