Haircuts, Balloons & Other Ramblings

Before Ava's big girl 2-year-old birthday party, she needed a haircut.  Girlfriend's hair was gettin' straggly.  Enter Exhibit A:

It was her first-ever haircut and our first-ever hassle with those commercial "we cater to kids" hair salons *cough* Cookie Cutters *cough*...we made an appointment on a Sunday afternoon, only to drive the 20 minutes there and be told they had been swamped with walk-ins and it would be at least a 40 minute wait.  Um, excuse me.  WHAT?!!  We made an appointment to specifically avoid this scenario!  Thankfully, due to us making a stink and the receptionist not getting a coupon to print...we were handed a "free haircut" card and made an appointment for another day.  

I took Ava back a little less than a week later and we finally got those straggly strands trimmed.  She was such a good girl the entire time, just calmly watching the cartoons in front of her and letting the stylist tug and comb and cut.

While I'm glad we took her to this place for her first haircut, we will not be going back.  My stylist will do her hair for a lot less money, and I like my stylist!  No random stylist in a t-shirt, 10 minutes after our appointment time, thankyouverymuch!

I did not do the whole sentimental "keep the clipping of hair" bit.  Her hair was trimmed; it's not like I had a cute little curl complete with a tiny pink ribbon on top to commemorate it.  Nor did I want to pay the extra money for said hair clipping, plus a crappy photo and paper certificate.  I took my own photos and will place them in her baby book.  That's enough for me!

The reward at the end, for Ava of course, was a balloon.  A large, pink, air-filled orb that followed her around for the next two hours as she romped around with it outside.  Thank goodness it was a nice day!  We played in the yard and took multiple walks down the sidewalk, all with the balloon right next to her.

It's a week later and guess where the balloon is?  Still in our possession.  It's lost its mojo and is sadly lying on the ground in Ava's playroom...but she doesn't seem to mind.  A balloon is still a magical thing, whether it floats in the air or not!

I still am in awe of my baby girl who has grown up so quickly, who says full sentences now and can express her needs and wants.  It is exciting and sad all at the same time...and it has definitely given me an extra dose of baby fever.  I am ready for another little one around here.  I'm glad we have waited as long as we did; I know a lot of parents try to have their kids within two years of each other but for us, that would've been too soon.  Now, I am ready.  I'm ready to be pregnant again, to feel those tiny kicks, to document my growing belly every few weeks, to anticipate a new life.  I am hoping we will be blessed with a tiny miracle before the end of the summer...and if we're lucky...maybe even before the end of spring! 

Fingers crossed and many prayers said as we once again embark upon this journey.  With a face like this, how could you not want to go through it all again?