Three up on two

With every milestone she encounters, Lucy goes for broke. When she was done with diapers, she let us know by grabbing a pair of big sister's undies and putting them on. When she was finished with the crib, she literally leapt out (and broke an arm in the process, but that's secondary).

And so we approach Lucy's next big milestone. About three months ago, she started asking me to take the training wheels off of her bike. I had nightmares of little Lu racing down streets at breakneck speed, without any concern for her personal safety, and so I refused her requests time and time again, telling her we could try when she turns four. But last week, I finally gave in and agreed, with great skepticism. We spent a few minutes with her tearing up and down the sidewalk with moderate success, significant wobbling, and at the predicted breakneck speed. But Lucy would not be deterred. This Thursday, she asked if she could ride her bike to school. I agreed and was certain I would be her balance the entire way. However, I was shocked when she rode the half-mile journey without my steady arm to support her. The entire trip, she was giddy with enthusiasm, proclaiming in between giggles to all within earshot, "Look at me! I'm with no training wheels! I'm DOING IT!"

Yes, she has holes in the toes of her shoes because she hasn't quite mastered the foot brake/stopping sequence yet. But she also wears a giant grin from her sense of accomplishment. And rightfully so.

We had to celebrate with treats from the ice cream truck when it rolled down our street this afternoon. It was, after all, a scorching 68 degrees in Portland today. Greta did the ordering.