Slow Life Stories —Claudia

🙋🏻‍♀️Hi friends! I just uploaded a new video about my life lately as winter comes to an end, along with an update on Bella’s health. Also, don’t forget to watch the Italy vlog—it’s up too! 🤍 Watch it here: Memories of Italy: Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre, Venice | Travel Vlog | Honeymoon 1/3
https://youtu.be/RKZsWnKzHSo

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1 hour ago | [YT] | 20

Slow Life Stories —Claudia

🎥New video live now: In honor of this being my 100th video on YouTube 🎉, I decided to go back to where it all started — back to the time when I first began vlogging. That was our honeymoon in Italy... More than seven years ago, JC and I filmed the whole trip with the intention of uploading it to YouTube… but somehow, life moved on and the footage stayed sitting quietly on a hard drive.
Recently, I started going through our old travel photos and videos and it brought back so many memories. JC and I have traveled together to about ten countries, and we filmed every single trip. I always told myself that one day I would edit those videos — maybe upload them to YouTube, or at least keep them for us.
The very first trip we filmed was that honeymoon in Italy… and I never edited it. More than seven years later, I finally did. Editing that video made me so happy. It brought back so many memories from such a special time in our lives. And even though the filming was a little rough (we were using a much lower-quality camera back then), those moments are part of our story.
So I’ve decided that little by little — emphasis on little by little — I’m going to edit each of our trips. I want to upload them here so they never get lost in a memory card or an old hard drive, and so anyone who wants to watch can share those memories with us.
It will be a small series, about ten videos, sprinkled in slowly between my regular slow living content. Don’t worry — I’m not suddenly turning into a travel vlog channel. My usual content isn’t going anywhere. I’ll just work on these whenever I have the time and share them here and there. Hope you enjoy!

P.S. Please forgive the quality of the video. It was filmed with a much lower-quality camera compared to what I use now, and the filming style is a little rough compared to how I film today. These videos were recorded more than seven years ago, when I was basically just holding a camera for the first time and learning as I went.

P.P.S. Little Bella is doing great! Back to herself 🙏🏻 I’ll post a video between tomorrow and Monday with an update ❤️

3 days ago | [YT] | 55

Slow Life Stories —Claudia

Happy Saturday! ❤️ I wasn’t able to post a video this week, but I have two coming next week, one after the other, and they’re almost fully edited. One is the old Italy 🇮🇹 honeymoon video I mentioned and showed a preview of in my last video, and the other is an ❄️end-of-winter/life update where I share more about what’s been going on lately, including an update on Bella.

🐕 Speaking of Bella, she is doing much better! She doesn’t seem to be in any visible pain anymore and there’s been no crying in pain either. She’s pretty much back to herself, except she’s not walking yet after so many days of limited mobility. We’ll have to take it slow and help her build up that strength and tolerance again little by little.

But overall she’s doing great and was very happy to go out today for a pup cup — something she enjoys so much… they both do! 🥰🐾🐶🐕

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1 week ago | [YT] | 187

Slow Life Stories —Claudia

I want to gently clarify something for anyone who may be feeling concerned.

I’ve received a couple of comments saying that it is “cruel” to allow Bella to continue living or questioning why I would allow her to “suffer.” I know this is a very sensitive topic, and I understand that many people speak from their own painful experiences. 🤍

However, I want to be very clear.

Bella is NOT constantly suffering, and she is not at end-of-life despite her age and condition. Many chihuahuas live well into their late teens and even up to 20 years.

We are making the best decisions for Bella based on guidance from her veterinarian, who believes she continues to have a good quality of life. At NO point has her vet hinted or suggested that she should be “put down”.

She has a medical condition that causes flare-ups a few times a year (it’s not constant). With proper care and medication, she returns to her normal, happy self within days. This recent episode was the first time she experienced this level of pain, and it lasted only a couple of days until her medication began working.

In previous flare-ups, according to her veterinarian (who has physically assessed her), she did not experience pain due to nerve damage from her spinal condition. That nerve damage affects sensation and coordination — which explains her mobility challenges — and decreased sensation includes decreased pain sensation as well.

Outside of flare-ups, she is a happy dog. She eats well, is alert, enjoys her days, always wants to go outside, and has a good quality of life. She is aging, yes, and she requires special care and monitoring — but aging and having a medical condition do not automatically mean constant suffering or that we should give up on her. Every case is different.

NO ONE loves or cares more about Bella’s wellbeing than my husband and I. We would never allow her to live in prolonged suffering simply to keep her with us longer.

When that time comes, that decision will be made by her veterinarian, who knows her history and what is best for her. Once again, at no point has her vet suggested that she is at that stage and that is the only medical opinion we will rely on in this matter.

I kindly ask that her quality of life not be judged through the lens of another experience. 🐕🤍🐾

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 280

Slow Life Stories —Claudia

New video is now up! 🎥 Apartment reset after an emotional week.

I wasn't sure if I was going to film a video this week.
Not only was it emotionally heavy, it was physically and financially draining too.
We were very worried about Bella's health... there were nights she woke us up crying in pain, unexpected and hefty vet bills, and missed workdays. It's been one of those weeks that just takes everything out of you.
I was not in the mood to create a video but I did need to organize and reset the apartment a bit... so l thought I might as well film that.
This isn't a deep clean by any means - just a gentle reset after a long week.

Bella is doing much better now, which makes us so happy. She is not in visible pain anymore. No more crying... and looks like she is ready to start walking again! We've caught her trying to get out of bed many times (but she needs to be in bed rest for another week or so).

PS: At the end of the video, I give you a preview of my next video which will be a little different from the rest. ❤️

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3 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 125

Slow Life Stories —Claudia

Another snow day… no work today. I’m currently editing a video and hoping to post it soon! Little Bella is doing much better 🙏🏻 I’ll give you a full update in the upcoming video ❤️

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3 weeks ago | [YT] | 116

Slow Life Stories —Claudia

Thank you so much for all your prayers and well wishes for our little Bella. We received a call from the vet today with her bloodwork results. The kidney values they were monitoring—so that she could safely receive pain medication—came back within normal limits 🙏🏻Thankfully, that meant we were able to start her on pain medication to help keep her comfortable 🥹

We were told that some of her protein levels came back high and others low, so additional testing will be needed to determine whether this is kidney-related or due to another cause. For now, though, she seems much more comfortable, and we’re hopeful this flare-up will resolve soon so she can return to her normal self. This has been the most painful flare-up she’s ever had 🥺

She is finally getting some rest. Prior to the medication, she hadn’t been sleeping much because she would wake up crying in pain with certain movements. We’ve been using blankets to gently prop and position her in the way that seems most comfortable for her, since lying fully down appears to be the most painful position right now.

Her appetite has remained strong throughout all of this, which is reassuring, and she continues to be very alert and responsive.

Diagnosis: Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD), a herniated disc at T11–T12 with spinal cord compression.

Thank you for continuing to send her love and good energy. It truly means so much to us. 🤍

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3 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 183

Slow Life Stories —Claudia

We had to bring our little Bella to the vet today. She’s having an IVDD flare-up and seems to be in quite a bit of pain since yesterday. She’s also been drinking a lot more water lately, so they’re running a blood panel to check her kidneys before even starting any pain medication. She’s calm and resting now. Please send her lots of love, prayers and good vibes. 🤍

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4 weeks ago (edited) | [YT] | 163

Slow Life Stories —Claudia

Happy Valentine’s Day to you all! 💐 I just uploaded a new video (not related to Valentine’s!) —A day in my life where I show you my routine on a workday. Check it out and let me know if you enjoyed it! ❤️ Have a lovely weekend 🥰

4 weeks ago | [YT] | 115

Slow Life Stories —Claudia

New video: One of the biggest snowstorms in years! Hope you enjoy it ❤️

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4 weeks ago | [YT] | 95