Shrug, Close Enough

As Patrick's language continues to grow, it's been great hearing him learn everyone's name. As he's done for a long time, he still yells, "Daddy!" when Matt gets home from work. He chatters to and about Gaga constantly, and he recognizes all his grandparents by name.

It's actually been a regular routine lately for him to crawl into my lap when I'm on my computer and ask for "pee-choo" (pictures). I'll pull up some of our vacation pictures or some pictures from Christmas, or anytime the pictures aren't just of Patrick, Nathan, and Amber. He thinks it's a great game to point out everyone in the pictures. "Gigi!" "Papa!" "Be-paw!" "Nana!"

Sometimes he surprises me with his memory. It only took one reminder each for him to remember his new cousins, Corey and Abby, that he saw last month. It's so cute hearing him say their names so clearly in his little voice. And one that didn't need any prompting was Uncle Steve and Aunt Ginny's dog Daphne (Daffee).

Oddly enough, the only person that he has a difficult time identifying in pictures is me. It's like he doesn't know what to call me. He can repeat me when I point to myself and say, "Mommy," or he can repeat Matt when he calls me Mommy, but he doesn't just call me that on his own.

Instead, I've often heard him calling me something that sounds strikingly like Jennifer.

Huh. I wonder what would make him think that all women who aren't his grandmothers are named Jennifer.

It's not like I'm not used to being called the wrong name. Up until a few months after I got married and shed my maiden name, I was called Christy. Anyone who knew both of us sisters as acquaintances got us confused, so I was called Jennifer regularly growing up. I guess it's not that big of a change to have my own son make the same mistake.

Of course, it would be a lot easier if every single one of his aunts wasn't also named Jennifer. But that's certainly not my fault, so I guess I'll just get used to being called Jennifer. In the meantime, I'll be reminding him that my name is Mommy every chance I get. And I suppose it's better than having him call every woman he sees Mommy.