Bike!

Sahara has been the little biker in the family up 'til now, with Gavin watching longingly as she pedaled around and zipped past. Occasionally, Sahara would feel generous enough to share her bike with Gavi, and I'd push him around with a huge grin on his face.

We were going to wait until his birthday, but we (at least dad) felt too sorry for Gavin, so we bought him a bike early. We opted for a balance bike, which doesn't have any pedals (we got the idea from our friends in Texas--it allows the rider to use their feet for propulsion, balance and stopping). The only one we could find that went low enough for the Gavster was the Strider brand. He loves it, to put it mildly. The first few times he'd just put his leg over the bike and sit on the seat with the handlebars in his chubby little hands. It's been a week and he's sitting on the seat and walking it around now. By the time his 2nd birthday rolls around, I think he'll be flying around on his bike.

Yesterday we got Gavin a little bike helmet. He's got a big head, so we had to get a 5 yr old helmet. He looks dashing in it and, as you can see in the pictures, is pretty darn happy about the whole thing.

BTW, unlike Sahara, Gavin has not been an early, prolific talker. Apparently that's normal for boys. But this last month he's turned into a little chatter box. Now he's got a sound track to go along with his funny facial expressions and body language. He's all boy too. He grunts and growls and loves bikes, balls and trucks.