amber waves of hair

October 13, 2011-  The boys in this house tend to keep short haircuts; just much neater and cooler for all the wearing of cowboy hats that goes on around here.  Brazos is 16 months old and yet to have his first haircut, but it was time.  It has been getting a bit too long for my liking; it isn't thick, just a bit wavy.  As for the color, there are times when I'm convinced it has a reddish tint; then I see a kid with really red hair and I think not so much.  Then there are days when it looks blonde but when he buddies up with one of his cotton top toddler friends it doesn't look so blonde anymore.  I guess it falls more into the strawberry blonde category.

the amber waves before harvest

I needed to do a few things in San Antonio so I decided it would be a great time for his first haircut.  My strategy was to take him somewhere with total strangers so that not if, but when he had a fit I'd never have to see them again.  Get in, get a cut, get gone and never go back- that was the plan.  My victim was Kool Cuts 4 Kids.  Our stylist was Janelle.  I tipped her well.

No cute "first haircut" pictures of him sitting in the fire truck chair with the drape around him smiling and taking it all in.  Brazos would not allow it.  I suppose there will be plenty of these milestones that will go unphotographed.  When he gets older he'll no doubt think I didn't care enough to take pictures and I'll have to explain to him it was not even a remote possibility.  OK, I get it, he's only 16 months old and I shouldn't expect him to behave like a 3-year old.  But here lately he has been a C~R~A~Z~Y child in my presence; his teachers at Mother's Day Out and Oma all say he is just the perfect angel when I'm not around.  I was fully aware of what to expect.  I probably should have waited for a day that Casey was home and could go with me but that would have taken a whole other level of coordination. Instead I was treated to God's daily reminder that I'm not in control and a lesson on the virtue of patience.  I'm not a very good student.

He was M~A~D.  So mad he took off screaming toward the door and ran smack into it, just like a bird on the Windex commercial.

At first he was excited to climb into the fire truck seat.  That lasted all of 30 seconds.  He wanted out!  Janelle asked what movie he'd like to watch.  I looked at her as if she had just suggested he recite poetry.  I politely explained that Brazos could care less what was on the TV.  Brazos is only content when he is doing what he wants to do, when he wants to do it and the way he wants to do it.  He does not like routine, structure or direction which makes me question his DNA.  TV is not really his thing...too stationary I guess.

We moved over to the regular chair so he could sit in my lap (i.e.- so I could hold him down in a headlock).  During the cut he wiggled and writhed, squirmed and arched his back in protest.  When Janelle combed his hair he shook his head 'no' vigorously.  When she managed to grab hair between her fingers to cut he'd jerk his head forward and yank it from her hands.  Let me tell you, he was a dream client.  This is precisely why I wouldn't let Casey take him to Oscar's barber shop in Junction.  I like the haircuts he gives Casey and Pecos and I didn't want them banned from his shop.  And also why I didn't ask my friend Rhonda who cuts my hair to give Brazos his first snip.  She's heard about his antics but didn't think she needed a full demonstration....I want her to keep cutting my hair.

the 'after' shot, not as wavy but also not as trimmed as i would have liked it to be

does he look like he just threw a fit of epic proportion?

It took Brazos a full 30 minutes to calm himself down when it was over.  It took a full 30 minutes for me to calm down and that was mostly due to a little retail therapy at Target just around the corner.

I snapped these photos after we left.  At least when he asks for a photo of his first haircut I'll have proof that he was in no mood for a photo session.

In order to prepare for his next trim, my mother has suggested he go with Casey and Pecos next time they visit Oscar to watch them get haircuts.  I had to remind her Brazos has the attention span of a gnat and he could care less what anyone else is having done to them.  He is only interested in whatever happens to be spinning through his head at the moment.

As we were leaving Kool Cuts I was delighted to hear the screams from two little boys that were next up for hair cuts.  I'm kind of mean like that sometimes.

For anyone that says Brazos is so cute, so sweet and so adorable I'm starting a sign up sheet so you can take him to get his next haircut.