Oh Robin!

A lot of transformation has been happening lately with Nora Lee. She is very interested in "growing up" and most of her imaginative play relates to getting married and having babies. It's so much so, that when I awoke her last week she groggily said to me with her eyes still closed, "Shh. My babies are coming out of my body right now." Later that same day, she acted out babies coming out from under her shirt and has been taking care of them. She has two, Pepa and Sleeping Beauty. She puts them down for naps, feeds them and takes them for strolls in our back yard to "give them fresh air and sunshine."



Nora Lee made Christmas gifts for each of her babies and put them in their stockings. This is her opening them on Christmas morning.





This is Nora Lee placing a crown on Pepa that she had made out of vines from the garden.

She has become enthralled with super heros, particularly Batman and Robin, and has been watching the 1966 Batman TV show. Immediately after seeing the show she "fell in love with Robin." She would actually sit at the dining table with her head leaning on her hand, sigh, and say, "Oh Robin! I'm so in love with you!"

She asked me to help her throw a wedding reception for her and Robin. This included her sitting at the dining table with Robin and her wedding guests and having me bring out a menu, take their orders, and then bring their food. She happily ate the entire dinner alone at the table with her wedding party. After the meal, she requested fast dance music. I turned on the 50's Pandora station and Etta James' "At Last" came on! I told her that it was perfect for her first dance. She and Robin slow danced and then went off on their honeymoon.

The other night Nora Lee was in a panic. We had deleted the two Batman and Robin shows we had recorded and she explained that when she watched on TV it was happening "in real time" and "that's how I see what Robin is doing and that he is okay." This was an emergency. We got on amazon and Nora Lee used her allowance to buy the 1966 Batman movie instantly. She began watching the movie as Matt and I wrapped Christmas gifts in our bedroom. A few minutes into the film, we heard her run to her room and then run back into the living room. She had gotten two stones from her treasure chest and was rubbing them together (I learned later that this would allow her to talk to Robin). She was saying "Robin, you're in danger come back home immediately!" Intense.

As I think back to my childhood, I think I was starting to have crushes and these intense feelings about boys around age 5. As I chat with some of my girlfriends they remember the same thing. Its unexpected to me because it feels like it came on so quickly - as if all of a sudden this switch turned on. She still doesn't have any reference point for the complexity of relationships between men and women but it's fascinating to watch deep feelings come forward in her. I'm aware of not wanting to diminish the feelings or laugh at her (even though some of the stuff is hilarious to me) because it feels very real and important to her. Fascinating.


The Robin doll Santa brought Nora Lee.


After I showed her how to spell "Batman and Robin" she remembered and spelled this herself on the fridge.