Elsie Update: playground, favorite things, and bike

Quick update and explanation from me first: I submitted a complete draft of my thesis over a week ago. HOORAY! All that hard work is why I haven't updated in eons. Apologies for that. Now I'm biting my fingernails and hoping my advisor will allow me to graduate while I put together my slides and prepare for battle -- I mean, my defense. It feels like battle, though. Everything in grad school is so adversarial.

But enough about me!

You know what's great? When your cute, helpless little baby turns into a fun and amazing kid. I am so damn proud of my daughter, and all she has done is survive to toddlerhood. But in doing so, she impresses me every day. It's incredible, and it makes me all kinds of annoying and braggy!

For instance, did you know that my daughter can now climb on the playground and go down the big twirly slide BY HERSELF!? Because she can! And it is awesome.

Many little kids do this well before Elsie's 21 months, but Elsie has always been slow to acquire new physical skills. Whenever I say that, people treat me very gently and reassuringly, as though I am worried about it. I'm not the least bit worried about it. Some kids are just really physical, and Elsie isn't one of them. It's nothing to worry about at all. She walked late, but she walked eventually and now she runs. I just assume it's going to be that way with most things. She's cautious and careful and thinks things through before she does them, and that's just who she is, and I love it, so when I say she's not very physical, I don't mean it as a knock, just as an observation. I stand back and let her figure it out in her own time and in her own way. And she does. It makes it all the more thrilling and fun to see her finally go scrambling all over that jungle gym, all by herself from the very first try. Way to go, Elsie!

Because Elsie is so cautious and careful and hesitant to try new physical things, I was amazed when, at a three-year-old birthday party, she fixated on her little friend Kay's pedalless bike.


"Bike!!! Bike! Bike! Bike!" she frantically yelled, pointing with her entire tiny arm at the magnificent yellow vehicle. Elsie wanted on that bike in the worst way! Unfortunately, I didn't have a wrench handy and Kay's bike seat was set too high, but it got me thinking.

Have you seen these things? They're great! Two-wheelers for tots with no pedals at all.Tots start out walking them around and learning the steering on foot, then can practice coasting and balancing when it feels right. It's the quickest way to learn how to ride a bike -- so intuitive! I don't buy many toys for my daughter. I'm a strong believer in the creative and fun power of a couple of sticks, a pile of stones, a big bucket of water, and box of sidewalk chalk. Where all that fails, she's a very loved child who does not want for gifts or hand-me-downs. But I'm gearing up to buy a toy now! I am in the market for a balance bike. Any suggestions?