Madi's first year: Trials and Tribulations part 1

I was not blogging on Madi's 7th b-day (March 11). Today and tomorrow I'll post two stories about Madi's first year with us to celebrate how lucky she was she is still here and how VERY LUCKY we are she chose to STAY!!!
Madi Climbs: Mount Grandfather Clock: Part 1

Madi was angelic when we brought her home at 2 months of age and weighing 2.5 lbs. During the first 4 months of cuteness she was really sizing up her peeps, deciding best how to rule her domain. She cast her cuteness net over us, reeling us in hook, line and sinker. At 6 mos. and maybe 5 lbs, her true colors came out she was a really mountain goat in a kitty body. This picture is our staircase...to the left of it our Grandfather clock. The gap between the stairs and clock is about a foot. One afternoon Madi's Dad heard a faint meow (aka 'look at me Dad'). He looks to his left to find Madi on top of the Grandfather Clock. Somehow, Madi was able to jump between the banisters upwards to the top of the clock. As if this wasn't bad enough (cat claws on fine wood), she decided to carve her 'name' on the wood. Yes, she had gnawed on the top. THIS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED Dad says!!! Now that she had discovered the trick there was not keeping her or her teeth off. We covered the clock with a sheet hoping to spook her, NOT!!! Her launch point was where the wicker mag. rack now sits. I was at my wits end trying to keep her off the clock. Finally, I remembered seeing a stair step magazine rack in a magazine. I bought the last one they had at Linens and Things. Here 7 years later it still sits there...to the best of our knowledge she never went up there again.