two wheels

On Friday, after two days of constant begging, pleading, whining, and complaining from Lucas, I removed the rear axel from the Convert-O tricycle and transfomed it into a bicycle. It is more like a training bicycle than an actual bicycle, but for him it is an important rite a passage, a mark of distinction that says "I no longer ride baby bikes".

The bike is a bit more worn and beat up since the last time we made this trike to bike change. It seems that we were much more eager for this developmental step when we did it with Emory, because we knew there was another child excitedly waiting for the beloved silver tricycle to be handed down to him. Now Lucas is excitedly waiting for the Schwinn Stingray to be handed down to him, but there is noone waiting for the magical silver trike. He spent some time experimenting with this new mode of transportation, while his sister impatiently watched and instructed from the sidelines. Finally, she convinced him to let her give him a demonstration, as if by seeing it done with skill he would immediately grasp the technique.

Needless to say, it didn't work but I did have a vivid flashback to this same little girl tearing around the driveway on the silver tricycle in a green tutu three years ago.

And in the garage one forlorn wheel and axel, are all that remains of the "baby bike" years.