From Oma

We didn't have time to go shopping while Oma was here, but she left the funds for D to get a new bike! I think we have been trying for a year to get him a bike, but he just never seemed to fit any of the bikes out there. This shopping experience wasn't looking to be much more promising...

This one was too crowded:

This one was super fun to put together (at 9:00 p.m.) but was just too big for D to pedal on.

We tried another bike that was also loads of fun to put together, but was still too big. (Not pictured because we were pretty much giving up hope.)

Then we came across this little bike. (No, that's not a massive spoiler on the back - it's called the Balance Buddy...it should really be called the Back Buddy because it saves you from having to stoop over while pushing your little one around.)

I questioned this one all the way home because it just seems too "advanced" for D. (I'm still trying to keep him a baby, which is pretty ridiculous at this point.) All the other bikes we were considering or had already purchased/returned were small little trikes (funny that they were all too big for him to pedal!) that could obviously work for kids under two. But this is his first bike and I felt like things were moving too fast!! I mean, we had to take this one off of the rack with all the other "big" bikes (aka the ones NOT sold in boxes on the shelves). Anyway, it looks like after years of searching, D now officially has a bike. He loves riding it around and doesn't want any assistance (although sometimes needed) from well-intentioned parents and the Balance Buddy. He cried tonight when we had to come inside (again, 9:00 p.m.) because he wanted to ride more. A million thousand thanks to Oma for opening up a whole new world to D. We love you!