Some expectant parents go to great lengths to give their children names that can't be chopped up into various and sundry nicknames. Danny and I are not among them!
Honestly, it wouldn't have mattered anyway. My dear husband has the unique ability to come up with nicknames that have absolutely no connection with our children's actual names. This has led to many a raised eyebrow and more than a few inquiries as to where on earth these terms of endearment originated. Since I, obviously, love the carefully-selected names that appear on each child's birth certificate, I've tried to fight the good fight . . . pretty much in vain. These names have just sort of stuck.
So, since you may have heard us referring to the kiddos by these names and wondered who is actually so cruel as to call a child something like this, I will now attempt to lay out the rhyme and reason behind each child's "name" . . . if there is any!
Rachel
Also known as: Shrumshine
When Rachel was about 3, she received 2 baby dolls, which she promptly named "Shrum-Shrum" and "Kir-Kir". She also named the 2 fashion barbie dolls that were given to her "Hermie" and "Webster", but that's another story. Danny got such a kick out of the names for her dolls - and we never could figure out exactly how she chose them - that he started calling her "Shrum", which, ended up turning into "Shrumshine," which he inserts into every song he can think of with the word "sunshine." You've got to hear it sometime.
Ezekiel
You can't call a tiny little bundle "Ezekiel". So I started off calling him "Zeke", which quickly turned into "Zekers." Occasionally, I would refer to him as my "Budders." For me, this is pretty zany. Danny, however, took things to a new level by starting to call him "Beef". He couldn't have been much more than 2 at the time. I think the name stuck because he's always been so skinny, and eventually developed several variations, including Mr. Beef and Beef Man. You know it's bad when he tells his Sunday School teacher, "Just call me Beef." The terrifying thing, to me, is he actually thinks that's his name.
Karis
This poor child has had too many nicknames to even list. When Rachel first saw her in the hospital, she called her "Baby Carrots." AFter this, she somehow received the nickname "Kari Bou", but has also been called "Boo Boo", "Poo Boo", "Poo Bear" and "BooBerry Muffin." Now her name has pretty much settled into "Poobly-Boo." There really is no explanation for these names. They just simply . . . are. I do find it really endearing when Danny calls her "My Bear."
Malachi
Also known as: Mr. Moo
When it comes to nicknames, this little guy has been through it all. Believe it or not, there actually is a reasonable explanation for this one! When we brought him home, I fought like crazy to call him "Kai". Danny hated this, however, so it was an uphill battle. Karis couldn't pronounce his name at all, so what came out was usually something like "Moo-Kai". Playing off of this, we've called him everything from "Drool-a-cry" to "Smelly Guy." After a while, the name "Moo-Kai" turned into "Baby Moo" and is now "Mr. Moo." And it somehow fits. At least it's better than Danny's first name for him: "The Meat Biscuit".
So there it is . . . the method (or lack of it) behind the craziness. Good, submissive wife that I am, I've given up the fight and refer to them by these bizarre titles. I have the comfort of knowing they're still quite familiar with their given names, which they hear about a dozen times each day when they do something frustrating!
14 comments:
oh yeah! we moms make sure our children know their first, middle and last names very distinctly, usually in a loud, insistent voice! :)
at first i was thinking, "no, we don't have any nicknames for our children", but guess what? we really do.:
Nicole- nickypoo
Adam- A(long a sound) bob
Colin- colly wolly
Brooke- brooky pooky
Laina- george (ask her dad)!
they all look vey wacky spelled out!
is there a post coming about your nicknames?
hmmm....
don't forget, before malachi was born you suggested we call him "bug!"
seems like everytime i came over to babysit your kids, they called each other by a different name...or zeke would tell me that his name was NOT zeke...and would proceed to tell me the most recent variation of his name...i never knew what to call your kids! haha
I'm not sure what to call your kids either. I feel a little funny calling them by their nicknames, but feel equally funny calling them by their given names, because I never hear you calling them that.
I have wondered this when I've caught myself calling Zeke "Zekers" or even calling Jessi's Seth "Seffers". Like maybe its only the parent's "right" to call them by a nickname. So, does it offend anyone to hear outsiders calling their kids by their nicknames?
For instance, I call Erin "Ernie" sometimes. And I like it that nobody else calls her that. Kind of special, just between her and I, you know? Am I whacked?
yeah kati- i wondered that myself...calling other people's kids by their nicknames...i think it feels weird, so i probably won't. now, as far as your 2nd question goes, i'm taking the fifth. :)
and ladies, ladies, we've got to get off the computers...we've got a lot to do in 36 hours!
thanks, charity, for answering my question :) it made for a very entertaining post!
i tried to give marissa the nickname "doc" because her first and middle initials are MD, but she hated it and always gave me such a look that i stopped rather quickly. i don't remember calling any of the others by a nickname because, like you, i chose names i really liked and didn't want them shortened or changed. (oh yeah, we DID try to call our youngest "cj" instead of cami jo when she was younger and we clearly saw that she was becoming a tomboy, but she insisted angrily that we call her cami jo and nothing else. now everyone at school only knows her as cj. go figure)
As far as calling our children by their nicknames . . . I get a kick out of other people calling our kids "Zekers", "Kari Bou" and "Mr. Moo." The name "Shrumshine" is kind of one Danny and I just call Rach in private. Basically, the names we call our children in public are public domain! There are other little pet names we have for them, that would seem really weird coming from other people. But it's kind of endearing, I think, when others call them by the nicknames they hear us using. And I sometimes can't help calling other children by the nicknames their parents use (like "Seffers"!).
Dee, you can't go wrong with Cami's name. I really like both "Cami Jo" and "CJ". :)
AND I like MJ for Mr. Moo! I know Hannah is glad you don't call Rach "Peanut" and longer (not that WE"VE heard)! mm
Shan had the nicknames of Shananigans and Punkin, which Bob would shorten to "Punk". When she was about 3, we were getting ready to leave church one Sunday and Bob called to her across the parking lot "Hey, Punk! C'mon it's time to go! C'mon, Punk!"
The group of little old ladies on the church steps were none too appreciative of that nickname, as evidenced by their horrified looks!
As the mother of NERDMAN I understand how things happen.......
Hey, if the shoe fits . . . :D
That is hilarious about Zeke saying "just call me beef"!
As the Aunt of Nerdman & Creepwoman (shortened lovingly to Nerd & Creep) I made sure I stayed with names like SweetPea.............)
Dare I even ask about the origins of "Creepwoman"???
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