Archives for October 2012

Shortly after his first birthday, my mom and I took Levi to my hairstylist to have the long, clownish curls behind his ears trimmed. I had given her very specific instructions to only even out his wispy ends, not cut the top of his hair. I was used to Levi’s wavy hair being somewhat-long and didn’t feel ready for him to have a “proper” little boy haircut yet.

However, I don’t really count that July appointment as Levi’s first haircut since it was really just a trim–and because I can’t seem to find any photographs of the milestone event. I remember bringing my big DSLR camera with me but have only found a video for JB that I shot on the iPhone. He was supposed to meet us at the salon but got held up at work that evening.

If there aren’t any photos documenting an occasion, did it really even happen?

So I’m going to say that Levi’s first “official” haircut was on October 10, 2012. Unfortunately, Levi was not as happy to be there as he was in July. As soon as he saw the red swivel chair, he tightly clung to me, refusing to be put down. The only way to get him in the chair was for me to sit with him in my lap, but that compromise didn’t stop the tears. He cried into my shoulder at the first sight of the comb and scissors, leaving me feeling simultaneously sad for Levi and frustrated that he wasn’t cooperating.

Eventually, my stylist, JB and I figured out how to keep Levi happy and distracted. At least, happy enough to get the job done without any scissor-related injuries. My hairstylist played a cartoon on her iPad that she set up in front of the mirror, and JB allowed Levi to comb to his hair while he squatted at Levi’s level.

I was hoping to actually document Levi’s haircut this time around, but I wasn’t available to play photographer with him on my lap. JB snapped a couple photos until Levi started freaking, forcing him on “distraction duty.” The perfectionist/nostalgic mom/blogger in me is certainly disappointed that I don’t have photos of the event, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned about being a parent it’s that you must be flexible.

I’ve also learned that toddlers have a knack for messing up the plan.

In typical Levi fashion, my baby guy was all smiles by the time scissors were put away. I stuck him on an oversize armchair outside of the salon to take a few “after” photographs, but Levi was thirsty for milk and uninterested in looking at the camera. On the plus side, I was able to capture him using his Baby Signs sign language skills, and I think you can still tell by looking at him that his hair is slightly shorter and more even all around.

Now I know why some little boys have long hair; their parents don’t want to deal with hair salon freak outs!