Goodbye, Tiko

I don't have many words today. We took Tiko to the vet yesterday afternoon, and found out that he was much sicker than we thought. End stage kidney failure, as well as anemic and some other issue that Dr. Tucker explained but I wasn't really listening at that point. Treatment would have been a permanent IV for fluids and an intense medication regime of four different medications per day...multiple times a day. We had to consider what type of life that would be for him...given that there was no chance he'd get better. If anything, he'd stay in the exact same shape, which wasn't very good at all. So...we said goodbye. Owen was there (which I'm sure some of you will think I'm crazy for, but they were buddies and I wanted Owen to say goodbye, even though he won't remember it) and gave him a pat before C took him out of the room. I stayed with Mr. T and had a snuggle while Dr. Tucker administered the sedative. I've had to do this with our family cat (Thomas Twiliger Thompson) and our pooch (Anthony Aloysius) and from experience have found most animals to twitch, seize, lose control of their bowels etc. Tiko was so peaceful. When the vet tech, Emily, brought him back in and put him on the exam table, he just curled up and rested his head on my hand. We had a snuggle and I told him that I loved him very much and was happy that we took him home from the Humane Society four years ago. Dr. Tucker got me some Kleenex and then checked for a heartbeat. Tiko was gone. (queue tears...) We'll miss you, Tiko Tobias!

Update on Tiko

Hey everyone...

I just wanted to, first and foremost, thank you all for your well wishes, messages of encouragement and words of love as we go through this with our beloved Tiko. Everytime I look at the little guy, my eyes well up and I scoop him up for a snuggle.

C and I went to dinner last night to (morbidly) discuss the options.

Option #1

Pour hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars into medication (we're talking $250/month) to possibly give Tiko a few more months with us

Option #2

Send him to kitty Heaven on our own accord

Option #3

Defer to Dr. Tucker


Neither of us wanted to make the decision, so we opted for #3.

I called the animal hospital this morning, and spoke with the vet. tech. I told her of the lack of appetite, weight loss, matted coat, and that he sleeps alot of the time. She said that possibly there is something they could do.

Then, I told her of the white gums...

She said that it is likely time to have his quality of life assessed and that we should get him in next week to see Dr. Tucker.

Wednesday at 2:00pm EST is going to suck.

Tribute to Tiko

Well...something that we've been avoiding having to decide now for months in upon us.

Tiko's health has taken a turn for the worse. He hasn't peed in the litter box in weeks, perhaps even months, and his coat has become ridiculously matted. I check his gums today when giving him some renal health medication, and they're white. Not good.

I spent the day reasoning with myself. Am I selfish to want to send him to Heaven and release him from this life of pain because I am tired of cleaning up carpets and finding ruined bags/shoes/clothes/etc. from being peed on? Or am I selfish to not want to send him way up there, holding onto hope that he might (not likely) get better?

I feel relieved and yet saddened that Owen won't remember Tiko. He's his best friend! Whenever Tiko enters the room, Owen giggles and pulls him to the floor..."pets" him, and gets excited. Tiko...foolishly or not...always comes back for more.

They're buddies.

How can I take that from my son?

How can I not look into Tiko's eyes and see that his quality of life is hell right now, and that he needs relief?

I hate this.

My Maracas

Ovarian Cancer Mini Walk of Hope

You may have noticed a Facebook fanpage box over to the right hand side.

Let me explain.

Do you remember last summer when I challenged myself to walk the 5km Winner Walk of Hope? Well...I contacted Ovarian Cancer Canada after my walk experience, and was appointed co-chair for the London event going forward!

I'm so excited to be getting my hands dirty with planning the walk. Everything is shaping up really well, and I'm really optimistic with how the walk will run this year.

I'd be very grateful if you'd click the little LIKE button on the Facebook fanpage box over to the right side, and even MORE grateful if you register to walk our 5km! If you're not in the London area, you can register as a virtual walker and raise pledges that way!

Click here to register!

A Day with Monster

What do I do all day?

Chase after a Monster!

Sweet Stella's: MOMpreneur Monday: Nikki In Stitches...GIVEAWAY!

Sweet Stella's: MOMpreneur Monday: Nikki In Stitches...GIVEAWAY!: "Welcome back to Sweet Stella's! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!! Today, I am so incredibly, very excited! Not only is this MOMpren..."

Sweet Stella's: Special Post: Facebook Fanpage GIVEAWAY!

Sweet Stella's: Special Post: Facebook Fanpage GIVEAWAY!: "To celebrate 100+ fans over on Facebook, I've decided to do a little giveaway! Up for grabs is a set of 12 custom made notecards! For all o..."

Y3W

9 Month Stats

Weight: 23lbs (yes...that's the equivalent to a 2 year old) - 84%

Height: 30" (again...2 year old) 95%

Head circumference: 18" (holy moly!) 62%

All is well and the Monster is indeed a monster in true form.

New things this week:

- Owen is cutting his two top front teeth! Yahoo!!

- he's decided against morning naps, but is rocking out a 1.5hr-3hr nap in the afternoon, which leaves Mommy lots of time to play with paper and work on Sweet Stella's and Life With Baby work

- he wears 12month and 12-18month clothes

- he no longer sleeps in a sleep sac as he chews on it every morning and it's disgusting

- he says Mama and Dada like it's his job, and we couldn't be happier about it

New foods!

- Cherrios...LOVES 'em!

- Rolled oats (no more powdered oat cereal for this kid!) with fruits for breakfast

- blueberries (whole ones!)

- Turkey...seriously, the most delicious dish I've made him thus far! Our house smells like Christmas when it's time for Owen's dinner!

And....some pics from St. Patrick's Day

Sweet Stella's: Thankful Thursday: Handmade For Help

Sweet Stella's: Thankful Thursday: Handmade For Help: "Happy...well not so happy Thursday today. The news of disaster in Japan, unfortunately, is keeping the news stations very busy at the momen..."

The Cherrios Monster

The Tea Party

Life at the Szem household over the past week had been dedicated to these beauties

Our coffee table is smeared with glue and bits of paper...our floor scattered with cuttings and confetti from a hole puncher.

I have been working like MAD on custom orders lately. Tea parties, giraffes, Yellow Submarine, green and black, mod monkey and custom thank-you cards!

I know alot of you out there are going to be planning 1st birthday parties very soon, so please please if you need anything at all, and if I can take some of the stress out of your planning i'd be happy to do so!

Check out Sweet Stella's on Etsy for all of the latest creations and collections!

Y3W: More Than 3 Words

I originally was going to post pictures of the custom orders I've been working on and give a coupon code for Etsy for followers who might want to order something for their kiddo's 1st bday party, but that all seems very trivial compared to what is going on in the world right now.

A massive Tsunami hit and wiped out Japan and Hawaii.

Right now, that Tsunami is headed toward Vancouver Island...which happens to be where a large part of my heart lives.

It's where my Fairy GodMother lives, and where we scattered my Dad's ashes nearly 5 years ago. I like to think that his spirit lives on there, on MacKenzie Beach and I'd really love to take Owen there. Plus, I've always had a very special connection to my Fairy GodMother and I would...well...I don't want to even fathom something bad happening to her. She's almost...a spiritual extension of my Dad. I can't lose that.

So today, I just ask that you pray. Pray for the people of Japan who have lost their lives, their homes...their everything. Pray for the people of the Pacific Rim that will be impacted by this devastating Tsunami, or have already been impacted by it. Pray for our friends and family that will certainly be impacted in some way from this.

Sweet Stella's: MOMpreneur Monday (and GIVEAWAY!): Lilybugs Clips ...

Sweet Stella's: MOMpreneur Monday (and GIVEAWAY!): Lilybugs Clips ...: "Good morning everyone! It's such a beautiful morning, and what better way to celebrate the emergence of Spring than with a lovely MOMpreneur..."

Y3W: Best...Idea...Ever

Seriously...I am the smartest Mom ever (not that I'm bias but whatever)

It occurred to me that my Monster gets rather antsy at lunch/dinnertime and that I needed to streamline the process of prepping his meal, having him play on the floor while doing so, then getting him into his booster seat, tray on, bib on, and ready to go.

I always, ALWAYS was forgetting his bibs upstairs.

Forget no more!

Yes...that's right...On top of our wine fridge are Owen's bibs. Actually...all of our lovely wine bar is Owen's toy central now. So sad.

But it's really handy. I had thought about moving his bibs to the kitchen and was looking for a spot in our cupboards for the tote. It wouldn't fit anywhere, so on top of the wine fridge it went. Now, everything is within reach, right when I need it and I don't have to worry about forgetting a bib mid-feed and having to run upstairs to grab one (they were previously in his room), and returning to a screaming baby who's having a fit without his food.

Best...Idea...Ever!

Mama Needs a New Bag

To all of you Mamas out there that are sick of boring old diaper bags...I need your help.

I need a change. While I love my Skip Hop Via Messenger bag, and think that it is practical and spacious and lovely....it's boring.

It's black with a silver interior. It has no real bells and whistles, though it does attach very nicely to both of our strollers.

But...it has no ruffles...and I LOVE ruffles!

So, Trendy Mamas, suggest your beautiful bags.

Here are the ones that I'm considering (and hinting at Owen to save his pennies for Mother's Day)

Timi and Leslie

Charlie II Convertible Diaper Bag in Tangerine






Marie Antoinette Diaper Bag in Silver




Marilyn II Diaper Bag in Raspberry


I LOVE THEM! I stumbled upon the Timi and Leslie bags on Amazon, and I am head over heels for them! (hint hint C...and Owen...) They are beautiful, and look just as spacious as my current bag...and they're more reminiscent of some of my beautiful purses that I am mourning the loss of...seeing as I carry my diaper bag everywhere, but never a purse unless C and I have a (rare) night out.

What bags do you love? Do you have one you want to replace? Do you have one currently that you just cannot do without? I'd love to hear your recommendations!

Some Updates

I am so sorry that we haven't been updating that much lately. Things are really hectic with me running Sweet Stella's and my Coordinator gig at Life With Baby is keeping me busy as well.

Not to mention that Owen is 8.5months old...rolling all over the place and trying to crawl.

I'm still training with Liz, my fabulous trainer, though my sessions are coming to a close and we'll hopefully be renewing in June so I can continue with her. I am very proud to say that I have lost 55lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight, and am the slimmest I have been in my adult life.

C is working like a madman and chasing Owen around the floor when he's home from work.

Life is certainly busy.

As I mentioned, Owen is trying to crawl. He can get his knees up under himself, and will push himself backward, then get very frustrated that he isn't going in the direction he wanted to. He'll try and pull himself to stand if we're sitting on the floor with him, and he's getting really strong.

His favourite toys right now are tupperware containers and lids, and his favourite lovie is his Elephant, that we've named Ringo. He LOVES music and will stop whatever he is doing if there is music on the television or computer.

That's my boy!