Reading Instructions

I may have earned a Motherhood Medal this evening. S--'s birthday is tomorrow, and so I spent the evening assembling and wrapping presents. The wrapping part was easy. The assembly began as this:

The thick shag rug did not make assembly any easier, as many tiny little pieces got lost in those long, brown hairs. But here's where the medal comes in. I totally would have followed the instructions, if they didn't read like this:

You may have made a joke at one point in your life about the instructions being written in Chinese. Believe me - it is a lot harder when they really are written in Chinese.

But after 4 hours, an entire season of Weeds, a bruised thumb and half a bag of tortilla chips, the finished product seems to be a sturdy trike that any little girl would be proud to ride. Well, except for the 1984 emblem on the front - T.I.C.