Joel is FINALLY Riding a Bike!

My prayers have finally been answered -- Joel has learned to ride a two-wheeler! This has been quite a process because Joel has been scared to death to forgo the training wheels and ride on two wheels. For a while he has been riding with one training wheel (he looked quite funny).

You must understand what a big deal this is for Joel. When he was born 13 weeks early, he had a minor brain "injury" that was sort of like a stroke. This caused him to have difficulty with his left side -- his leg, foot, arm and hand are "tight" which makes it hard for him to use them. He went to several years of physical and occupational therpy and the occupational therapist explained it to me like this: "When he puts weight on his left foot, it's like me putting weight on a leg that is asleep -- Joel doesn't know if he can trust that leg or not." This also makes it hard for him to balance. Does that make sense? I know to see him, unless you look closely, you would never know that he has difficulty. So, the moral of the story is that riding a bike is a HUGE accomplishment and I am very proud of him.

For the last several practice runs, I wasn't allowed to give directions, cheer or say ANYTHING while he was riding because it distracted him. Today, he actually gave me permission to talk to him while he was riding. :-)

Joel went to take off his helmet and couldn't because his hands were shaking so badly. Poor kid! I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. After he went all the way around the block he came back in the house and said, "Mom, I'm excited and scared. My heart is beating so fast."

Way to go, Joel!