You're My Little Koochey-Face and Other Awkward Endearments

Thanks for the comments lately, everyone!  You must have felt my ESP from far away, I was just feeling a little in need of some encouragement!  So thanks!

Before I had kids, I remember going out to eat with a mother and her two very active under-3's.  They were super cute and rambunctious and kept that woman hopping (and anyone else who was around)!  I remember formulating a few ideas about what I would or wouldn't do as a mother when I was around this little family.  One thing in particular I swore I'd never do was to talk in a baby-ish voice or give my kid awkward squishy honey-coated names of endearment.  Like "honey boo boo."  ESPECIALLY when that child was being naughty.

Ok, for today's post I am offering up myself on the altar of comic relief, because, well, you'll see.  Just keep your horror to yourself.  Now if you indeed have never given a weird pet name to someone or something, then just smile and shake your head.  But we all know you probably have.

Here are a few in our house (blush, blush):

Some of my more innocuous terms of endearment include calling kids by shortened names given by toddler siblings (one daughter is "my-my" sometimes).   I use "sweetie" a lot.  Even when I'm mad, which I probably shouldn't.  Honey, hardly ever.  Cutie, a lot. I like to call my girls "my girl," and my boys "my boy."  My littlest, whose name is Emerson, gets shortened to "Emer," or even "Sonny," or "E-mer-Sonny."

I'm just breaking you in a little here before I deliver the bigger ones, like boiling a toad gradually.

My husband and I, as a joke, started calling each other "lover" when we were first married.  We have never called each other honey or sweetie, just "lover."  At one point, our oldest, when he was about 2, would call us "lover" at times. Ha.  He'd say "come on, lover, lets go to the motorway," for example. :)

One of the funniest ones, as pointed out by a relative, is that I have tended to periodically call my babies, "precious," or "my precious."  Doesn't that just conjure up this image?  In addition, I will sometimes call this baby my "lovey dovey," "feller," "bubba" (huh?) or "my handsome."

And, last of all, drum roll please.  This is not a term of endearment.  It is just extrememly embarrassing.  Ever since my eldest child, when referring to nursing, I did indeed call it "num num."  (Arg!  Hall of Shame!)  Each time I had another baby I figured it would be a perfect time to change the terminology so as to embarrass myself less.  Especially since I nursed my three girls until 20 months-ish, they could definitely make a scene in a quiet place like church, shouting for "num num!"  Yet, each time, I sort of came to the conclusion that no matter what we call it, as soon as someone realizes what the child is talking about, it will probably gross them out no matter what (especially since most people see that as soon as a child can "ask for it," it's time to quit).  I don't know.

So enjoy this little video I had my son shoot for me.  To document some of our little endearments.  I just love Emerson's little face.  He always has the cutest little pleased smile on his face.  I purposefully put on the clothes/make-up my sister gave me, just for this video, as I feel so Natalie-Wood-ish in them :), and E is wearing my son's clothes from when he was this age (aw!).  Weird or not, I was inspired by the article referenced just the other day (here)-- some day I will want a record of this little exchange, even if its a little awkward-sounding now (and watching/listening to myself makes me cringe!)!