Pedal!

For her second birthday, in 2012, we got Maisy a Skuut balance bike. She took right to it, and for the past 20 months has regularly enjoyed gliding on her Skuut around the block or at the playground. We were planning to get her a pedal bike (no training wheels) for her fourth birthday, coming up this June, but our plans were nipped in the bud one fine Saturday.

On March 8 we breakfasted at our neighborhood Boulange, as is our Saturday morning habit, and then made our way to the playground at the neighborhood elementary school. Clad in pajamas, as is her Saturday morning privilege and habit, Maisy rode her Skuut. When we arrived we discovered a little girl we've met there before; she was having her first rides on a new pedal bike (without training wheels) and found the notion of taking turns with Maisy very appealing. 

Well, our sweet neighbor didn't quite get the hang of her new bike that day. She was an expert Skuut rider, but had never learned the mechanics of pedaling. Maisy, on the other hand, had learned to pedal various tricycles at preschool. She hopped on her friend's new pedal bike, and kept on going!

We were amazed and proud.

And a little weepy. I know it's corny, but it feels like such a milestone! Such a "big kid" thing to do, to ride a pedal bike!

But our own emotions were eclipsed by Maisy's own pride in her accomplishment. Actually, her pride in her own accomplishment makes me proud.

Penguin Girl on Pedal Bike from Laura Brown on Vimeo.

Of course seeing Maisy's enthusiasm we could not wait until June to get her a pedal bike, so later that week we went to Sports Basement and wound up buying the same bike as her neighborhood friend. The frame size isn't quite right, so we imagine we'll wind up getting something else sooner rather than later, but for now she's working on starting and braking and the finer points of steering! Short outings to ride her new bike have also broken up the monotony of the past week as she has recovered from pneumonia.

March 12, 2014
Grattan Playground

Go Maisy!