Friday, December 31, 2010

The Origin of inner-sanctum nicknames

Somehow each of our children has evoked some term of affection that sticks for a rather short duration. These are names we use only in the intimacy of our family unit, and rarely outside the home. The evolution is simplistic. They occur without any special thought or effort on our part. Jack was "Jack-a-roni" which strangely turned into "Jack-a-rone-stone" (?). Spencer was "Spency-wence" Not original, I know. Accordingly, it didn't last for long. Ethan is "E-man". The adult in a child's body, with a child's impulse control, is as applicable today as when he was 4 months old. Strangely, Olivia and Susannah both share "Deucey-do". The origin of that one is in large part due to them being feminine.

You see, their father turns to absolute mush for any babies, but when he had girl babies, he just lost all sense of, well, sense. He would pick them up and start baby-talking and saying, "You're so cutesy, woosie, deucey". Frequently for expediency, it would be shortened to "Deucey-doo!" as he would pick them up and twirl them around, which later evolved into "the Deuce". "Where's my deucey-doo?! " or "Hey! Deucy-doo!". Strange, babbling, baby talk, but it works for us, and it has stuck.

So when Reed came around, being masculine in nature, he did not qualify as a "Deucey-doo". He did however, quickly become "Reedy-boo". (Or, if you're Susannah, "Weedy-boo")

But this week, Reedy-boo evolved into:

Reedy-Boo-Boo


We hope to drop the second "boo" in about 3 weeks.
(This child is a sweet one I tell you!)