"Ally" who?

This morning marked a day in Alexander’s transition to “big-boy-hood.”

I have been calling Alexander “Ally” since he was born. Funny, because when we first found out I was expecting a boy… we told everyone we were naming him Alexander.

So, of course, the question was posed, “What will you call him? Alex? Lex? Zander? Zan? Anders?”

To which I responded quite firmly, “We will call Alexander. That’s it. Nothing else.”

Well… as every mother knows, the nicknames began as soon as Alexander was born.

I used to listen to the song “Sweet Home Alabama” every single day while I was pregnant with Alexander. Every-single-day. I just loved it.

And when Alexander was born, I began singing it to him to calm him down, but I would alter the lyrics –

“Sweet Home Ally-bama… Where his eyes are so blue…”

That was “our” song. That was when “Ally” became his nickname.

Well…

This morning I got the word from Alexander, “I don’t want you calling me ‘Ally’ anymore. I want you to call me ‘Alex’.”

My heart still aches as I type this. My little “Ally” is getting big.

So, my ALEX… I will call you “Alex,” just as you are requesting. Someday I will explain to you how “Ally” came to be… and we will laugh and smile as I remember those early days oh-so-fondly.

But, in my heart, you will always be my Ally-bama… where your eyes are so blue.

"Ally" who? was last modified: February 9th, 2010 by Audrey McClelland
SHOWHIDE Comments (20)

  2. “This morning marked a day in Alexander’s transition to “big-boy-hood.””

    Oh, so he is already driving, eh? 😉

  3. Bless your heart! I’m not looking forward to the day when Woggie won’t let me call him Woggie anymore!

  5. Ah . . . .

    I’m still dreading the day Jacob no longer wishes to be called “Jo Jo,” as he was dubbed by his little sister. M special nickname for him was “Babe,” which I don’t often use. But if I happen to slip and call one of the other kids by that name, he gets upset.

    I think “Ally” is rather sweet. 😉

  6. I was wondering where Ally came from. What a big boy. It’s amazing how fast they grow up and get their own opinions about stuff.

  7. Too funny how kids grow up and tell us what they want. My oldest is name Anthony, not Tony. If I wanted his name to be Tony I would have named him Tony. Anyway, Anthony has just informed my husband and I he wants to be “Tony”. It’s killing me. He said at least around his friend. I am going to try. I guess that means we can’t call him “NE NE” anymore either. That is the nickname my youngest gave Anthony because he could not say it for the longest time. I guess he is growing up.

  8. Oh, he is getting to be a big boy! That would hurt my heart a little bit too, but it’s the way things are I guess. I will be so sad when my Clarkie asks me to call him Clark.

  11. Awwwwww. That’s awfully cute although I do feel your pain. Such a big boy! I love the story behing “Ally” and I’m sure he will someday, too!

  13. Aw, he’s cute. It’s funny how it worked opposite for us. When we had our last daughter, Alisha, I wanted to call her Ally. It never stuck. She’s always been Alisha, and now she’s 9. Maybe when she gets to high school I can pay her friends to start calling her Ally. That way it’ll be cool!
    My middle daughter actually gave herself her nickname of many years, Bekahree. When she was a toddler if you asked what her name was she would say “Bekahree”. Her name is Rebekah Marie. Now she’s just goes by Bekah. Growing up is sad sometimes.

  14. Breaks a little piece of your heart doesn’t it?

    We have a Johnathan, and I, like you said that we would only call him Johnathan. Then he figured out that Johnny was a lot easier to write in school and requested to be called that. *Sigh…they grow up so fast!

  16. Awwww, that’s so sweeeet – but sad – but sweeeet. We’ve had lots of people try to call Anthony “Tony” – and at first, I’d say “HIS NAME IS ANTHONY” – but now HE corrects them too LOL He doesn’t have a nick-name, but Libby does and so does Zachy LOL Dunno why Anthony doesn’t work as a Tony but it just doesn’t.

  17. Oh no!! Signs that tell us they growing up too fast! My eldest’s 2nd name is Alexander also, I call him Alexander once in a while (i.e. when I am angry )

  18. Awww, he’s growing up!

    My 12 yr old is named Jacob and from day one I told people that his name was Jacob, not Jake! If I wanted him to be called Jake I would have named it Jake. He wants to be called Jake. In school all his teachers know him as ‘Jake’, all his friends, everyone he happens to give his name to. I’m losing. He’s old enough to decide for himself, and for some reason that makes me weepy!

  19. Awwww! This post made me cry! They do grow up so fast, don’t they? I can’t believe how big he’s gotten!

    I find it hard to believe that my little nephew, Kenny is now 1 year and 4 months old. Seems like just yesterday that he came into our lives! *sigh*

"Ally" who? was last modified: February 9th, 2010 by Audrey McClelland