Before Nils was Nils, he was about the size of a Cracklin' Oat. A Cracklin' Oat is not only a scrumptious cereal and yogurt topping but the progeny of two Oats (short for Honey Bunches of Oats).Cracklin' Oat wasn't his only nickname in utero (or out of utero for that matter.) Although new ones seem to pop up every week, here is a sampling of a few that have stuck:
Fasolaki (fah-sow-lie-kee)
When Yia yia/Lisa (Paul's mom) was pregnant with her first born, Alexandra, her mother's best friend, Poppy, gave her a necklace in the shape of a bean. Before she was born, Alexandra
became known as "Fasolaki" which means "little bean" in Greek. When Alexandra was pregnant with her first son, Robert, Lisa gave her a similar bean-shaped necklace. Lisa continued the tradition when we announced our pregnancy and Nils became the latest "Fasolaki".Deloin
This is what Paul calls Nils. We're not exactly sure what "deloin" means (if anything at all) but it can be roughly translated as "oops" and was a common exclamation made by the original Yia yia (Lisa's mom) whenever something fell over or tipped. The name shouldn't be taken literally though. Nils was highly orchestrated.
Loukoumaki (lou-koo-my-kee)Loukoumaki is another Greek word and Yia-yia's nickname for Nils. It means "Little Turkish Delight" and is appropriate because he is good enough to eat (although not a Turk). Here is Nils eating some Sweet Potato Delight.
Boy Three
As in the boy after Boys One and Two (Jonathan and Aaron Holst.) Here is Boppa Jim (Courtney's dad) with Boys Two and Three.
Poulaki mou (pooh-lie-kee moo)
This is actually a pet-name for our canine family member. Poulaki mou is a common Greek nickname which tranlsates to "my little bird". Poulaki mou is a play on another nickname--"Tazo the Pooh"--as in the honey-loving bear who lives in the Hundred Acre Wood.
