No More Training Wheels

Isaac has been riding a bike with training wheels since he was three. Neither David or I are big bikers, so it wasn't a priority to take the training wheels off. We also live in an area with steep incline, so it is an ordeal to ride a bike. We have to pack it up in the trunk, and drive somewhere. Its not the way I learned how to ride a bike when I was a kid - step out your front door and start pedaling.
We knew that this birthday we wanted to get Isaac a new big bike. I originally was going to order one online, and I am so glad that we didn't. We went to a couple bike stores and tried several bikes until we found one that fit him like a glove. The man at the bike shop, who was very knowledgeable, told us that we had our work cut out for us. He thought we had waited a little too long to start teaching Isaac, and that he it was going to take him a while to learn. He did say to only practice for 20 minutes a day - keep it short and sweet.
The next day I took him out, and we practiced. It was one of the toughest work outs I have done, and I am in pretty good shape. I mean, I can run 10 miles at this point - but running along side him, holding up his body weight, and anticipating his sideways movement was very difficult. I was holding him with two hands under the armpits and rolling him around.
We woke up the next morning and did it again. There was huge improvement. I was still holding him, but with one arm, and he was starting to check his balance. Third day I held the back of his tshirt between my fingers letting go from time to time, and the fourth day he was riding on his own while I ran beside him.
On day five I took him to the park along with Davids parents who were in from out of town, and David, and everyone was blown away. I could no longer keep up with him, so I just had to let him go, and it was easily one of the scariest parenting moments so far. It was at that moment that I knew we needed some elbow and knee pads - and even some biking gloves - but I was amazed at his confidence on the bike, and his enjoyment of the new freedom he found while riding all over the park.
In the past week he has mastered starting and stopping the bike, turning, and controlling his speed. He has not yet mastered telling people he is coming, and has consequently ridden into the back of a couple elderly people's legs. We immediately ordered a bell.
The addition of pads has made me feel much  more comfortable, and every day with increased experience I am settling into yet another one of his 'big boy' milestones. We have ordered a bike rack, my bike has been pulled out of storage, and I am looking forward to exploring LA on wheels with my little man.

Three

She's three. I really cant believe it. I know I have said this before, but I never thought I would have a girl, so every year on her birthday I am reminded that she is actually my child, and I did in fact give birth to her. This year Coco has really come into her own. We are starting to see her personality, and in one word
I would call her 'Independent'. She much more than Isaac really enjoys her own autonomy. She has never kissed me on the lips, and really doesn't like kisses. She will wipe them off, or ask me to stop. I do get hugs and love on her terms, but rarely will she appease me when I want some for myself.
Last night David was out of town and I asked her if she wanted to sleep with me in my bed - she never has before. Isaac did the last time David was out of town, so I thought I would be fair and take turns. In typical Coco fashion she told me no, she wanted to sleep in 'her own bed'. And so Isaac spent the night moving his wall to all four corners of my bed. He still sleeps like he did in the crib with no sense of which way is up.

Coco's language is really advanced. She speaks in paragraphs, and uses words that I have no recollection of teaching her. I caught her looking in the mirror last week, and then she whispered under her breath 'Im so stylish'. She has so much confidence. Is becoming more of a risk taker, and is frightened by very little. She adores older girls, and can spend hours playing with them.

She is a daddy's girl. She adores David, as Isaac did, but needs him in a different way. When David isn't home for bedtime she gets teary eyed and wont let me sing her lullabies. She and David have a funny little bedtime ritual where they count like the count does in Sesame Street (one, two, ha ha ha).  Im not sure where it came from, but it is deeply ingrained in her bedtime routine, and it is not something I am allowed to do with her. She asks where Daddy is almost every hour, and shrieks for at least 20 seconds every night when he walks in the door.

Today on Coco's third birthday she is officially discharged from the Regional Center's program which has provided her services up to this point. She will no longer receive PT, OT, or ST unless we access our private insurance. We had a final assessment done before she was discharged and all of her skills were above an age three level with the exception of gross motor. There are still a few things she needs to work on (stair climbing, strength in her left leg, running, jumping) but she keeps up with her classmates and is at a point where I barely notice a difference. And of course, what she lacks in ability she makes up for in attitude, so somehow she is exactly where she needs to be. The road to this point hasn't been an easy one, but we've made it. We hope to continue riding horses after the new year, and she loves her dance class and preschool.

Coco is for the most part willing to try anything, and happy to go along with the plan. She has her moments of resistance, and certainly stands up to Isaac. She is most confident and demanding at home as she often shouts her needs from the other room. I think this year will be a big one for her as she starts to develop friendships, and grow even more independent.