What's in a nickname?

All of our kids have not-so-original nicknames. Being lazy in the nickname department, we generally just elaborate (wait, I thought nicknames were supposed to be shorter names) on their real names.

Joseph is generally just called "Joe," but when he was younger we called him "Joe Joe," and that's what Helen calls him now. I often affectionately call Charlie "Charlie Barley," and Cort coined calling Will "Willy Bill." See? I told you were aren't much into creativity. These are just nicknames we use when joking around, though.

Unfortunately, Helen's nickname was the one that really stuck. I'm not sure when or why we started it, but for a long time we've been calling her "Smelly Helly." To make it worse, we often shortened it and just call her "Smelly." It was not unusual for me, Cort, Charlie, or Joseph to call her Smelly in normal conversation or when calling to her. I noticed myself doing it at school the other day, and got a few strange looks. (To make matters worse, the poor little girl has some of the stinkiest feet I've ever encountered. I seriously had no idea that a little bitty girl like that could create such odors.)

Luckily, Will came to her rescue. For whatever reason, he pronounces "Helen" as "Nonny." So lucky for her, at least for now, Smelly Helly has become Nonny. I hope one day she appreciates what her brother has done for her.