What's in a name?

It all started when Annie found out what our "real" names were. Then it was "Jay!" this and "Jay!" that. This was back in Houston. Finally we got so fed up with it we manipulated her into stopping by saying that it hurts Papa's feelings when you don't call him Papa and then constantly reminding her of that. It took a while but it worked. Of course, not two seconds after she stopped with the "Jay!," she's all "Jessie!" And we tried to quell that one too, but it's much harder in my case because I'm with her ALL day long, so I'd have to be reminding her every second of every request to call me Mama. I try, I really do, but now the words "Jessie," "Jessica" and "Mama" are completely interchangeable in Annie's little head. People crack up when they first meet us. It's like we're a circus side show. So, lately, it has been bugging me more and more because I love it when she calls me Mama. Hey, I carried her for 9 months and pushed for 4 hours to earn that title. So now I'm bootcamping her into submission. I think it's kind of working, but now she's started calling Jay and I "Grownups!" or "Parents!" so the end is not near. What can I say? Variety is the spice of life.

P.S. The above photo was taken on a recent visit to Papa's office (on the weekend, he normally at least wears a tie with his T-shirt). If only she knew that all the certificates behind him said "Joseph" and not "Jay." It would all begin anew.