Rest In Peace, Aunt Gillian

Gillian was the beloved furry aunt of Teagan, Quinn, Riley and Finn. We had to put her down last night at the age of 12 because she was in acute renal failure. She hadn't eaten in days so my Mom took her to the emergency vet yesterday. He said that she was in quite a lot of pain. At 12 1/4, no one wanted her to suffer. Her bravery and strength was incredible.

Gillian was my family's third Wheaten Terrier. My parents got her at the age of one, after she had been a show dog for a year. I was already at university at the time. Both of our previous Wheatens passed away when I was at school. I remember coming home to my new "sister." I was still grieving the loss of Kimmee and Romeo and wasn't ready to accept Gillee just yet. But, she lay on my bed and looked at me with those big eyes and easily won her way into my heart.

Aunt Gillian wasn't like most dogs. In fact, she despised other dogs (except for Romeo and eventually her nephews). Going for walks with her was a careful art of avoiding all dogs in our path. She was small but fierce. Both Riley and Finn crossed Gillee in the early days and quickly learned that she was the boss. They clearly had tremendous respect and even love for her. This summer, I spent a week at the cottage on my own. Gillee stayed up there with me (and the girls and boys). It was obvious that a mutual respect between Gillee and the boys had developed. They were her pack and seemed to bring her some comfort. She was even able to eat dinner right next to them, a huge change from the dog who used to eat 100 feet away from anyone. She also seemed to develop love for her young nieces. While at the cottage, Teagan had become reliant on someone patting her to sleep. It was taking longer and longer so we decided one night that we were going to have to let her cry and learn to soothe herself again. Gillee lay in front of their door and refused to move until all was quiet.

She loved her family. She was my Mom's dog without a doubt; an absolute Mommy Suck. She adored my brothers and would happily sit in their arms or on the chair next to them at the dining room table! I quickly became her walk ticket. Before the girls were born, I would pick up Gillee and take her for walks with her nephews. While she could be standoffish to some, she would be happy and almost puppy-like around her family. We will miss her terribly.

Rest in peace, Gillee. Say hello to Kimmee, Romeo and Sunnee for us (from a distance, if you would prefer!).

Baby Finn, Riley (top), Aunt Gillian (right)

 

Gillian, Finn, Riley

 

Gillee gets some love from Teagan at the cottage

Playing horse with Quinn

 

The Royal

My parents and I took the girls to the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair this morning. It is an annual event for Toronto and is considered to be the largest agricultural and international equestrian competition in the world. I remember skipping school with a friend of mine when I was about 16 to go down to the Royal to watch our other friend compete in a horse jumping competition.

My animal-loving duo was in heaven when we walked into the large hall containing the cows, goats and pigs. Their heads couldn't move fast enough to take in the sights and sounds.

Teagan gets into the spirit with a
cowboy hat

These piglets were only 12 days old!

The goats were the first animals that they saw. Their eyes
lit up like it was Christmas!

Waving bye to the cow!

One of my favourite things to do at the Royal is feeding the animals at the petting zoo. The girls come by their love of animals honestly! The animals were total pigs and have no issues getting right in your face. Fortunately, they were quite gentle when taking the feed from the girls. 

Teagan thinks that she and the goat have known each other long enough to share a kiss!

 We took a quick break to grab some food at look at what a few of the vendors were selling. We thought the Elmo hat was adorable. Quinn wasn't so sure.

And finally, we got to see the horses! This is Caden. He was a gorgeous former race horse who had been rescued. He was huge and for the first time ever, the girls were slightly nervous around an animal. 

Quinn was the side of his head!

Snack Spotlight: Coconut Banana Pudding

The girls have been on a banana kick recently. There are only so many banana and almond butter snacks to be eaten. So, while they were napping the other day, I pulled up a great, quick recipe from the blog of one my fellow nutritionists, Joy McCarthy. Not only did it contain the current favourite fruit, it also contained nutrient-dense coconut milk and chia seeds. 

This recipe contains loads of healthy fats for T&Q's developing brains and bodies. Chia seeds have become more mainstream in recent years, being touted as a superfood. They contain loads of fibre (double the amount of flax), Omega-3 fats, calcium and plenty of minerals. [Note: If you're introducing Chia into your diet for the first time, start small (1/2 tsp.) because too much, too soon can cause constipation]

I only had the pudding in the fridge for about an hour before the girls woke from their nap. It was more than enough time for it to thicken. It was a hit!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1 can full-fat coconut milk
• 3 dates soaked in 1/4 cup water for about 1 hour to make them plump (don’t discard the water!)
• 2 bananas
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup water (add more if you want it less pudding-like)

Method:

Place the bananas, soaked dates (pits removed), soaking water, coconut milk, vanilla and the extra 1/4 cup water into your blender. Blend all the ingredients until smooth. Pour your mixture into a large bowl and mix in the chia seeds. Cover and place in the fridge for a few hours.