Nicknames...

We purposely chose names for our kids that are hard to shorten or make into nicknames. I just never wanted my kids to have a childish version of their given name. For example... I like the name Mike- but hate the version Mikey. I like Jim- but not Jimmy. You get the idea...
Despite our best efforts, our kids have adopted some alternate names, and ironically enough, we are the ones who started them. I recently used one of these endearments in public the other day and got some weird glances.
Oh, what have I done to my kids? :)

AARON: When Aaron was born he was extra noisy fussy and was waking up all the other babies in the nursery.  His sweet nurse had to keep him with her when he wasn't with me so the other babies would rest. She kept snuggling him to keep him quiet and referred to him as her "sweet little teddy bear" when she told us about his behavior in the nursery. Thus his nickname AARON BEAR was born.
Also, his Uncle Jordan coined the term Double A for him. (Like the battery) Although not used as frequently, he has been called this on occasion too.

CALEB: We named Caleb before he was born. Aaron was not quite 3 and would come hug my big tummy. He would try to say Caleb, but since he was still learning to talk it would frequently come out simply CUB. This has stuck. I frequently find myself referring to Caleb as CUB, CUBS, CUBBY BEAR, CUBBY, CUB MAN, etc.

KELLIE: Kellie doesn't really have a great story with her nick names. She is sometimes called Kellie-girl, MISS Kellie or Girly. Lately she has simply been called WOMAN. I guess those names are appropriate, seeing whereas she is the only girl around here. :) Also, as a baby I affectionately called her my little FUSS- BUTT. Fortunately for her that name has seemed to drop off with age.

LEVI: Levi is frequently called BABY Levi by his siblings, spoken as if the "baby" part were his title, like Mr or Mrs. My nickname for him is a bit odder...  
JUNIOR BACON CRAB CAKES, or JUNIOR BACON for short. Let me explain. It just kind of slipped out one day. Matt sometimes calls him Junior, since he is the littlest around here. What goes with Junior? Why Bacon of course! (I've been to Wendy's a bit too frequently, I suppose) and the Crab part came in because he was fussy with his teething. Crab logically then gets expanded to Crab Cakes, which is also appropriate since Cake is sweet and so is Levi. I know it sounds crazy, but silly as it is the nickname stuck. I suppose I could try to replace it with something better, but I'm kind of attached to it now...

SO, while other people may look at me funny, at least I KNOW that JUNIOR BACON CRAB CAKES is really a sign of great affection for my baby. Here's hoping this one will wear off before he's an adult,or he may have some uncomfortable explaining to do... :)