Nicknames

When we selected Olivia's name, I wondered how her name would end up being shortened into a nickname. Let's face it...four syllables is a lot. It's such a beautiful name, but I figured people would start calling her Liv or Livy or Ollie Rose (perish the thought!) or something.

So far, none of the obvious nicknames have caught on. In the meantime, though, we've developed a few rather odd nicknames.

First to emerge were "precious" and "sweet baby". These were what we called her in the hospital. Then we got her home, sleep deprivation set in, and "precious" quickly dropped off the list. Soon to replace it, though, was "Sweet Pea". This one has stuck for me and I still fall back on it from time to time.

She's been called "Rotten" when she's doing stuff she knows she's not supposed to do. She's also been referred to as "Stinky" when she's, well, stinky. "Little Butt" is another favorite of mine because her little hiney is too small to hold up most pants that are the right length.

But by far the most ridiculous nickname she has acquired so far is "Smooshie".

Don't ask me how this started or why, but somewhere along the line I started calling her Smooshie. I'm also the only one who does. I think it may have originated when she first started smiling because she smiles with her whole face, and I guess I got it from the way her nose wrinkles or gets smooshed up when she grins. Anyway, I think she is starting to RESPOND to this nickname. She absolutely knows her real name, but I just hope that when she starts to come up with her own version of her name, she uses her given name. If she starts saying things like "Ee-bah do it" (translation: I/Olivia will do it), it will be easy to explain to people that she is referring to herself. It might be a little more difficult if she says "Ooshie do it". Because there's no way you are getting "Olivia" out of "ooshie".

What strange nicknames do your kids have?