A Rose By Any Other Name

Nicknames are pretty commonplace in my life.  Neither my husband nor I admit to the names emblazoned on our birth certificates, preferring the names that have turned our heads since toddlerhood.  The real advantage to using a nickname is that you get an extra level of warning before the parental boom is lowered.  For example, when demanding my eldest son's attention I might say, "Colin.  Colin Bryce!  COLIN BRYCE HARRIS!"  His younger brother, though, got a fourth warning round, "Court.  Courtlandt!  Courtlandt Bryn!! COURTLANDT BRYN HARRIS!  Court employed that extra ounce of grace to his advantage more than once.

Frequently there are stand-in name that babies outgrow, which is probably a good thing.  Colin was "Munchkin" from the start.  Corey, owing to his birth before his elder brother's 1st birthday, was appropriately named "BooBoo".  Court went by "Peanut".  Those names stuck for a good many years, even into grade school, but not at grade school.  We didn't purposely aim to psychologically damage our offspring.

What do you suppose governs whether a baby gets a supplemental monikor  or not?  It's not readily apparent to me.  I gave Bryce many names in his miniature years:  Cutie, Munchkin (in honor of his father, I guess) and, of course, he was the original Grandboy.  But none of the names really stuck.  Tyler was called Midget, and thought it fits, it hasn't really stuck, either.  If Aidan has a nickname, it is Oh-Aidan, spoken with various degrees of admiration and exasperation.  Initially I thought Josiah would become just 'Siah, but not really.  Love Bug fits him pretty well, though.  He just is, but it just doesn't roll off the tongue when him is around.

But grandboy number five, Elijah, may have the first real nickname - at least in my book - his parents may disagree.  However, I am enlisting the help of his eldest brother, and that may be all the help I need!  (Aidan is part elephant and part bulldog - he never forgets and he never gives up!  And he seems to like the new name.)  May I present my youngest grandboy: Squirmy Wormy.  If you pick him up, he wants to get down and move - and will squiggle until you acquiesce.  If you put him down, he will crawl over to the nearest leg and want up.  Immediately after receiving that heart's desire, he fidgets around until you put him down again.  And so it goes...

I do pledge to you, Elijah, not to reveal your nickname to your friends when you get older.  But you can probably count on good-night kisses and 'sleep wells' to my favorite wiggly worm.  I love you, Squirmy!