Hi, My Name is Ernie....

I had wondered why Asher's nursery leaders were calling him Ernie. I just figured...lots of kids...lots of names....must be easy to get them all mixed up.

Then one day a few weeks ago, I randomly asked Asher his name. I wanted to find out if he was still calling himself "Ashew". "I'm EU-NEE!" he said with a big grin. As in the Ernie with the adorable cackle who talks to a yellow rubber ducky and lives ambiguously with Burt in what we can only guess is a rent-controlled New York City apartment.

At first, I laughed my head off and told everyone the story. And then, I noticed that Asher had begun giving everything in his life a new identity. When Grandma came to visit she immediately became "Bee-Ma", his Aunti Kelli became "Telly." DH, much to his chagrin, became "Potty", and for me.....I am also known as "Ba-Ba."

No, he's not mispronouncing his words, although his pronunciation in general has something to be desired. Most of the name changes, I am guessing, are because he likes the sounds of his new words better than the originals. It is SO much fun to call Papi "Potty"....especially when he gets a reaction from Potty...I mean Papi. Ba-Ba is a little different, though.

Ba-Ba has emerged as a new person is Asher's life. She is the one who lets him eat his morning cereal in the living room while watching Sesame Street. Ba-Ba takes him hiking and wading in the local streams, throws rocks into the water with him and doesn't get mad when his clothes get covered in mud. Ba-Ba kisses his "hurts" and gives him "singing" (ice cream) to make him feel better. If I am away from the house or if it is the middle of the night, only "Ba-Ba" is good enough for Asher.

But Mama still exists. It is Mama who makes Asher take baths and brush his teeth every night before bed. Mama puts him in timeout for running away or other general nautiness. Mama doesn't let him leave the dinner table without trying everything...even the green stuff. When he makes a mess, Mama stands over him until he has made a good effort to clean it up.

I guess having a bit of "Ba-Ba" and "Mama" in each of us as mothers is best for our kids...but I sure hope that when Asher gets older, he remembers more of Ba-Ba.