Little Brick Houses for You and Me: Tessa's First Haircut

I have come across some strange cultural and personal beliefs revolving around little girls' hair. I'm not picking on anyone who had religious beliefs about it because they probably think mine are strange too but I have known families who designate a certain age for a girl's first haircut because they like the long haired look or whatever. I don't have any thoughts like that. Haircuts for kids and babies just happen when they are needed and for Tessa there hasn't been a need...until now. She still had very baby-ish hair compared to many children the same age as her and she is often mistaken for a younger kid when she is next to girls her age with shoulder length hair and ponytails. I did cut her hair last spring but it was really just clipping a few very ratty looking strands that were growing in the back and the rest of her head was still just fuzzy with baby hair so that time didn't count. I didn't even save it for her baby book because the hair was not even cute at all!

This is how her hair has been growing. Once again it was growing more in the back and every time she woke up the hair in the back was very tangled and looked like a rats nest.

So pretty...Justin was heading out for his occasional Cost Cutters indulgence and usually he takes Ben with but Ben didn't need a haircut so we decided to take Tessa instead.

She was quite well behaved for her first time. She didn't really know what to think since she doesn't usually get her hair styled or combed but we were able to distract her enough to keep her still to get the hair around her ears trimmed and to get a nice "pixie cut" in the back .

Well if I were that cute I would probably have a pixie cut too!

Sigh...one more step toward being a big girl!

What else have we been up too...This morning my YMCA plans were foiled by the child watch being full due to the staff members being sick and another mom in the same position told me they were going to the "Imagination Playground" which is a free indoor event that happens twice a week. It entails a big pile of foam building blocks that are dumped in a racketball court and kids can play as they wish with them.

I was hesitant because the event is located in the WWII Memorial Auditorium, which is a big old armory type building downtown which means downtown street parking which is something I avoid at all costs when I have all three kids but I drove by just in case and sure enough there was a parking spot right in front of the entrance! I'm really glad I went for it because it was really fun. There were only two other families there before me and the other Y mom showed up and there was a boy Ben's age who had a similar play philosophy (WWF style) and his parents approved of letting them play as they wished so they did and had a lot of fun.

Tessa played by herself but she was also very amused by this place.

As long as I can park close I would definitely do this again! I loved the Memorial building. I have often admired it's dignified façade but have never been inside. The racketball courts were on the second level which looked down on the gyms. The bleachers were up above too which reminded me of many of the "old gyms" that were used when I was in high school during the bustling weekend basketball and volleyball tournaments and sometimes as the primary gym for the class B schools. Imagine the movie "Hoosiers" and you will have an idea of what I am describing. The Park District runs the building now, which probably has saved it from becoming an obsolete relic like often happens to such places. Ah, the old gym...even after they were pushed aside for the big and well lit "new gyms" of the 1970's and 1980's they were still so important to the class B schools of my youth. Middle school girl's sports teams had to have gym time somewhere! Our old 1930's era gym was also our lunch room. It was sunk into the ground so the big old windows that faced the playground were high above us. They were also often open during warmer months and I don't know who opened them! I didn't appreciate the familiar light in that room during the time I was there every day. Unique places like that are becoming rare.

Here are a few pictures of Milo. He is getting so cute. Babies of all ages are cute but something about the 4-5-6-month stage is just so adorable! They are so alert and they get stronger and their little faces get so round!