bingo girl and a light-up shirt

three. it's such a great age...for watching your kid doing some (very special) moves, for language development and the happy word conflations that come with it ("appertizement" is one of my favorites - combo of appetizer and refreshment), for playground play advancements, for PLAY. it's really fun to play with a child who takes on an alternate identity for months at a time, who is unabashedly proud of himself and his accomplishments and acquisitions.

take the Batman...in line at the grocery store today to pay for his own box of Batman fruit snacks, eli looks up at the cashier, hands him the box and says proudly, "those are my bat snacks. i have THREE pairs of Batman pajamas at home. AND a Batman costume." nevermind that the costume has holes from being worn for so many hours. i'm planning on framing it to hang on his wall. or maybe in the living room.