04.02.15

I shared my blog yesterday. On Facebook and Instagram. It's an interesting thing, that the prospect of doing that was far more frightening than strangers stumbling across it naturally. The people that know me, and love me, will surely be more accepting and supportive than a perfect stranger. And yet I fear their responses most of all. It took me a long time to actually post the link once I'd typed it, and longer still for my heart to stop racing. But it's important to do things that we're afraid of sometimes. And I'm glad I did it. If you're new to my blog, welcome! I post every day but Sunday. :)

I also changed the header of the site, I wanted something absolutely crisp and clean and minimalist, but also serves the purpose of helping people understand the meaning of the title a little bit more. "Good morning, Monster!" is the first thing I used to say to my son Oliver when I retrieved him from his room in the morning, when he was still quite small. The title means far more than that now, for me, because sometimes it feels like each day contains a new monster in need of conquering. The stress of managing a house, raising a family, getting a handle on my mental health. And if I can begin each day with a welcoming attitude toward my daily monster, and a cheerful greeting, perhaps instead of fighting my monster, he and I can be friends and work together to create something great in this life. From the very first breath in my lungs each new day.

Yesterday evening was another relaxing one, but we did get a walk around the block in. At one point we were going the pace of a neighbourhood cat, and it took us nearly half an hour to get down a single street. Each time the cat would stop, and change directions, Theodore would shout "Wait!" and then stop cold until the cat corrected his course and walked with us again. We also finally bought bandages, to Oliver's delight (and I think four-year-olds the world over) and in the top photo, in the foreground, Matt is helping him with an owie on his finger, while Theodore watches intently in the background, eating his supper, with one foot up on the table. Naturally.

This afternoon we have family dentist appointments on the agenda, and I'm nervous at best. Theodore is going to be... interesting. I anticipate wrangling and restraining to the absolute legal limit, I'm afraid, if his nightly tooth-brushing fiasco is any indication. And Oliver will be anxious, I'm sure, but brave. I'll have to pack an arsenal of toys and treats and digital devices to help us get through the ordeal in one piece. On top of all that, I also have to get my own teeth cleaned, which is quite possibly my least favourite thing there is. It's hard to put a positive spin on a family dentist appointment, but we'll see what lessons we come out with in the end. And lessons are never bad.