First Hair Cuts!

For what seemed like the longest time, the kids simply didn't have hair to cut.  And then, when it did grow in, it was soft and curly - and the boys have big foreheads, so there was no rush.   I was worried that when it was cut, they would lose their curls, since my hair and Joe's had both gone through "straight" phases after curlier infancies.  Besides, there's a Jewish tradition of not cutting kids' hair until they turn three anyway, right, so I could lean on "culture" if anyone looked askance at my long-locked boys.

As their hair grew, though, it became sort of a joke.  Caroline's hair was raggedy - and that's being kind.  It is very fine and comes to gentle curls at the end.  Except for the one rat tail strand that was easily two inches longer than the rest of her hair and just hung down the middle of her back.  And then there's the HUGE cowlick swirling atop her crown, making it impossible to decide which side her hair parts on or which direction it should go.  

The boys, for all of their identical DNA, have completely non-identical hair.  In fact, when we were asked at pre-school orientation if there was a secret to telling them apart, the easy answer was, "Daniel got the good hair."  It is smooth and shiny with big loopy curls and so soft to touch.  Max, on the other hand, looks like those Albert Einstein posters college kids have in their dorm rooms.  With the exception of the half hour immediately after shampoo and conditioner, Max's hair became a dried-out pile of hay, especially his bangs and the very back of his head.  Brushing through the tangles, I could feel the static electricity crackling.  We pasted his head with "fancy" conditioners and leave-in treatments and oils, all to no avail.  Unless it was a very, very humid day, the curls at the nape of his neck were cursed to hide beneath a pile of tinder.

Max

Daniel

So I finally bit the bullet and decided to schedule hair cuts.  Now I just had to find a place to go.  I only get my hair cut a few times a year.  Joe still gets his cut in Livermore.  And all the multiples parents in the City were raving about some place called "Snippety Crickets" that I just absolutely could not see myself taking them to.  Then I remembered that the Assistant Superintendent at work (technically, I guess, my "boss", if I was given to thinking in those terms) had mentioned once that his wife was a hairdresser and was known as a "kid whisperer", so I asked him to put me in touch with her and luckily she had an opening on December 23!  Just in time to pretend the new styles were a holiday gift for Grandma Kelly, who had been politely nagging me to take care of the situation for months.

It was the first day of my vacation and the kids were very excited to go on an outing.  We piled into the car and drove down to San Mateo, parked a couple of blocks away, and walked to the salon.  The kids love walking and looking in windows, so that, along with the holiday decorations, only added to their excitement.  When we got inside, they climbed up on a big, black sofa (and Caroline promptly leaned too far to the side and fell onto the floor!) and I gave them assorted iPads and iPods to keep them busy, but they were too interested in exploring and finding out how all of the different chairs worked and looking at the different bottles and potions on display.

Caroline enthusiastically volunteered to go first.  She got up into the booster and immediately made friends with her reflection in the mirror.  Sandy cut a lock of hair from the back for me to save and then they were off, putting on a drape, spraying her hair wet, combing, and snipping.  Caroline kept pretty still for most of it and was very pleased with the final result.

The "after" shot, taken at home

Next was Daniel.  He was very excited to get to wear the "robot cape" and even more excited that he got to flirt with Sandy the whole time.  Any time she combed his hair out to its full length and he could see it in the mirror, he giggled.  At one point while he was in the chair, another client came in who had gotten mixed up about the time of her appointment.  Daniel didn't say anything, but he did give her the "back off, it's my turn" glance over the shoulder.  I'd told Sandy we didn't want to lose the curls, just wanted to trim the split ends off and even it out.  And Daniel's hair was so beautiful that this meant very little got cut off, so I actually had to ask her to go back and cut a bit more off, since we weren't likely to go back any time soon for another cut.

See how long it had gotten?

Look at me!

Ta-daaa!

Two down, Max to go.  He whimpered a bit and resisted, but Sandy got him to focus on the iPad, and then smile at her.  She sprayed water on his hand to show him it wouldn't hurt.  And he was putty in her hands.  We'd mentioned that Max's hair was totally different than Daniel's and got "crunchy" and dry, and it was obvious as she ran her hands through it that she noticed the difference.  She peered down to the roots and commented how much "new hair" he had growing on his scalp compared to Daniel and then said, apologetically, that she'd probably have to take a little more off of Max's to get rid of the dead parts.  That was fine with me, so off they went.  After his initial fright, Max seemed to enjoy the attention and ended up looking a little like the bass player in a British Invasion band when he was all done.

Playing Fireman Sam while he waits

 The cut didn't totally rehabilitate Max's hair, which is still prone to dryness, but we've been trying a variety of leave-in conditioners and oils and at least the brush isn't getting stuck in it anymore!  And since his is shorter, people who don't spend as much time as we do with them will have less chance of mixing up who's who!