Locks of Love, Take III

It's hotter than blazes down here already. Help me. It's not even June yet and I don't want to go outside until November. There are all sorts of little signs that it's too hot - the carseats are literally painful for the kids to get into, the grass doesn't have a chance of staying green if we don't supplement the watering (we don't, sorry neighbors), the drying rack is in the foyer - not to be put away again until fall when we're not swimming daily. And then there's the chicky. The chicky with the hair down to her bottom.


She's sweaty most days and her hair is heavy. It's just really, really heavy. Plus it adds about 10 minutes to every morning and at least 5 to every physical activity - we have to put it up for gymnastics, for swimming, for soccer. It's getting to be a pain - and, most importantly, it's getting to be so long that it's actually falling out. Whether due to hormones or the weight of each hair on the hair follicle, it's coming out en masse via the hairbrush.
So, Vinay and I talked to her, once again, about the fact that it might be a good time for her to get it cut for Locks of Love. We tried back in October, and she was game for a while - even had me set the appointment up - but then she got cold feet. Her hair is her hair and her choice, so we backed off.

But this time it was clear that something needed to be done - our floor seemed to be carpeting itself with all of her cast-offs. We talked about helping out another child who doesn't have hair. We talked about less time in the mornings to get ready, about being able to shower herself without all the crazy long hair to rinse out, about cute clips and barrettes that her heavy hair pulls right out. And we talked about how by the time she is in middle school, her hair can be just as long again since it grows so fast. Sold!

Off we went - she smiled through the whole thing!

And now? Now she looks cuter than a bug. Really, seriously, cuter than a bug. But you're going to have to wait to see the after pictures because the ones I took don't do her justice. Huh-uh. Not at all. She is way cuter than the pictures would lead you to believe, but it's hotter than blazes out here and we were dying to get into the house.