First Haircut

I know it's silly but I've been really nervous about getting Flora's haircut.  I was worried that her beautiful curls were only baby curls and that by cutting her hair I would be getting rid of them forever.  The daily struggle to brush her hair finally got to me and we took her to Rudy's Barbershop over the long weekend.  I considered taking her somewhere that specializes in kid's cuts but I don't trust the skill of stylists who work at those places.  She may only be two but she still deserves a stylish haircut.  


Flora did great.  She sat on the booster seat, held my hand and put on her brave face while a large man covered in tattoos cut her hair.  Unfortunately, we forgot our camera and were unable to get any photos of her getting a haircut. 


After cutting off a good 4" of hair her curls are still there and she's cuter than ever.  My mother-in-law thinks we should have kept a lock of her hair but it didn't even occur to us so those first locks are lost forever.  


Were you nervous to get your child's first haircut?  Did you keep a lock of his/her hair?  Where do you take your child for haircuts?

Bacca-chew

Flora's Bacca-chew, or Chewbacca as you may know him, was left behind at a restaurant this weekend.  She bathes and sleeps with him every night so this was a big deal.  At bath time, when I realized our mistake, I called the restaurant where he was forgotten.  The waiter on the phone told me they found him so I went to get him back, no big deal.


As soon as I walked into the restaurant the waiter remembered me and I could tell by the look on his face that he did not have my Bacca.  He explained to me that they had my missing toy earlier but someone, he knew who, brought it home because she had the matching Princess Leia.  He promised me he would get it back; he felt so bad he even offered to bring it to my house.  I accepted his offer and made a final plea to get Bacca back.  He's a 3" action figure that was my husband's as a child so he cannot be replaced with a quick trip to the toy isle.  The Chewbacca action figures of today are not nearly as charming as the 70's version. 


I waited about 24 hours and had not heard anything from the waiter so I called the restaurant again.  The waiter was not there but by this time the story of the missing Chewbacca was known by all the restaurant staff.  A woman, who I recognized as being the owner, got on the phone and told me she brought Chewbacca home but had later returned him to the waiter who said he would deliver the toy to my house.   That waiter was not working that day so she offered to call him and see what was going on. 


I got a return call about twenty minutes later and it was a woman whose voice I did not recognize.  She explained that she was the waiter's roommate and though he had gone for an all day motorcycle ride she would be happy to return my toy.  I accepted her offer because by this time we had gone though a bath, a bedtime and a nap time with out Chewbacca.  I wasn't looking forward to explaining his absence again.  I gave the woman our address and told her to leave him in the mailbox. 


When we got home that evening the first thing I did was check the mailbox and, after involving what felt like a significant portion of my city's population, there he was. Bacca-chew was in my mailbox, his right hand raised in victory. 


Has one of your child's favorite toys ever gone missing?  Did you get it back or was it a lost cause?  

ahhwrooooo!

Bacca's Bath

Every Girl Should Have An Elephant

Flora received her first truly frivolous gift, an Eames Elephant.  It arrived in the mail with a note saying: "I couldn't get you an Eames chair.  I hope an elephant will do.  Love, JJ"  JJ is my grandmother and she believes that every girl should have an elephant.  

Eames Elephant

Flora thinks an elephant is the perfect place to eat a snack.

Exclusive Mom Groups

I am making a real effort to find new friends.  I have friends but few of them are moms.  At least, few of my Portland friends are moms.  I don't love you any less or think of you as less of a friend because you live somewhere else or work all day but let's be honest, you if you live in another state or have a job you aren't going to help me feel less isolated.

Making friends does not come naturally to me. Most of my friends have one thing in common, they are really outgoing and approached me first.  This time, I have been stepping out of my comfort zone and contacting mommy/play groups through meetup.com.  

You might think that publicly listed mom/play groups would be welcoming to lonely moms reaching out for friendship.  You'd be wrong.  

I've always felt isolated and unwelcome in groups of stay at home moms at story or music times but I always assumed it was my own neuroses that led me to feel this way. Get a group of stay-at-home moms who all already know one another and it's like a junior high clique. Apparently the same goes for those who gather on the internet.



After reaching out to a playgroup I found on meetup I got this response:  "We're sorry to tell you that our group is now invite only...If you happen to know someone in the group, that person can help you get in."

Help get me in?  Help get me in to what?  Your group trip to playgrounds or coffee shops? I thought by the time we became parents we were past that.  Or maybe not, I guess junior high kids have to learn that behavior somewhere. *sigh* 

What do you think? Is it unreasonable to assume that publicly listed mom groups, or even groups of moms in coffee shops, would be welcoming to another mom looking to make more friends?  Are these moms teaching their kids to have the same attitude towards friendship?  Have you had any similar experiences?

Time for Yourself

I am not very good at making time for myself.  I know it's important, I go crazy without it, but still I can't seem to get out of the house and do things for myself.  I used to do yoga but finances are tight and the money could go towards other things so, I quit.  As the months passed I began to miss that time to myself more and more but thought I should do something more social than yoga.  I do after all, spend most of my time with a two-year-old and though she never stops talking she isn't the best conversationalist. I decided I would try out a fencing club here in town.  I've always kinda wanted to try fencing and this place has a very affordable beginner's class. 


Tonight was supposed to be my first night but class starts at 6 and David doesn't get off until 5.  Getting there was going to be a logistical nightmare that would involve me riding David's bike home, in the dark and possible rain.  I know this is Portland and people do it all the time but I'm a little nervous riding on streets alone; I got hit once.  


A little disappointed in myself for not trying something new I have committed myself to 3 months of Yoga instead.  Tonight was my first night back and it felt great.  


How do you make time for yourself?  How do you choose to spend that time?

Everything is OK?

For someone who has anxiety about everything I think I do a really good job of keeping that anxiety in check when it comes to raising Flora.  I let her explore without hovering, I don't rush to her aid every time she falls and I don't freak out every time she has a runny nose.  The stress of today however, has left my stomach in knots.


I mentioned yesterday that Flora fell, skinned her knee, cried for over an hour and refused to walk.  At the time, I attributed her breakdown to teething.  When she woke up this morning and still refused to walk, I began to worry about her leg.


I called the doctor, made an appointment and brought her in.  Even though on the car ride over Flora promised me she would let the Dr look at her leg, she didn't and the Dr had to resort to a less gentle method of assessing her injury.  She took my already upset daughter out of my arms and across the room.  She then held Flora in a standing position on the floor to see if she would walk back to me.  Flora reached for me and screamed but she would not put her leg down to walk.  Dr decided if that wasn't motivation enough to walk then an x-ray was necessary.


We went upstairs to x-ray.  I used her love of the camera to my advantage and told her the nice man was going to take a picture of the inside of her leg.  We both put on our fancy leaded clothes, she posed for the picture just the way he wanted and she remained still while he took the photo.  Twice.  The x-ray technician was genuinely impressed, showed Flora her pictures and sent us back to the doctor with a sticker.


While the x-ray technician showed us her x-ray I noticed a little line across her femur and got nervous.  He told me he wasn't allowed to talk about patient x-rays, the doctor would do that, so the knot in my stomach just got tighter.


The doctor also saw the line and the knot got even tighter.  Can you imagine a toddler with a whole-leg cast?  She went to go consult with the radiologist and left me there, sick.  Finally she came back and we got the news:  Flora leg is NOT broken!  Thank goodness.  The line is called a growth arrest line and they show up in children's x-rays sometimes.  


I'm happy Flora's leg is not broken but I still wonder why she won't walk.  Now I'm worried about her growth arrest line.  Why was there an arrest in her growth?  Is that normal?  We're waiting to hear back from the doctor on that one.  By we I mean me.  My husband thinks I'm over reacting.  He's probably right. I hope.


I'm ready for life to return to normal.  I miss this smile.  

There have been a lot of tears and whining the last two days.  I'm ready for this girl to come back.  

My Birthday

I recently had a birthday and every year David makes me a card.  I look forward to his cards and though I'm not the sentimental type who has stacks of old holiday cards packed away, I always keep his.  

This year he really outdid himself:

Front

Inside

I bet you didn't know that I REALLY like Star Trek.  Most people don't.  It all started while I was pregnant and many, many seasons later I have watched every series except the original.