Nickname Tournament

In our family, it's important that infants have a nickname that's good enough to make even the crying during the day's 14th diaper change seem endearing. Kirsten is usually the designated nicknamer, and she does pretty well (Soren was Snuffles a.k.a. Mr. Snuffleton, based on the sounds he made during his first cold). However, Kirsten's absence during Sigrid's first week home allowed competitors to arise, and some of them will not die.

While Kirsten was gone, I dubbed the small, squirmy thing Gridder Critter, which rolled into The Griddler (with associated fussing sounds characterized as "griddling"). Since Kirsten's returned, and Sigrid's picked up a cold, Kirsten's added Schkernky [it's pronounced just the way it's spelled. -Kirsten] to the mix, echoing some of Sigrid's lovely snorty breathing sounds.

Kirsten uses Schkernky almost exclusively, and I mix Schkernky and Gridder Critter. Soren, however, is a firm advocate of The Griddler. Enough so that if he hears Kirsten refer to Sigrid as Schkernky, he says, "No Mama. Don't say that. Say 'Griddler'." Perhaps he remembers the indignity of being referred to as a sound you make when you have a cold, or perhaps he just prefers his sister's nickname allude to one of the better Batman villains.