I should also add CONGRATULATIONS to Ciaran and Brian!!! Leo is adorable and I LOVE the name!

Janna – There are a few different reasons people choose to call their children by something other than their full name. Naming a child after a family member, for example. My friend’s son is named Jonathan to carry on a family tradition honoring the paternal grandfather, but they call him Jack because she really wasn’t a big fan of John/Jonathan. Another reason people do it is because the full name they have chosen seems a bit heavy for a child. I think Galileo is a good example. It is a totally cool name (I REALLY love it!!), but it’s also a mouthful to be using all the time – especially for little kids (imagine preschool classmates trying to say all those L’s!). Conversely, some people find a shorter name they like, but feel that it doesn’t sound formal enough(or just doesn’t sound right) as a full name. They want their child to have the option of something more formal/grown-up later. Also, a lot of people just think nicknames are cool:)

Obviously that’s not an exhaustive list of reasons people do this, but those are the most typical reasons I’ve heard.

Yay, congrats! And a pattern from my fav knitting site too!

Congrats!

Since there are always posts on where to buy cute things babies are wearing, I thought I would share the link to pattern for the hat! I am knitting one here soon!

http://knitty.com/ISSUEsummer06/PATTsockmonkey.html

leo is GORGEOUS! i love his little knit hat! congratulations ciaran and brian!

My daughter’s name is Aurora and we call her Rory for short. I think it’s fun to have some variety. I love Aurora. I love Rory. I love that she has a formal name and a ‘fun’ name. To each their own, if you don’t want to shorten a name then that’s your parental right

LOVE lil Leo. The name is VERY creative and beautiful.

Congratulations to Ciaran and Brian!

To answer the naming one name and calling another, I don’t see it any different than using a nickname. In fact, because Leo is part of Galileo it really is no different than naming a child Jennifer and calling her Jenny.

Many people want to have a more formal name, for school and business and have a nickname that their family calls them. I have always been called Annie by everyone in my family, but my “formal” name is MaryAnn, which has always been used for school, work and my friends. My parents couldn’t decide between the two names so this was their compromise. My mom wanted MaryAnn because she had a sister that died very young with the name. However, my dad’s suggestion of Annie gave me a name that my grandmother could use and not be continually reminded of the baby she lost. It has always made sense to me and I don’t mind having two different names.

All three of my kids have nicknames that we call them and we only use their “formal” name for school.

cute cute names! is Fox short for anything?

I dont even know who they are! :S