Jack Attack

This summer, I told Jonny that "Jonny" isn't the only nickname that can go with the name "Jonathan."  When I mentioned several other possibilities, he grabbed a hold of the name "Jack," and it stuck.  So if you've heard us mention Jack, it is NOT because we've had another baby! I have since learned that I was wrong about "Jack" being a traditional nickname for "Jonathan."  As it turns out, "Jack" is a nickname for "John," and "John" is a nickname for "Jonathan."  So "Jack" is, technically speaking, "Jonathan's" nickname's nickname. Technicalities!  Ugh! And besides, what's a little error margin among friends?  Jack doesn't seem to mind at this point, and I'm relatively certain it won't cause any more lasting damage than he's already subject to just by being a member of my family.  If he turns out to be a wreck, for example, it could just as well have been from the fact that I've told him his hair is really pasta, since it's the exact same color and shape of a pile of spaghetti. The best thing about the new nickname is that it has already evolved into a newER nickname--just one of the many, MANY fringe benefits of being born into the Nicknamiest Family on the Planet.  So in addition to Jack, he is also now "Jack Attack," a term that has also developed into a verb--quite possibly the newest official verb in the English language. To be Jack Attacked means to get a particular kind of hug--the kind of hug that brims with unqualified childlike love, the kind of hug that melts away gloom in an instant, the kind of hug that can only come from a heart-of-gold five-year old with pasta-hair. If you haven't had one yet, you have no idea what you're missing.