The Story Behind Monster's Nickname

I recently had a follower ask me the story behind Monster being called Monster..... and I realized I've never explained it on my blog before! It's actually a pretty short explanation, but it's cute. So here you go!

When Ben & I first got married, we rescued a cat from the animal shelter as my wedding present. (Which was actually a big deal, because Ben doesn't like cats <3 ) He is cross-eyed and has 6 toes on each of his front paws - so we named him Bigfoot. ("Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, is purportedly an ape-like cryptid that inhabits forests, mainly in the Pacific Northwest region of North America." Bigfoot on Wikipedia)

Bigfoot when we got him - crappy picture, but see his extra toe?!

In late 2008, we adopted a ball python, and sticking with our monster theme, we named her Basilisk. (You may be most familiar with a Basilisk from Harry Potter & The Chamber of Secrets, lol. It's "reputed to be king of serpents and said to have the power to cause death with a single glance" Basilisk on Wikipedia)

Basilisk & Bigfoot playing:

Then in 2009, we adopted a mastiff puppy and named her Nessie. Nessie is the nickname of the Lochness Monster, which we both think is pretty cool. ("The Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands...The legendary monster has been affectionately referred to by the nickname Nessie since the 1950s." Nessie on Wikipedia)

Nessie & I - 8 weeks old, the day we got her.

Nessie & Ben - just under 1 year old:

So, there we were with 3 pets, all named after legendary monsters. When I became pregnant, and later found out that it was a boy - my brother in law made a comment to the effect of "You'll be adding another monster to your clan". And it stuck. From then on, my brother in law called my growing belly Monster, and after he was born, the nickname continued!

When I started blogging, I didn't want to use his real name online for security purposes, so the Monster nickname seemed to be the perfect solution!

He is still affectionately called Monster by that side of the family. And that nickname was even the reason for the theme of his 1st birthday party!

So there you have it - that's why I call him Monster! :)