In the past few days Alyce went from riding with training wheels to being a full fledged bike rider! I can't believe how quickly she learned!
I did a little bit of looking online and the consensus I found was that at first you should take the pedals off the bike and allow them to learn balance before they have to worry about pedaling. Also with no pedals on the bike they can put their feet down without any obstruction. Alyce was in this mode for two different sessions. The first time was with me and she was a little shaky. Alyce's longest run without putting her feet down was 15' or so. On Monday Mom took Alyce out for another session and she made it down the street unassisted!
Tonight we were all out together and after seeing Alyce go down the street a few times I told her she was ready for pedals. I put them on right then and there. We went down to the end of street and with a gentle push she was off!
After a few short rides she was off doing circles through the cul de sac. We practiced stopping without crashing and starting. The only difficulty she has is getting started. If she is on a hill she is ok but if on level ground has a bit of trouble. I figure she'll have that figured out the next time she's out on the bike.
A while ago we received a hand me down bike from the lady that cuts Alyce's hair. It was in decent shape but needed a little maintenance before it was ready to be ridden. Specifically the chain needed to be oiled, tires inflated, and training wheels put on. Since we received it I've been dragging my feet getting to it (much to Alyce's dismay). Dragging partly because I was lazy, part because the garage was a mess, and mostly because I wasn't ready for my little girl to start riding a bike. We live on a hill and while it isn't very steep it is long. If you were to coast the entire way down you'd pick up some serious speed. Having a bike makes you much more mobile and is another step away from the protection of your parents.
My fears aside I needed to get the bike ready because this past weekend on Sunday was going to be a neighborhood bike rodeo! There was going to be lots of stations to teach kids proper bike handling and safety. The only requirement needed was a bike and a helmet. I didn't want Alyce to feel left out and I figure there was a lot to learn so I took the plunge and got the bike ready. I spent a good portion of Saturday getting the bike ready. When it was all said and done the bike was in great shape. Well as good as I could make it without sending it to a bike shop.
When finished we went inside and asked Alyce if she wanted to ride her bike (we hadn't told her we were fixing it up). She responded with a resounding "yes"! I stuck around the house with Luke and Mom took her up the street to the cul-de-sac where it is flat and without cars. Upon their return I got the full report. Alyce did good on the bicycle but was running a bit too heavy on the breaks. Mom cut it short because they went up there without a helmet and a brand new cyclist could use a helmet.
I took the next round. Alyce with helmet brought her bike and I brought mine too. Together we rode in circles around the cul-de-sac. She did much better with me. Never once did she fall off her bike but she did run into the curb a few times. She didn't lean into the turns like she's supposed to but she did have good balance when going straight. I think she could have ridden in a circle the entire day if would have let her but sadly it was time for lunch. We brought her bike back and gave it a special parking spot in the garage. I think she's going to like riding her bike. I'm just not too sure about our hill.
When Sunday came the bike rodeo was cancelled on account of rain which was a disappointment. But it got me to let go of Alyce just a bit more even if I didn't want to. Next up will be to get her a bigger bike. The one she's got seems a bit too small for her frame. I'm thinking a bike will make a perfect birthday present. Maybe a new helmet too. Do they make airbags for bicycles?
Yesterday right after work Mom and I took Alyce to the movies. We went to the AMC to see the re-release of Toy Story and Toy Story 2 in 3-D. Each movie is just under 1 1/2 hours with a 10 minute intermission between the two. All together that makes for 3 hours in the movie theater. Earlier this summer Alyce saw the movie UP and passed with flying colors so we were pretty sure she wouldn't have any problems with this.
There was a first for Alyce at this picture. It was the first time she ever had popcorn. She was a bit leery at first and only took a single piece. When finished she was immediately hooked as she grabbed for piece after piece. During the movie she would even speak up asking for more "pacorn".
Towards the end of the first film Alyce started to get a bit antsy or maybe tired. She got out of her seat and the climbed into my lap. The seats are nice in this theater in that the armrests lift up and you can recline across two seats. I did just that and Alyce snuggled up into me, laying her head on my chest, and watching the rest of the movie.
When the feature was over it was nearly 8:00 and Alyce was tuckered out. The evidence for this was that she threw herself on the ground in a crying heap when we tried to put her coat on to go home. She was asleep in the car before we got home.
Mom and I attended the fair on Friday without the kids for a date night. We had lots of fun and even rode some rides. But we knew we would enjoy ourselves even more if Alyce were to experience the wonder of the fair as well. On Sunday we packed up the family and attended the fair on the hottest day of the five day event. The temperatures by the time we got there were around 96 degrees in the shade. There was the occasional breeze but the day was still pretty miserable temperature wise, however, we persevered and had a great time.
Walking the few blocks from the parking lot to the fair grounds we first went into Agriland. Agriland is tent full of kid friendly farm related stuff. There are lots of farm animals to look at and pet like baby cows, sheep, goats, and pigs. Other animals such as baby chicks, chickens, and bunnies are there but are either in incubators or in cages so you can't touch them. Alyce was a big fan of the animals. She reached out and touched the ones that she could reach and got face to face to others. Alyce seemed rather interested in the baby chicks. I don't think she quite understood that they hatched from the eggs in the incubators. After looking at the animals we took Alyce's shoes off and she got to play in big bins full of wheat, corn, or soybeans. Alyce was first in the wheat bin and commented that she was standing in sand. Her analysis was correct, the wheat did look and feel like big grains of sand. While sitting in both the corn and the wheat Alyce filled up buckets full of material and then would dump it out. I would say that Alyce enjoyed her time in the tent but she was ready to go when asked if she was ready. We probably should have checked her a bit closer when finished. After the fair we found bits of wheat between her toes and a kernel of corn found its way into her diaper. Neither of those could have been comfortable.
After Agriland we brought Alyce to what we think the fair is famous for, waffle ice cream sandwiches. A waffle ice cream sandwich is exactly what you think it is. Take two fresh waffles, add a bar of ice cream between them, and viola a waffle ice cream sandwich. The biggest downfall to such a treat is that you are putting something warm next to something cold. That leads to a big mess unless you eat them quick. With Alyce's help we consumed ours quick enough that the only mess needing to be cleaned up is some sticky fingers.
Following the ice cream we showed Alyce the motocross that was taking place in the motor arena. She was interested at first but after a few minutes she was having more fun playing on the bleachers than watching the races. Reminiscing to when I was a child I remember playing on and underneath the bleachers. Either the bleachers are irresistable or it's like father like daughter.
After the motocross we reached the main event, the rides. Up to this point Alyce's ride experience is almost exclusively rides on a carousel. Almost any other time we've tried to get her on a ride it has ended in unhappiness or tears. But it has been a year since we've tried her on anything new so it is time to try again. The results were better than Mom and I could have dreamed. To ease Alyce into the rides we first put her on the carousel. I asked which animal she wanted to ride and her response was the "giraffes". Luckily for us we were third in line and were able to get the one she wanted.
Following the carousel Mom and I were in for a big BIG surprise. After Alyce got off her giraffe then walked over towards a roller coaster running next to the carousel. As she was watching the coaster finish up a cycle I asked Alyce if she wanted to go. She responded with a nod. Mom and I were both sure this was going to end badly so we wanted to give her as many outs as we could. We recommended that she watch the coaster for a little bit just to make sure she wanted to ride. As it was running I informed her that Mom nor I would be able to ride with her. After all of that I asked again if she wanted to ride. Her decision remained the same, yes. Or in her case a quiet nod. So I bring Alyce up the stairs and strap her in to the coaster. Before I have a chance to take her picture she is off like a rocket. Alyce wasn't ready either and for her first lap she was holding on for dear life. Mom and I thought for sure that she would be crying after the first lap started so abruptly. Instead as Alyce finished her first circuit, we get our first view, and she has a smile from ear to ear! Mom and I were both flabbergasted. Here we were expecting the worst only to experience the best. Our little girl was riding a roller coaster all by herself and enjoying every minute of it!
There were some downsides to Alyce's time at the fair and with the rides. She had her first taste of disappointment. Alyce wanted to go down the big slide and I wanted to go down with her. However, the rules of the slide stated that riders had to ride alone (no doubles) and had to be taller than the fence (which Alyce wasn't). So Mom and I had to break it to her that she wouldn't be able to ride the slide and naturally she was disappointed. Throw in the heat and no nap and she was moved to tears. For reasons beyond this blog I knew what she was feeling and I could only offer my apologies at not being able to ride the slide.
After the rides the entire family was toasted. We were hot, thirsty, and tired. We had a good time and I am glad we went. If it weren't for Alyce I doubt that we would have gone to the trouble. I don't know if she will remember this trip to the fair but Mom and I will remember it as the day our little girl rode her first roller coaster.
On Saturday Alyce had her first trip to the movies. We took her to go see the new Pixar movie "UP". This wasn't Alyce's first movie just the first trip to the theater. Alyce is a big fan of Pixar movies with her favorite movie being "Cars".
We ended up watching the movie at the theater in my hometown. We did this because my mom, grandma, was willing to babysit Luke. We got to the theater a bit latter than we wanted and thus it was already dark by the time we got there. Alyce didn't have any trouble with the darkness and held my hand until we could find our seats. This theater was nice in that they provide booster seats for the kids. There wasn't anyone in front of us but Alyce did enjoy being up higher. Another point about this movie was that it was in 3-D requiring us to wear special glasses. At first Alyce didn't want to wear the glasses and she didn't even want me to wear the glasses but about halfway through the movie she started wearing them and kept them on the rest picture.
Alyce did pretty good during the movie. I would give the entire experience a B. The movie was rated PG for Action and Peril and they were right. There were a few scenes that were perilous and Alyce has some issues with them. The first scene she had a problem with was when the heroes were flying into a thunderstorm. The second scene was when one of the heroes friend's a big bird was being taken away by the bad guys. When that was happening she called out "Birdie... No..."! This one was especially rough on Mom and I as this was the first time she had ever reacted in such a way.
When it was all said and done Alyce seemed to enjoy the movie but not like the way she enjoys her other Pixar movies. I think this movie might have been too advanced for her, but that is chance you take going to the movies and not previewing it ahead of time. In the future we might have to take more care in the movie choices we make, but it is good to know she can handle sitting for two hours in a dark room. Next time we will introduce her to popcorn!
