Nicknames

One of the things you knew about my dad, within 15 minutes of meeting him, was how much he loved children of all ages. He was the favorite of nieces and nephews for as far back as I could remember. He was quick to bend his lanky 6 foot frame to get eye to eye with a toddler. And his grandchildren absolutely idolized him.

He also loved giving nicknames. From the very first grandchild to the last one he met on this earth, he assigned each one a name at birth (and some before).

Matthew was Beano because he was always moving like a little jumping bean. Samuel looked like a little Italian from day one so he became Gumba which is Italian slang for "good friend". Chris was "Jake" and Bobert was "Scrub". Carl was so tiny that he became "Moose". The two girls were always "Polliwog" and "Bright Eyes" to Dad.

When our first grandson came along and was named Andrew I thought his nickname might be Drew. It never really stuck but he earned the nickname "Monkey" from his mama.

So it seemed perfect that when Matt and Heather found out they were expecting again, they started calling the baby "Jelly Bean". The first time I heard it I immediately thought of Dad and it made me smile. And when we found it this latest addition would be a girl it was even more perfect. We have been calling her Jelly Bean for several months now and I think the nickname will probably stick.

We can't wait to meet her when she arrives this Christmas and when she's older I'll share with her about her Great-Poppa Terry. But something tells me they've already met!