Mild forms of insanity.

[rivka]

We are auditioning fetal nicknames. The Littlest Llama, the nanopig, and Little Bean are hard acts to follow.

Rivlet was tried on, but dismissed as not quite cute enough. Michael vetoed Puppy, perhaps because he thought it would lead to confusion about what, exactly, we were expecting. I liked Demon Seedling, but worried that there would be too many circumstances in which its use would be inappropriate.

"How about Li'l Critter?" I asked
.
"Like the Mercer Meyer books?" Michael asked.

"No, the Mercer Meyer character is Li'l Monster. Hey, how about Li'l Monster?"

"We could describe the baby as Monsteriffic," Michael pointed out. I was sold.

It turns out that Mercer Meyer has a character named Little Critter (he's the hairy one) and a character named Little Monster. So now we're auditioning both names.

We have also divided up the all-important pregnancy task of worrying. It's my responsibility to worry that the baby will have three heads. It's Michael's job to worry that the baby will have horns and a tail and be irredeemably evil. We are going to do our best to worry about these two potential problems to the exclusion of all others.

We've already figured out that both problems would require substantial alterations to baby clothes. Either way, the baby would go through an awful lot of hats.

Comments

[geminigirl]

Last I checked your name wasn't Rosemary, and Michael wasn't Satan.

And you forgot the possibility of say, a third arm?

[melebeth]

You guys are too cute for words.

[eeyorerin]

I like the Monsteriffic as a nickname.

Now I'm picturing little hats with holes for the horns.

[lissamc.livejournal.com]

My eldest went through pregnancy as Ping. See, when we verified pregnancy, the dr told us she was about the size of a ping pong ball at that point. It stuck, and made for a nice, gender neutral nick name.

I don't suppose your Li'l Otter pup will end up furry, with a penchant for swimming?

[wiredferret.livejournal.com]

I like Li'l Critter best. But then, I believe in not cursing oneself more than needed, and I deeply regretted introducing the concept of hoofed mammal while Baz was still in-utero.

I have been fighting for The Very Hungry Caterpillar, but that's too much to say, so I end up at LilPillar. But sil, bless him, wants The Littlest Wildebeast. Um, no.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

I vote for L'il Critter.

[phantom_wolfboy]

Actually, I like puppy. Then, when people ask you, "what are you having?" You can say, "We're having a puppy."

And when they ask you, "What are you hoping for?" . . .

On the Matter of Names

[saoba.livejournal.com]

About two point four seconds after you begin to show you will be deluged with a variety of questions.

People will ask if you want a boy or a girl. (I used to reply cheerfully, "Well, yes!"). People will ask if you know if you are having a boy or a girl. I was spared this one by dint of cleverly gestating back in the Stone Ages (in other words, 1974).

And people will ask you if you've picked out names. Not only that, but sometimes people will then attempt to convince you they know better than you do what you should name your baby.

(Why, yes, in fact, I do suspect that gestating women give off pheremones which make stupid people stupider.)

One couple I know, when asked if they'd chosen a name for their impending arrival, made a pact. They'd look blandly at the inquiring soul and say brightly, "We're naming the baby Throckmorton!". And then they'd stick to this story with a kind of blithering mule-headedness.

And they did it to everyone who asked. Strangers, co-workers, doctors, family members all got the same story. The baby, be it boy or girl, was going to be named Throckmorton.

The baby was, as it happens, not named Throckmorton. But once they'd stuck to their guns about it for several months, by the time they relented and admitted to family members they were actually giving the kid a variant of the name Arthur, the only reaction was a resounding relief they'd come to their senses.

Re: On the Matter of Names

[lissamc.livejournal.com]

On the gender question: I was regularly asked, "What do you think it is?" I got rather creative after awhile in my answers. I would smile brightly and say, "I think it's a cow." Or, "An entire soccer team. In cleats." Some perky nurse fresh on duty had the temerity to ask me that question after I had been in labor 24 hours. "It's an alien parasite. Get it *out* of me!"

[lerryn.livejournal.com]

I'm used to smalls being nicknamed "quarterlings." You know, half a halfling :)

[rmjwell.livejournal.com]

First off, if you're concerned about the child turning out irredeemably evil, you could always foster zir with me.

Secondlly, you've overlooked the most plausible nickname of all:

Your Inner Child.

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

if you're concerned about the child turning out irredeemably evil, you could always foster zir with me.

Ack, look what happened to klwalton's poor, innocent children! They're all evil now! ;)

[rmjwell.livejournal.com]

I can only claim partial credit for her youngest son. The rest are to her credit.

your inner child

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

Thanks, RJ.

I spit coke on my keyboard.

K.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

First off, if you're concerned about the child turning out irredeemably evil, you could always foster zir with me.

No, no, we're trying to avoid having an irredeemably evil baby. If we're worried that the baby might not be evil enough, though, we'll come to you.

[rmjwell.livejournal.com]

What's wrong with irredeemable evil? Look how well it's worked out for klwalton and joedecker!

not awake enough to be truly clever yet

[elynne.livejournal.com]

Rivette? ;)

Re: not awake enough to be truly clever yet

[rosefox]

How riveting!

[kate_nepveu]

There were baby otter pictures posted elsewhere on LJ today; alas, the name was "Snowdrop," which doesn't seem like a good fetal nickname to me.

(But hey, baby otter pictures!)

[bcholmes.livejournal.com]

Li'l Otter?

[filkerdave.livejournal.com]

My oldest (who was either going to be Paul Edward or Eliana Pauline) was Peep in utero. The younger one was, I think, "Hey, you in there! Stop kicking in the middle of the night!"

[papersky.livejournal.com]

Otterling is very cute.

[carbonel]

Otterly adorable, in fact.

[trinker.livejournal.com]

That was what I'd been thinking of, too.

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

I think that Hellboy has shown that one does not have to be irredeemably evil just because one has horns and a tail. And what would be wrong with having three heads, anyway? That would be nifty!

[thatwordgrrl.livejournal.com]

I've long been fond of 'The Butterbean.'

Don't know why, but I have.

hmm...

[tendyl.livejournal.com]

How about Lil'Critter when baby is happy and quiet and Lil'Monster at 3 am when kicking wildly and you're trying to sleep.

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

I never had a nickname for either of mine, so if you don't end up with one I think that's fine.

My suggestion, however, is "babylove."

K. [formal congratulations, by the way. It's a marvelous exciting time and there's nothing else like it. Enjoy all you can]

[porcinea.livejournal.com]

Our reaction at the first ultrasound, on seeing the sproglet, was to coo at each other, "It's a baby!" (I.e., not a kitten. Or an alien. Or a puppy.)