BIKES, SPRING and SOLIDS

Well... Today I am going to pack up all the winter stuff!  I think it could be a bit premature in that we DID still have snow and hail this past Saturday...but seriously!!!! It’s almost May!  This week has finally felt like spring!  It’s been sunny and in the teens and there are no traces of snow left J

I have been taking all 3 kids to the park over the week, and they are currently at GREAT ages for the park!  I find between 1 and 2 a tough age to put in days at the park.  The kids are crawling and putting sand in their mouths, and need constant supervision on all the equipment.  They aren’t content to just be in swings, but want to start climbing and doing all the park stuff. 

This spring and summer, Jesse and Janna are both good to go!  They can handle most stuff on their own, and I don’t need to be steps behind them.  At the same time, Robyn is young enough that she is totally happy just watching from her stroller or swing.   I can actually relax a bit!  Getting to the park with the 3 of them, is also not too bad.  The girls love the double stroller, and Jesse is super sufficient on his trike to get there on his own. He pedals along right beside the stroller, able to keep up no problem, and is on top of stopping and looking both ways before using the crosswalks. 

 We have a real bike for Jesse waiting in the basement.  But, I think I’m going to wait for Dave to tackle this with Jesse in the summer.  I don’t think I can manage a kid learning to ride a bike with both girls on my own without a lot of stress.  I also need to buy a helmet.  I stopped in at walmart last night to grab one, but ended up not sure what size to get.  Jesse has a big head.  I realized I probably should have him there to try it on. However, when Janna and I were looking around in the bike section, I found the greatest red trike for 1.5 – 3 year olds.  It is sturdy and the seat adjusts up/down/forward OR backward.  The problem with the other bikes we’ve been given is that her short little legs just can’t reach the pedals. Anyways, this one fit her beautifully, and so I tossed it in our cart.

  Janna immediately looked at it, and said, “ Jesse’s bike.”  I told her, “ no, Janna.  That is YOUR bike!”  She looked at me confused and repeated, “ Jesse’s Bike.”  I beamed at her and said, “ Janna, this is YOUR special bike. All for you.”  Her eyes lit up, and she beamed and squealed, “MINE bike!  Mine Special Bike!”  She spent the rest of our time reaching back and stroking the bike, and telling everyone she passed, “ MINE BIKE! Special bike.”  It was priceless.  This morning, we have it in the house getting her all set for later this morning, when we’ll take it on the road!  IF the rain holds off.....  I’m not sure, it’s not looking too promising.  Oh well, Jesse and Janna are BOTH having fun spinning this thing around inside, so it won’t be the end of the world if we can’t get outside.

Robyn has also really been enjoying the fresh air, and playtime outside.  She just loves to watch all the kids running around and doing their thing.  She had been getting a bit funny around meal times though.  I noticed at suppers(when sitting on Dave’s lap)  her eyes just following all the food, and her lips and mouth practicing the motion of chewing alot.  When holding her, and eating a snack, or something, she has started diving and trying to latch onto whatever food I had on the go.  So, while 6 months is a common  recommendation for starting solids, we decided to get her started last night a few weeks early.  I had some sweet potatoes all pureed and frozen in the freezer...so I popped out one of those, and we gave it a whirl at supper. 

She was SO cute!  She knew exactly what to do.   I brought the spoon close and she opened, and swallowed.  She was certainly interested in the eating process.  I don’t know if sweet potatos were her favorite, it looked like she found them a bit sweet.  But,  she had a few tablespoons, and then turned away  when she was full, and had fun playing with the spoon for the rest of our meal time!

I like the first month or so of starting babies on solids.  I love seeing the different reactions to food, and it’s not too much work, or too messy as they don’t eat a ton and maybe just once a day.  However, I REALLY don’t like the 4 or 5 months following when they are eating a lot more, and start fighting for control of the spoons and flick stuff EVERYWHERE!  I love when they hit one and can start eating little pieces of whatever the rest of us are eating.

Anyways, that is all for now! I will leave you with a picture of Jesse.  Can't forget about him.  He wanted me to take pictures of his war wounds.  We have a fading black eye from a collision with a chair, and a scratch from nobody knows where?! Thanks for reading. I’m out!