This gift has been a year in the making.  Last year when Tyler turned two, we took him to get this bike, but he wasn’t tall enough yet.  We waited 6 months and figured surely after the crazy growth spurt he went through (2 inches in two months and then some), he was ready.  Nope – still needed a few more inches.  So we took him the Sunday after we returned from Arkansas and hurray!  he was tall enough.

We are very excited about this bike.  It is called a Trek Float.  When you first given the bike to the child you remove the pedals and crank from the bike.  So it is essentially a push bike.   This forces him to perfect his balance on the bike first and then once he is very comfortable, you put the pedals on and off they go.  You know when the child is ready when they are propelling themselves forward and then picking there feet up for extended periods of time.  So they aren’t really needing their feet for balance.

I love this whole idea because we will never have to deal with training wheels and it doesn’t require Chris and I at all.  I feel like we completely botched potty learning.  To be honest, Chris and I are not patient people and have high, sometimes unrealistic expectations.  So something like this that does not require our intervention and allows him more independence because he doesn’t need a parent to help him to ride, is perfect for our family.

At first he was wanting the pedals, but very quickly was satisfied with the challenge of just propelling himself forward.  The bike is pretty heavy, so he had to get used to the weight.  He fell a lot at first – thank goodness for our sidewalks with grass on both sides.   But now, he has this scissor kick rhthym he gets into and off he goes.  He will ride down to the school and back now.  We figure maybe a month of two and then he will be ready for pedals. This bike also has a lot of “grow with you” features, so Tyler should have it for a while. And right about when he is done, we assume Quinn will be ready to take her spin on the Float!

Quinn now has Tyler’s tricycle and is quite happy with it.  Chris adjusted it for her height, but she isn’t pedaling just yet.  In fact, she prefers to take fire truck (he favorite push toy on which she uses to hurl herself down the sidewalk) out with Tyler as she can totally keep up with him on fire truck.  In fact, she likes to bump the back of his bike tire when he is being pokey….he doesn’t much like that!  :-p

It is very exciting to see them reaching these big milestones and also scary.  I told Chris that once he masters that bike – he will be off and biking every chance he gets.  The  challenge is how to give Quinn the opportunity to do her riding and walk around the neighborhood and keep up with Tyler who will no doubt be speeding around the neighborhood??   I haven’t figured that one out just yet….there will have to be some compromise there.  Maybe a morning walk for Quinn (no bikes on this one) and an evening ride for Tyler where I jog with Quinn in the stroller?  I have a few months to figure it out…hopefully.

Getting the helmet on	Final adjustments
Getting ready….	Some help from Dad steadying
Getting Quinn’s tricycle adjusted for her	..and off they go.

This week three big milestones took place…..

1.  Quinn is nightweaned!

It happened earlier and quicker than I thought it would.   I actually started the last night of our vacation in Arkansas.  I thought I might try given a trip I will be taking soon.  So the last night of our trip I began telling her that the milk needed rest and she could nurse when the sun was up.   That night I was able to snuggle her back to sleep without much protest until 4am, so I just went with it.  It took her an hour that first night, although it wasn’t all upset – more restlessness and just trying to settle.   And about five days later, so far so good.  I am not sure if it is her temperment or just timing.  And given the next milestone – it may just be timing.

2.  Chris put Quinn to bed..and she was fine with it!

A time or two before this has happened – but it was usually a case where she fell asleep in the car and he transferred her or she wanted me and was protesting, but I wasn’t there and she had no choice him.   This evening I kind of half-jokingly told her that Daddy was putting her to bed since Tyler was wanting me to snuggle him.  She said she wanted me, but eventually we talked her into letting Daddy read her some books.   This part is pretty common – she likes Daddy reading to her.  But what usually happens is that once it is time for lights out – she wants me and is very emphatic about it.

So as I was laying in the dark next to Tyler, I kept waiting…and waiting…and waiting to hear her get upset.  And she didn’t.   I came out of Tyler’s room and the lights were off in hers.   And about 5 minutes later, Chris came out.  He said she was a little restless at first, but eventually snuggled next to him and went to sleep.  And never once did she ask for me!

Daddy was quite pleased.   I think we are going to try a pattern of me putting her two sleep for two nights and then Daddy doing one and then me again.  It would be nice to get her used to Daddy.   I also enjoy the change to snuggle Tyler as it happens to rarely.   Tyler is so active and chatty and is practically in motion all day long, so at night I love the peaceful connection of just laying next to him.

3.  Tyler and Quinn had their first sibling smack-down!

This was the first slapfest and I think Quinn started it.  They have had these run-ins before, but this is the first one where it seemed to go back and forth as opposed to one turn each, tears and get Mom.  They were just trading blows this time.   I thought to myself, “whoa – so here we are”.   I so need to dig out Siblings Without Rivalry and start prepping my reactions.   Ah, siblings.    There are the smack downs and then there is Arkansas where every morning was a sibling lovefest complete with the big daily morning bear hug…

It must be in the air and Elizabeth T. and Elizabeth H.’s sons recently made their leaps. Tyler has now been in underwear a week and for the most part, things are going pretty well. And I have no idea how it happened.

I have been fretting about his pottying or lack there of for the last few months. See, he has pooped in the potty for like a year and a half now. He just never made the leap to peeing as well. And what bothered me is that he never had that “oh crap, I need to pee” moment when we put him in underwear before. I have tried underwear two times in the last few months and usually had him in diapers before the day was over.

For some reason, potty training is a trigger thing for me, so I would rather have him in diapers than get mad about it. The other big reason is that when I gently suggested he go potty, he refused. Then he would have an accident like 20 minutes later…seven times a day (my son pees like a racehorse).
Last Saturday, I just felt zen about the whole thing, I don’t know why. And he also felt ready, I guess because when I suggested he go potty, he obliged. And that is what has made this round of attempts stick – I think he is truly ready, he will go if I ask him to and I am freaking out less about the accidents.

And just yesterday, he was in the office with me, looked up at me and said, “I have to go pee pee!” The moment I was waiting for! Horray!

This kid has an active mind and body and I know there will be more accidents. When he is hyper or really engaged in something, he doesn’t pick up on his body’s signals. Nevertheless, I am thrilled about this step forward.

It is weird how it is already like he has been peeing in the potty for a long time. It is already automatic that we go to the bathroom before we leave the house, when we get up etc. It is like that when your baby walks. My kids took forever to figure it out and two weeks after they started walking, it felt like they had always been walking.

So I guess out potty learning journey is slowing coming to a close. One last hurdle – nighttime. I am not pushing that though – we are going to work on mastering one thing at a time.

Quinn has started using the potty occasionally, so maybe before long, she will get there too. That would be nice!

It is the conclusion of a really great week! The kids slept in late and with no food in the house, we later enjoyed a breakfast of tacos at Taco Shack. Then I got to do my Friday Home Blessing – changed sheets, tidied up the house and vacuumed.

First Trip to the Dentist

Today’s big adventure was Tyler’s first trip to the dentist. They did a full cleaning on his teeth and even sanded down his chipped tooth. That was on his request – he told me on the way to the dentist that we wanted his pokey tooth to be like all the others. He was a bit nervous, but overall did great.

He has been carrying around his dentist goody bag everywhere – it contains a mirror, sand timer, dental floss and a tiny toy camera and watch he got from their treasure chest. He would have been happy without the last two items, but I guess that is just how things are done now.

As I expected, remembering friends re-telling their kids first dentist encounters, he played and talked about the dentist all day. It was a really good experience and they had us in and out pretty quickly. Maybe the next visit in 6 months will be Quinn’s first..assuming she has all her teeth by then.

Grocery Strategies

My grocery shopping went well today. I employed two new strategies this time. See, my kids have been going to the store with my every Friday afternoon for like a year now. They know the drill and usually it is a very pleasant experience. However, the last two times were well, hell. The kids were fighting in the car cart, throwing tantrums at the floor- it was insane. So, this time I spent about 30 minutes chasing and tickling Tyler and sometimes Quinn all over the house before we left trying to get some of that energy out. I also went and got them some food at the beginning of our trip – something that would take them a while to eat, bagels. It worked really well. They were *much* calmer today and Mama was much happier.

New Recipes..

I did go $20 over my budget, but considering I bought oil and dishsoap and splurged on wine, ice cream, an extra container of strawberries, locally-made cheese (way pricier), and pecans – well, I did really well. And I am trying tons of fun new recipes, so I kind of put a blind eye to the budget, so again, I was really surprised at how well it went. Our diet is a strange one – kind of vegetarian, kind of vegan. I am trying more vegan recipes these days. This week I am looking forward to testing Ranch Potato and Zucchini Tacos, Vegan Nachos (it has a nacho sauce made with cashews..and cashews usually yield delicious, creamy sauces), Mango and Black Bean Salad with Strawberry Dressing and Tequila Chili Lime Tofu.

Dessert and Dish

I kind of had my first one last night with my dear neighbor. She walked over for wine and ice cream around 9:30pm. We sat on my driveway and enjoyed the amazing breeze that was blowing that night. She kindly let me talk her ear off about the neighborhood and other things. It is so rare I get to have adult conversation sans kids, so I tend to get a little excited! :-p We are going to expand the idea to the neighborhood inviting more Moms over and see how the idea catches on. We are hoping it will be a big hit. It should be – walk from your house over to mine, get out for a late night treat, have some wine and chocolate with other Moms and just chill and chat. I am always up for that!! It was really nice – thanks again for coming over Cheri!

It was time. Her hair is so fine and I was tired of brushing out knots. I knew that if I got it cut, it would start to grow out thicker and she may have less bed head. As a bonus, Tyler also needed a haircut, so we thought she would feel more at ease watching him go through the process first. She did wonderful and we now have a little girl with the sweetest bob ever!!  Daddy was a little sad to see the longer hair go, but I think he agrees that every time you see her post-haircut, she looks like this little girl now.  As you can see in the picture with Grandma, that baby hair was going everywhere!  And as I remind Chris, it will grow out….

I included far too many pics here, but hey, you can feel like you were right there with us and didn’t miss a thing!

Tyler knows the drill and is calm and cool checking out what is in those eggs…	Quinn watches on with Grandma
The hairdresser pulled out the shaver.  Tyler started giggling because it tickled..	Quinn a little unsure and not so happy because there were a few knots that had to be combed out (Mommy’s fault..)
These eggs are cool, Tyler…	How much longer, Mama?
Out little girl emerges….	A sweet, tidy bob!

The big project that I undertook right after the Christmas holidays was making a doll for Quinn. I had found a kit at the Waldorf School store that utilized a knitted body.

Somehow this seemed much less intimidating then doing a fully formed body. Basically, the head would be the only form challenge – everything else would be stuffing knitting which I learned from the animals I knit a while back.

Halfway through knitting the body for Quinn’s, I decided I wanted to make one for Tyler too. That part was fun because I could ask Tyler was color he wanted and whether he wanted a boy or girl. The answers were “green” and “a boy – just like me”.

Since Tyler knew I was making him a doll, it was fun to share my progress with him. The reason the title to this post is “bulbheads” is that I showed Tyler the dolls when I had the head connected to the body (which had a torso and legs and the time, but no arms). Tyler said they looked like bulbheads.

And yes, the heads did look like lightbulbs. I was a bit dismayed thinking “Great, they will forever be known as “bulbheads.” But the next thing I knew, Quinn took the doll out of my arms saying, “baby” and gave it a hug. Nevermind – it was going to be fine.

I finished the dolls and they turned out better than expected. I did so many things that I had never done before: sewing the seams of a knitted fabric, forming a doll head, making doll clothes, sewing and inseam on pants, and sewing hair on a doll to name a few. Mistakes were made and all is not perfect with them, but I can tell you that I put a ton of love into these creations and I think that is what matters.

I am more than satisfied. I won’t say the dolls are a huge hit with the kids right now, but I expect that as their doll play grows as they age, the dolls will get played with more. And I do admit to getting a little grumpy if a doll is getting mistreated. “No Tyler, I don’t care if it is pretend play, we don’t throw the doll around!” :-p

Even if they end up sitting somewhere untouched – I still derived so much satisfaction from this project and am really glad I took a leap and tried something new. Not to mention that I completed this project which took 6 weeks and pretty much every spare minute I had.

I wish I had taken more pictures showing all the steps involved. It is really fascinating to see how they come together. And finally, here are the finished products!!

What a crazy, magical day this one was…last Tuesday to be precise.

Bike Commuting

This was Daddy’s first day commuting to work on his bike. Tyler and I watched him take off. As we were heading out to the school playground that morning, Tyler announced that he was taking his “commuter bike”. Then he asked if he had a special bike shirt – well, actually, he does. I got it out and he proudly wore it as he sped down the sidewalks.

First Day Bike Commuting

Commuting to the Playground

Ball Bouncing

At the school playground, Tyler was running around the track..trying to bounce the ball up and down while doing so. I suppose he had been watching some kids play basketball or something, but he was trying and doing a good job!

He Plays!

The “play crisis” is over. Not that Tyler plays that much now, but there are magical moments. Quinn was napping and I was working on some dinner in the kitchen. I went into the living room to check on him and find this scene. He had gotten out a playsilk, the wooden boat, the wooden doll figures and was up to something. It is so funny what these quiet moments sometimes yield. There are days where he is aimless, days he wants to do whatever I am doing, and days where he wants to do his own thing.

Playing…..

Heading Across

Conquering a Fear

Later that day at the park, he tries a piece of equipment that he had up until now avoided. He asked me before trying, “Can Liam do this? Can River do this?” I replied, “yes, they tried and practiced and they got it.” So then Tyler gives it a go and sure enough he does it. He says, “I did it!”
The biggest pleasure for me was watching him stand on the other side, hands on his hips just looking at what he had just accomplished with a closed-mouth grin as wide as can be. He stood there staring for at least 30 seconds if not longer. He didn’t need or want me to say anything. He was so proud of himself.

Then he comes back across and as he is doing so, he shouts, “Mommy, take a picture for Daddy!” And so I did.

A Fall Down the Stairs

Quinn did something as well early in the day, but now it escapes me. Probably because she more dramatically fell down the stairs to the bottom later this evening. It was a first and the hardest part was seeing just how upset she was.

A Trip to the ER

It led to our first trip to the ER because I was worried she had broken her wrist. If you ever head to the ER, take a friend. It was a LONG wait. Poor Quinn was so tired, she started crying and was saying, “night-night! lights off!” Poor baby girl. Thankfully, it was a false alarm and nothing was broken. I decided watching her the next day that she badly bruised her hand since she caught herself with them.

I never know what the day will bring. This day had a little bit of everything!