D and the Tricycle

Last Christmas, my mother bought D a tricycle. A cool one. He loved to sit on it and pretend to race around the house. Sometimes using his feet to push off the ground so he would go a few feet. Some time this spring, the tricycle got put into storage and slowly forgotten about. Until last week. D discovered in there while we were looking for something else and his eyes lit up and he squealed with joy.

"Mama! My bicycle! There it is!"

His excitement was contagious as I pulled it out for him to look at and try out again. At first, he just pulled it around the parking lot by the handlebars. His chubby little fingers gripping so hard his knuckles were white. He lead it around and told everyone we passed that Mama had found his "motorcycle". He looked like a tiny little, one man parade. Complete with its own bell.

After a little while of that, I asked him if he wanted to try and ride it like a big boy, which of course was a curious kind of "yeah". He has always been a little bit of a skeptic that D. So he inspected the steps on the back and the wheels and the seat before he gradually climbed on and slid himself to where he could touch the ground. 

I showed him how to put his feet up on the pedals and he just sat there. Ringing the bell and playing with the handlebar tassels was pretty awesome for a bit but then he wanted to get going. He put his feet back down on the ground and tried to push off. He went about six inches, looked up at me and said "I'm a big boy". 

"Yes, sir. You are a big boy. Put your feet back on the pedals and push."

And that he did. To his surprise and to mine, he started to move. Forward. He looked up at me and smiled quickly before looking back down at his moving feet. Slowly but surely he started to move and gain confidence.

Around and around the parking lot we went. Slowly at first, then just a little faster. Not too fast though. Just fast enough for his little feet to keep up with the pedals and for me to help him out with the big curves. His steering could still use some work. 

After a bit we went in for lunch and a good long nap. It dawned on me that he is growing up. He is not a baby anymore. He swims and he draws and he rides tricycles like its nothing. He is going to be three in a months time. He is a big boy. 

Hes my little man now but he is still my baby boy too.