Hair Cut and the Future

Its a new year. Time for new things.

Harper, my almost 3 year old, finally got her first hair cut on Saturday. She still has that fine, thin baby hair. Its gold and dirty blond and ALWAYS in her face. Nothing except tiny rubber bands work to hold it back and I can never put it back in a way that looks good. It always looks like a drunk has done her hair. Anyways, my husband made an off handed comment to her about getting her hair cut. OK! she said. I called and made an appointment, letting the girl on the phone know that this was her FIRST hair cut ever. On the way we discussed how it would not hurt, how it is not scary, how the lady is as Harper puts it “a good guy”, and that I will be right there with her. She did so good.  She didn’t cry, or ask to stop. At almost the end she told me “I’m all done mama.” Jess clipped a little curl off the the back and placed it in a bag for me… I totally forgot you are supposed to save a lock of hair. I was just so happy that Harper was not screaming, as she tends to do in new situations that I have failed to explain to her. Her hair is now out of her face and adorable.

This weekend we also worked on going to the bathroom in the toilet and not in her pants. Potty Training, Potty Learning, we call it Potty Time. We tried this several months ago. She seamed interested and was sitting on her little potty once in a while and going. I think mostly because she had no pants on anyways and sat down and just ended up going. We bought her underpants and a tiny toilet seat that attaches to the regular adult potty. It didn’t really take that time. My mother in law watches her when both my husband and I work. she bought a little potty seat and used some bribery. M&Ms…. Once Harper realized she was not going to get a “Special Treat” every time she sat her butt on the toilet, weather she went or not, she was done with the whole thing. She kept peeing in her pants and on the couch and floor. We went back to diapers. This weekend I came up with a bit of bribery myself. Each time you go potty in the big potty you get a sticker. When you get 5 stickers you get an Organic, GMO free, SUPER hippie Lolly pop. “OK!” and it worked. I ask her to go first thing in the morning. Then I leave her diaper off but pull her pajama pants back on. She usually pees a little in them, then tells me “I peed in my PANTS” and does the rest on the potty. Shes weird about poop and tells me not to smell her when shes going… This is how I know shes going. I’m hoping that she will start telling us when she has to go, poop diapers at this stage are just not fun. She had earned one lolly pop so far and didn’t finish it, her hands got to sticky and she aint cool with that.  So hears to hoping my kid will soon be joining the rest of the adults on the big potty this year.

As for me I am going back to school this year. This is the last year I will be in my 20s. This year I am facing my first loss of a family member whom I am very close to. I don’t know what any of these experiences will do to me. I am sure all of them will change me forever.  I will gain knowledge and hopefully help my family be better off, I will gain wisdom from age and will endure the greatest heartbreak of my life. This time next year they will all be in the past and I will be facing new life changing events. Here is to the future.