A name for everything

Mary-Gail is my child who thinks up creative names for everything. Take this unassuming grapefruit - that's what you and I call this tangy and tart, but oh so delicious fruit. But to my nickname-maker-upper, Mary-Gail, it's a "Tastey." That's right, a "Tastey."

Want some?

Mary-Gail's look when I asked her if she would share the "tastey" with me

"No!"

Becca laid on the floor next to Mary-Gail and they rolled "Tastey" back-and-forth between them

Becca retrieved "Tastey" after it rolled off the toy box into the spot where Becca's standing

Poor little Grapefruit, I mean, Tastey. It was so, so, so squished & mushy by the end of the night. But I couldn't take it away from Mary-Gail - she slept with it...Huh?

The thing with Mary-Gail and nicknames is, once Mary-Gail tags the new name, it sticks. I hear Becca using the nickname, Lovey uses it, and I use it too. So if you hear us talking about "Tastey," we could very well be talking about a grapefruit. Another example of Mary-Gail's nicknaming/tagging skills - her blanket. "It's not a blanket," Mary-Gail will hastily correct you. "It's a Teekah!" And Mary-Gail's given me a nickname too - I'm "Ma." Not 'Mom,' or 'Mommy'; I'm "Ma." And the quicker you say "Ma," the closer you are to sounding just like my little "Miguel" - Mary-Gail's nickname for herself. Oh yes, that is how she introduces herself to everyone: "Hi! My name is Miguel. What's your name?" (Special thanks to Rachel & Signing Time).