The Name Game
When we found out we were having a boy, Miss Sassy Pants decided she needed to get a gift for her little brother. We stood in the baby aisle of the store, and she picked out this cute little elephant-blanket thing. On it, it says, “My Best Friend.”
The Animal loves this guy. Recently, when he’s ready to go to bed, he’ll crawl over to his crib and reach in to grab this toy. He’ll yank and pull and huff and puff until this elephant-blanket thing is out and in his arms where he will then lay his head on its head and make a sweet little, “Ahhh” sound.
My problem is, I don’t know what to call it.
At first, I called it, “Trunks.” You know – it’s an elephant. Has a trunk. I thought that was cute. But, for some reason, it seemed to not fit.
For a little while, I called it, “Friend.” I’d say, “Do you have your friend? Ahhh, we love our friend.” Eventually, this sounded creepy. Can’t place my finger on why exactly, but I had to stop with that one.
We’ve even tried calling it, “Buddy.” Our dog, Dug, is already confused that we’ve been calling the baby, “Buddy,” and now he comes running when we talk about this elephant-blanket. So, I’m not certain that moniker will work.
The last few days, I’ve been back to “Trunks.” It still doesn’t seem to flow.
So, I’ve been thinking of famous elephants. I thought of Dumbo; I’m not sure I want my baby to call his friend, Dumbo.
I considered Babar. Again, this one doesn’t sit well.
And that’s where I’m stuck. I realize that the Animal will call it whatever he wants to call it when he can actually speak, especially since right now, the only “words” that come out of his 8 month old mouth are, “Ah dah,” and that’s for everything under the sun.
I’m up for suggestions. Here’s a picture of the elephant-blanket thing if you’d like to propose a name:
