What’s in a name? 

Our daughter’s full first name (which we never use) is Huiying, and it is pronounced Hway-ying. Her traditional Chinese nickname is Ying Ying. These were given to her in China and we chose to keep them. A few months back, she began calling herself Nini which we started using along with Ying Ying. Nini morphed into Nina and she became a child with three names along with a variety of endearments. Last week, she told me she wanted the teachers at school to call her Nina instead of Ying Ying, and this week she has corrected the teachers if they still call her Ying Ying. It appears that our daughter will be Nina for a while. 

I have been Mama since Nina first started speaking to us. Yesterday, I became Mommy. We wondered if Baba had become Daddy so we asked what his name is. By her logic, if Mama is now Mommy, Baba must now be Bobby so that was her answer. We, of course, laughed quite loud and long, therefore reinforcing the new name. When Craig got home this evening, her gleeful call was, “Bobby!!” We’ll see how long that lasts.