Little Riley

Ok, so I sort of did an introduction on here that told the story of how my husband and I came to rescue little Riley. The short version: Mama, a feral and still a kitten herself, gave birth under our house. I was able to get her two babies out to check on their health, which wasn’t good at all. At 4-5 weeks Riley was only 7-8 ounces and Marie 5-6 ounces. They were bones and covered in mud. We tried to feed mama and get her used to us to no avail. Last Monday we brought the kittens in and tried to feed them formula, Riley basically chewed the nipple off and Marie wanted nothing to do with food. We got some wet food and mixed in KMR and water and Riley lapped it up. Marie just wasn’t having it. She was lethargic at time but others would mew and get up and walk around. It was a holiday so the vet wasn’t open so I decided I would call Tuesday and get in asap. Unfortunately, Marie had a seizure around 10pm that night and passed on to the bridge soon after. I was devastated. I’ve never cried so hard. I felt so guilty, was it because I couldn’t get her to eat? Was it just too late? My husband and I agreed to bury her at the base of Cheyenne Mountain in the State Park across from Fort Carson (where we live). We turned our attention to Riley and she got a clean bill of health from the vet along with a dewormer and some probiotics. 2 days ago I discovered Riley had fleas (I had checked them when I first got them but in their coat I couldn’t find any) We gave her bath and got as many off as we could. The next day we got more supplies and got a flea bomb with igr in it to do our home. we left for the day and Riley had a great time out and about. I hate chemicals and wanted to use something more natural to prevent an infestation starting but my husband was freaked out and wanted it to be taken care of. Anyways, Riley is currently lounging on the floor next to me napping after breakfast and playtime. We are happy we were able to save her although I will forever wonder about little Marie. Riley is gaining weight and now has healthy pee and poos everyday in the litter box (only 4 accidents so far!) we spoil her with toys and beds and a nice carrier and she seems to be content and happy. We lost track of mama about 2 days after we saved the kittens and have to wait until we see her before housing will send out animal control. I’m highly considering trying to trap her on my own…
Anyhoo. I do have a question though. Riley still isn’t just drinking water from a bowl. I tried a couple days ago and she kinda of sniffed some in her nose and I got so freaked out about her aspirating water I just took the bowl away. I still mix a good amount of water in her wet food and she pees often. I’m just wondering, does this happen on it own? Is it to early? If it not and I have to help her, how did you get your baby to drink properly from a bowl? She does fine with her wet food/gruel but she often sort of bites at the food then every once and awhile will lick the plate. Thanks for any advice!