October 31, 2017

Dear Babies,

I’m sitting here in the dark willing baby to go back to sleep. My expectation is that I would have been sleeping by now having finished feeding you over 20 minutes ago. My reality is that every time I put you down you cry leaving me hostage. So here we are and this is a first great example of life not meeting your wild (or tame) expectations.

Another is today being Halloween. I had at least 5 awesome family costumes picked out, not one of us dressed up.

Halloween is literally my favourite holiday of ever so it would be fitting that with it comes a lot of anticipation and unlike New Years, it’s never missed the mark. I sit and dream of Halloween all year long and Halloween rewards my patience. I have historically had amazing costumes, well decorated homes and spooky, ornate pumpkins. I imagined Halloween with my kids would be the usual awesomeness plus.

And this is where I have to remind you both that your expectations may not always be met in spite of efforts.

When you woke up this am with a fever and we relinquished the idea of going to your school costume parade, the day was already trending poor. It never recovered.

You were sick, your dad recovering from eye surgery, the sky was rainy and one of our skeleton decorations fell down.

By the time dinner rolled around you had insisted in NOT going out and were crying for your bed.

We managed to encourage you to give out candy and just as you seemed to get into it a little boy in a spooky mask scared the fuck out of you and the night officially ended at 6:55. We turned off the lights, ate the remaining candy ourselves and did a short version of bedtime.

Oh well. There is always next year…

The point here is that you can’t let a defiance to your expected outcome ruin a night. Sure, we had rehearsed “trick or treat” and told the story of Halloween to death in preparation for tonight but you know what? Tomorrow is another day and while it may not be as spooky (because November 1 just doesn’t have the spooky vibes), it will still be a good one. Or not. Point is that nothing bursts into flames when expectations aren’t met (unless the particular thing you’re expecting is not to have a fire and then things go south).

Tomorrow is another day and another one of many to have a great day (just not in an awesome costume).

Don’t be sad to have missed this event. It only makes me want to make next year better. I’m already setting myself up but it will be ok if it all comes crashing down (but I might think kids are a Halloween curse).

xo

Mom