Nicknames - Literally Speaking, of course

Bealge (currently pronounced Bell-G) – is the ever-evolving nickname that Little Man uses for Peanut.  To tell this story right, I have to start back at the beginning, when Peanut was just a little seed.

Papa Bear and I had a difficult time coming up with his name.  Little Man’s name was so easy; we had it picked before he was even conceived.  But Peanut’s name took some good long negotiations.  At one point in time we thought his name would be Max.  Our “pretend to be playing but actually listening into adult conversations” little boy must have overheard us and latched onto that name.  When we brought Peanut home from the hospital Little Man was calling him Max.  We would always say “His name is not Max, it is Logan”. 

I must stop and tell this side story at this time.  If you ask Little Man now what his baby brother’s name is he promptly replies “Not Max, Bealge”.  Obviously this is because he took us quite literally when we said “ His name is…”Not Max, Logan:”.  So we fear that Little Man literally thinks his brother’s name is “Not Max Logan”.  Ok, back to the main story now.

Thinking that Max was just a lot easier to say for him than Logan  we used his initials and starting calling him Baby LJ, in hopes that he would refrain from telling everyone about his baby brother Max.  This was the ticket.  Little Man picked it up and was calling him Baby LG (he said his J’s like G’s at the time).  Well being lazy like his mama he then shortened Baby LG to BLG.  I guess he took his own licensing on the use of initials.  So BLG it was, but then even that was too much effort and it became a word, not a set of letters, which resulted in Bealge.  It was originally pronounced more like it looks Bee – L- G but has taken yet another slide to the Bell-G pronunciation. 

So that is the story on the nickname and I am sure that there will be a continuation to this saga since Little Man is learning to talk more and more.  At this time if you ask him what his brother’s name is you can get many answers: “Not Max, Bealge” or “Not Max, Onan (his version of Logan) or simply “Bealge”.  As long as he isn’t calling him names, I am happy for now and I think it is rather cute and hope that he holds onto into later years.  I have always called my brother by a nickname no one else uses and that has been special for us, I would love for my boys to have something similar.