nicknames

We used to call Nate so many nicknames. At one of his infant well-checks, the doctor asked us if Nate responded to his own name. He did not. But I also couldn't remember if I had called him by his given name (or given nickname, since Nate is a nickname for Nathanael) a single time in the previous week. The doctor was not concerned at all, but I started trying to make sure I called him "Nate" so that he would at least learn his name. My favorite of his cutesy nicknames was Cute Potato Pie. The only ones I still use (because he insists that those are the only valid ones) are Sweetie and Kiddo. He is often Mr Nate.

Ben has the advantage of being a younger sibling. Besides being called Ben for Benjamin, all of his nicknames started with his big brother. When Ben was a newborn, Nate called him B. Ben would be laying on a blanket on the floor. He loved to watch Nate run around or just look at pictures. Nate would get mad at me for whatever reason and run crying to Ben. He would lay his head on Ben's tummy, and cry, "Nooooooo!!! B!! Noooooo!!!!"

Nate crying to B about how mean I am.

So we have B. And I sometimes call him Sweet B, like sweetpea. Then there are, of course, Mr Poopie Poopie and Mr Froggy Benjamin, which Rodgers often shortens to Froggy B. Mr Poopie Poopie started one day when I was changing Ben's poopie diaper, and Nate said, "Hey Poopie Poopie!" We have no idea where Mr Froggy Benjamin came from, besides Nate's imagination. And that's what makes it awesome!