Progress, Indeed

This week, Miss Geri decided to scare the ever-loving SNOT out of me by mastering the slide at her brother's school. This slide, for the record, is about 7 foot tall.

I wish I could adequately describe the way my heart stopped when she sat down on her butt and pushed herself over the edge of the precipice without me that first time. We had been practicing this new skill on the little kid slide, the one that's maybe 3 feet off the ground. She got it down pat in about three tries and just loved it, so I went down the giant slide with her in my arms for a little fun. When we went around for another go, she went before I could get ready!

It was kinda comical, in retrospect, how she flew off the end of the slide, legs sticking straight out in front, and landed on her butt. I was so startled that I jumped from the top of the climbing wall (this is a pretty elaborate playset for older kids) to get to her, convinced she was going to be a wreck. I picked her up and tried to contain myself somewhat so I wouldn't scare her with my fear and said "Are you okay?"

"Agai peee," was her answer. She wanted to go again.

We repeated this twice, but on the third time I managed to get to the bottom while she was still at the top by using the spiral slide (it's a really nice playset, seriously) so that I could catch her. As soon as she realized I wasn't next to her, she got scared and tried to chicken out. At this point she was sitting at the top, scooted to the edge. I was calling her, she was fidgeting, she scooted back, she scooted to the edge again. She was torn. So her sister edged up behind her and pushed her. Thanks, Mera. Geri's third trip down was decidedly sloppy and now she won't even use the little slide. Sisters- they give you a helping hand. *sigh*

We've hit a huge burst of development. In the past week, Geri has started saying her own versions of "again please", " up please" and "down please." She figured out how to sit in a big girl swing and hold on to the chains for me to push her, and she loves to kick her feet while swinging. She is pushing her shopping cart all over the house, backing up and turning it when she gets stuck. She has figured out all of the switches on her little "switchbox" (you know, the one with the animals in the little boxes and when you turn the key or flip the switch it pops up, and each switch is different? that thing?) and she drinks from a cup independently. She's playing with spoons and self-feeding again. I find that I have a hard time remembering all the new skills she's racking up... what else did she learn in the last couple of weeks?

Oh, right... she also learned to use a slide. :)