What's in a name?

I'm never quite sure what the rule is with sharing one's children's names on one's blog. I have some friends who do, and I like it either because I know the children, or because it makes me feel like I do. On the other hand, on those blogs where I don't know who the children are it is much easier to put them into the role of 'everychild'; I can experience their experiences and much more easily say to myself "Yes! I know that feeling...."

It must be said, I call my children by nicknames more often than their 'given' names (although, of course, I gave them their nicknames too. Confused? You will be...).

My firstborn, a two year nine month girl has been called many things. The middle of the night names should possibly not be repeated, but Missy Moo has stuck for an embarrassingly long time. Nowadays, I call her my Best Big Girl. Not that she could be described as big in stature, but behaviourally and vocally the cap fits. I have a friend who called her first born her best girl, and I always worried what any subsequent daughter might say to her future therapist (more for the sake of the therapist I have to say....). So I added the big in the middle despite the fact she wasn't and isn't - mainly because I was sure that offspring number two was going to end up being my best small girl.

He wasn't. He is most definitely a boy. He comes with many nicknames - Little Man and Gorgeous chops frequent my child lingo. I also call him Blondie Bear (he is just about blonde) and and wigglemunch - the latter normally during nappy changing. More recently, I have started calling him Sir Grabbalot. At the moment this is fitting, but I feel that if I am still calling him this at 21 it might put off prospective wives....

Having one child of each colour means that the pronouns will probably give it away as I write about their antics. They (and we) are also blessed by their very different temperaments, which means that, however often a new nickname comes into being, it will probably be fairly obvious which nickname refers to which child.

Let's face it, it can't be that hard - they've figured it out.

Well, hello...

So, I've entered the Blogosphere.

I have forayed once or twice before into the world of blog, but made the rookie mistake of choosing grandiose titles with an obvious shelf life. Pregnancy, for example, and Road Trip Around America. So this time I'm staying intentionally vague. I have to admit, one of the things that has stopped me doing this sooner is my complete inability to think up a witty title, but I have finally realised it's an incredibly lame excuse. I'm sure someone will think up something funny for me at some point, anyway.

A few of my friends blog. Some to do with their work life, some to do with their family life, one particular friend about anything to do with opera. It's surprising I haven't done it sooner really with such a big an impressive bandwagon ready and available for jumpers. But I have to say, having been really quite into reading various blogs over the past few months, the one that has really inspired me to want to blog is Non Chav Young Mum, whose alternative name is Hannah. I knew Hannah in another life, before either of us were mums of any sort at all, and had no idea what lay beneath her slightly green-eye-inducing exterior. It turns out that she is ridiculously talented, which led to a late night mumbling to the lump on the other side of the bed, "I wish I could write a blog...."

I eventually realised what a bonkers comment that was, seeing as the whole point of blogging is that anyone can have one. So I became a member of blogger, chose a pretty background which I will inevitably change, and started typing. I'm not sure what the material will be - especially since I am quite keen to discover the me that exists behind being a full time mummy. I'm also not promising quality - I know that I could write once upon a time before the breast milk blobs attacked my brain, but I'm not quite sure where my vocabulary went. Possibly into an incinerator with my placenta and dignity.

So....where to start....?