1985 - marsidotes

i don't remember the first time i heard it, but i do remember hearing it a lot. 

for some reason, marsidotes was the nickname that stuck. i liked it. especially when my mom and dad sang me the song about my nickname. for all i knew they had made it up just for me.

there was just one problem: it was long, and it was a word i'd never heard in any other context, so i had no idea how to spell it. 

i distinctly remember writing my dad a note and signing it "marsidotes."

"what does this say?," he asked, pointing to my new signature. 

defeated, i responded, "it says {mare-zee-dotes} - that's what you call me!"

he responded with a chuckle and a grin. and then explained what they had actually been singing. and it suddenly all made sense.

the song {which, by the way, they did not make up - that was news to this four year old}, wasn't a bunch of gibberish and it wasn't, originally, a nickname for girls named maren. it was in fact, a well-known song called mairzy doats. 

mares eat oats

and does eat oats

and little lambs eat ivy

a kid'll eat ivy too

wouldn't you?

sung to sound like:

mairzy doats 

and dozy doats

and liddle lamzy divey

a kiddley divey too

wooden shoe?

i didn't hear the end of it for a long time from my brother dan. he was certain i was the dumbest person alive for not knowing the real words. but i was certain he was just as clueless as me.

either way, it has long since become a family joke. but the nickname marsidotes still stuck.

{1 month old kelli, maren, scott, dan - february 1985}

  {easter 1985}

 {first dance class, may 1985}

 {summer 1985 with my cabbage patch bangs}

{nurse maren, halloween 1985}