A Big Day for Our Little Girl (And for Her Mommy Too)

A few days ago, I glanced at our little pumpkin as she played happily with her toys. From the back, she looked the picture of perfection. Cute little dress, wispy hair, dimpled elbows, laughing the sweetest laugh while shaking her caterpillar rattle.

And then she turned around.

Her usually shining, green-speckled eyes were hidden behind a wave of dark matted hair which appeared to be stuck to her nose in a slimy concoction of snot and leftover squash.

That's the moment I knew it was time for a hair cut.

On the way to Jelly Beans--the kid's hair salon--I was doing fine. This is not THAT big of a deal, I told myself. It's just hair.

I was still doing fine as our energetic stylist wet Lucy's hair and gave her toys to play with. As she cut the first few strands, I felt a slight twinge. Lucy played on happily, looking much more like a little lady than an infant.

I distracted myself by taking a few photos, trying desperately not to notice the pile of rapidly accumulating hair. Only when the stylist asked, "Would you like me to cut her bangs?" did I start to regret ever stepping foot into Jelly Beans. The twinge I first noticed felt much more like a knot in the pit of my stomach as I watched Lucy's hair fall in wisps to the floor. Before I knew it, the stylist gathered Lucy's hair into a small bag, gave us a certificate with a lock of her hair, asked for our penny payment (first haircuts are just a penny!), and cheerfully waved us on our merry way.

As I buckled Lucy into her car seat, I marveled at my new little one. Could this neatly groomed little girl be the same disheveled, feathery-haired baby I brought into the salon? The knot in my stomach moved into my throat.

I decided to call Jamie. I desperately needed reassurance that I hadn't somehow ruined our daughter forever. I generously offered to bring him lunch, eager for him to see the changeling sleeping soundly in my backseat. He did not make me feel any better.

"Ohhhh....cute....., but I REALLY did like her crazy hair," he said when he saw her.

That's when the tears made their way to the surface. "I hate it!" I proclaimed, feeling that in my decision to cut her hair, I'd somehow managed to destroy Lucy's delightfully quirky little personality. After all, she's known for her crazy, fun hair. Would she be the same without it?

And then Lucy woke up, looked at me, and grinned her toothless smile. Suddenly all was once again right with the world. As I sat behind and watched her playing, picture perfect in her flowery dress and dimpled elbows, she turned to look at me. What did I see?

Two shining, green-speckled eyes.