Marian the Meerkat

Not everyone has a stuffed meerkat. But thanks to my brother and sister-in-law and their recent visit to the San Diego Zoo, Tripp is the proud owner of Marian the Meerkat. When I asked him what the meerkat's name should be, he replied "yeah" which is what he says when he doesn't know the answer to something. So first I suggested "Anna" after his cousin who he took a special liking to on our recent vacation to North Carolina. He didn't like that (sorry Anna) and then he said "Marian!" At first I was so confused, I thought he was saying Mary after his Nana (but I do not think he knows her real first name). I said "Mary?" he said "No, Marian, the other Marian is at the pool!" Then I got it, he named his meerkat Marian after the little girl at the pool. If only she knew that a little boy named his stuffed meerkat after her. So now he has three special animals- Blue Dog, Charlie Dog, and now Marian the Meerkat. You can see the name progression there too. As he gets older, his naming convention gets a little more sophisticated. Blue Dog was his first special friend and was aptly name after his color, Charlie Dog was his next special friend, named after his favorite babysitter's brother (who came over to play one day), and now Marian, named after the other (emphasis added by him, every time he says it) Marian, the girl at the pool.