friday flashback

When we found out we were expecting a daughter, Jim and I made a pact... we would not significantly cut our child's hair until she was old enough to ASK us to do so. During my pregnancy, I worried more about the amount and length of my newborn's hair than I did about anything else [I know... there's something about that which is just not right... but in the interest of transparency there it is].





The first words out of my nurse's mouth upon seeing Tali was "Mom, I sure hope you have hairbows!" Yay! She had hair! [and of course I had hair bows] I quickly became unhealthily attached to her hair! Top knots were soon to come. Then pig tails. Shortly after her first birthday, we managed our first set of french braids [I know, you're impressed, aren't you]. I loved messing with her hair, and she had plenty to mess with. We regularly trimmed her hair, at times taking as much as four inches off, but it was always long.





And then it happened. She asked if she could cut it. And not just a little... she wanted it all off. Jim and I had said, when she's old enough to ask to have it cut, we'll let her cut it. But we weren't ready! It was too soon for her to have her own opinion! She was just six! Why? I asked... Why would you want to do that? I want to give it to Locks of Love, came her answer.





We talked about it a lot. I told Tali that she could cut some of her hair and still donate it, that they would sell that hair and use the money to make prosthetic hair... but she was adament. She wanted HER hair to go to a little girl that doesn't have any. And so, about seven months ago, we went to the salon where Aunt Bev had the gut-wrenching priveledge of cutting off an 11.5 inch pony tail to donate.





I thought I'd miss it. I thought I'd hate her short hair and long for the days of pony tails and french braids. But I'm surprised that I love the new 'do as much as the old one. It's sassy, just like she is! It's cooler. And it lets us focus more on her beautiful little face. We've kept it short since then... but lately she's talking about growing it out again. Because she wants to donate to LoL again. I don't know if I can handle this hair-roller coaster... but with Tali in control I may as well strap myself in and enjoy the ride!!!