Name Game

I've noticed reading some blogs that most people don't use their kids' real names. Since I have 3 boys, it's hard to keep referring to them as "him" all the time. So, I've decided to change their names for the purpose of blogging.

My daughter is the only girl. She cried when I had my sonogram with our 4th baby this past October because she really didn't want another brother. One way I consoled her was to tell her that she'd be our princess. So, I'll refer to her as Princess. Princess just finished first grade, and is usually very sweet. However, there are times where she makes these faces and rolls her eyes, and I dread her becoming a teenager. I have a feeling her name could change when she gets older.

My oldest son is into all things pirates. He loves pirate cartoons, pirate ships, pirate action figures, and dresses up as a pirate by 7am most days. I will call him Pirate. He also equally loves Star Wars. He has just as many Star Wars action figures and a Darth Vader costume. He refers to himself as "Dark Bader" when he is dressed up. I was going to go with calling him Dark Bader, but Pirate requires less typing. I'm always looking for an easy out.

My middle son, who has been in the terrible two's since he was 14 months old, causes me more gray hair than anyone my age should have. He is absolutely cute as could be, and I can see him charming his was out of trouble when he gets older. My first two were very laid back. This one, not so much. He's a climber, he's a tantrum thrower, he's a hitter. They say everyone gets at least one kid like this. If he had been our first born, he would have been an only child. I was already pregnant with the fourth by the time this badness set in, or we'd only have three kids. I will refer to him as Trouble.

My sweet baby boy doesn't stand a chance among all the madness of this house. We're lucky he sleeps through the noise, because quiet is a rare thing around here. When I was pregnant with him, we asked Princess and Pirate what we should name the baby. Pirate was in a real Shrek phase at the time, watching all of the movies all the time. At first he suggested Shrek. I said probably not. They both suggested Thomas. We liked Thomas, but in the end, we didn't name him that. Around Christmas time, Pirate suggested Rudolph and Frosty. They were a little too seasonal, and the baby was going to be born at the end of February or early March. Cupid or Easter Bunny would have been more fitting, but we crossed them off the list too. Back to the Shrek phase, Pirate decided we should name the baby Donkey. It was a last minute decision in the delivery room, but we ended up not going with Donkey. However, my friends loved that Pirate came up with that, so we still refer to the baby as Donkey. And so will I in my blogs.

I went back and edited my old posts to reflect the new names for my children. I am enjoying these names, so I may consider applying for changes on their birth certificates.