The Adventures of Young Batman: Love and Laundry

Look! Up in the air!

Down in the sand!

Behind the curtain!

On that boat!

It's BATMAN!

Today marks the 28th day and night straight of wearing the Batman shirt. It's all been your idea too; we wouldn't force you to wear the same shirt day-in day-out, would we?

You're pretty vocal about it. "I want Batman shirt, please!"

And pretty vocal about when you can't wear it. A few cold days during our New York trip proved to be a bit difficult for you when we had to slip a thermal on underneath it or slip a jacket on top.

But, you got over it, and made the most of it.

At one playground, I encouraged you to tell a kid you were playing with who, exactly, you were. Straightfaced, you unzipped your jacket slowly to reveal your shirt. And said: "I'm Batman."

Even I believed you!

You seem to find power in the Batman shirt; and that's okay!

You won over some cool kids at another New York playground with your shirt and your excitement about it. At first they wouldn't let you play with them; but you kept at it, and in no time they were running after you saying "Wait! Batman, come back! Where's Batman?"

The Batman shirt and you have had many adventures in the woods:

And many quiet nights in bed:

There have been many messes on your yellow-and-gold emblem. Ice cream...

Grass stains...

Dirt, dirt and more dirt.

But -after some early mistrust- you trust your Mother and I that we'll wash it as quickly as possible and get it back to you. So, some nights you go shirtless for a few hours while we wash it for you. One morning you even picked another shirt out yourself to wear while Batman was being washed. And, later on, you said "I want Batman shirt please."

In fact, you tell us about 5 times a day that you are Batman. "I'm Batman" you'll say. But that doesn't limit you; in the course of a day, you're Aidan, you're a bay, you're a lion, you're Simba, you're Wreck-it Ralph, you're a leopard, you're a panda, you're kung fu panda, you're a frog, you're a prince, you're a princess, you're a daddy, you're Buzz Lightyear, you're Serious Buzz Lightyear, you're...amazing!

It's not like you've become a never-nude. You'll strip the shirt off in a second if it suites you. If you get wet at the ball park...or wet at the playground...you'll readily strip away your Batsuit to reveal the hero underneath.

...and there go the pants...

But, when all's said and done, you and the Batman shirt are reunited...and it feels so good. You like it when it's warm from the dryer, but, if it's still a little damp, you'll wear it too.

You and the shirt have had some great times...

I mean, look, the shirt goes so well with any outfit...

And it's given you strength and comfort at times when even a Superhero could use a little help..

Don't worry, you survived the ER, and were a super patient. But guess what you refused to let the Doctors or Nurses take off of you, even though you were running a 104.5 temperature?

You've been down and come through on the other side. As with all superheros, you've grown.

You now excitedly brush your own teeth (although your new electric Neverland Pirates toothbrush certainly helps too...but Batman is always up on the latest gadgetry).

And you even learned how to put on your own shirt and...when it's needed...how to take it off too.

But don't worry, we're not about to make you take it off. First of all, it makes you happy. Secondly, it makes you unhappy to be without it. Thirdly, it's completely healthy. Trust us...your parent's super power is super paranoia. So we did our research and asked a nurse. It's completely normal and healthy for a toddler of your stature to have a vested interest in an inanimate object...whether it be a blanket, a toy, a shirt, a pair of shoes, a hat. It's a safety blanket of sorts. And, the Batman shirt is pretty cool. You get lots of compliments on it...and I bet lots of adults wish they could wear their favorite shirt every day too. Plus, it could be worse. The nurse told us of one 3 year old girl who became obsessed with a red bikini. And she wore it every day.

In short, the security of that Batman shirt means something important. It's bigger than a shirt, or a man, or a hero: it's a symbol, larger than itself. For you, it is something permanent, safe and something you can control in a world that you are just starting to realize doesn't necessarily revolve around you. It's control in an ever-changing world. You can control a small piece of your world by controlling your wardrobe. And that makes you stronger, more confident and more patient with a world that's crumbling around you...oh wait...that was a cookie that was crumbling. But, you get the idea. You're smart. After all, you ARE Batman.

And, Batman, I'm so proud to have you as my son. You're dealing with a lot, and you show courage when you need to, comfort and love to those around you, and creativity all the time. That's pretty heroic to me.

Wherever there is an uncontrollable world; wherever there is a toddler uncertain about the millions of whirling gears shifting around him; wherever there are new foods to try, new situations that may be a bit scary and strange new feelings, emotions and understandings, he will be there. For he is the Batman.

Music to your Ears

Yesterday I told you that your Mom's sense of hearing is heightened.

Well, last night, while reading "What to Expect when you're Expecting," I learned something else pretty interesting about ears:

In this, the 11th week of your development, your ears are supposedly fully formed and look just like regular human ears. The book said something about your ears not necessarily being on the right place of your head quite yet, but at least you have ears!

The timing is perfect because tonight, we're going to your first real concert. Sadly, it's your mother's and my first real concert too. Sure, we've been to symphonies, outdoor concerts, washed-up rock star concerts at food festivals and smaller who-are-they? concerts. But tonight is the real deal, and you get to be there in utero!

So, for your first entree into live music, we present: Paul McCartney!

Now, Paul McCartney was 1/4 of a really famous rock group called the Beatles, who were broken up long before your mother or I were born. In fact, John Lennon (another Beatle) was murdered the year we were born. But, the Beatles' music transcends time and eras, and your mother and I are both HUGE Beatles fans.

The Beatles! Paul isn't wearing any shoes...just like you!

We're such huge Beatles fans that we have several names we're considering for you that actually come from Beatles music! So it's pretty fitting that this will be your first concert!

Don't worry-- I did some checking online and you will be perfectly safe inside your Mom's tummy. There's enough cushioning in there that the loud noises and vibrations won't even budge you! But, hopefully you'll be able to hear some beautiful music! And maybe he'll play one of the songs that inspired your potential name!

Afterall, you just got those new ears in (even if they're not in the right location yet). You might as well put them to good use!

Now's as good of a time as any to start playing you some music. There are lots of songs that come on our iTunes that make me think of you and, surprise surprise, a lot of these songs are by the Beatles or their members (post break-up).

Here's one that makes me think of how much fun we're going to have together once you come out!




Here's another one that always makes me think of your beautiful mother, even if she can't stand to be near me for too long because of my scent(yeah, we're still dealing with that).




Hopefully Paul McCartney will play both of these songs tonight-- if he does, it was my plan all along to have him serenade the both of you!