An Act of Love (Photo heavy!)

Back story:

Hannah has had long hair for several years. I enjoyed it once she started letting me braid it and tie it up...but I was NEVER allowed to put "pony tails" in her hair...the cute "high ones" over the ears, making her look like Bindi the Jungle Girl. Low pony tails...behind the ears on the neck, were acceptable. One pony in the back, okay...2 braids, or one in the back, fine. She just started requesting buns (sometimes 2 low ones, really quite cute).

But...we bought a new house. With new carpet. CHEAP carpet. With lots of fibers coming loose. And it was tearing her hair up...it caused so many mats and it just never came out. Fresh out of the tub? STILL seeing carpet fibers in her hair. I'd brush it in the morning, and her back (and fanny - that's how long it was) would be covered in fuzz, thereby requiring an additional step of using a lint brush after the hair brush.

I'd been waiting till her hair was long enough to get it cut and donate it to Locks of Love. She knew that. Since she refuses to brush her hair or learn to tie it up, it fell to me...and thus, so did the decision regarding haircuts. I recently found out that the local Great Clips (NOT my favorite place for haircuts, they really messed mine up once...but that was in KS) did haircuts for free if you had 10 inches or more to donate. I carefully measured, and Hannah had well over the required 10. Locks of Love itself will take as little as 6, and Great Clips will do those cuts as well, but not for free.

Well...on Wednesday, Hannah had a 1/2 day of school, and Thursday was picture day. I wanted a new, fresh cut on her...and I was tired of the stringy, messy, straw-like mess that her hair was fast becoming due to all the constant tangling. So off we went. And she was NOT happy. She didn't want a hair cut. She didn't want to donate any hair. EVEN IF it was for a good cause. Then she tried the 6 inch tactic...just 6 inches, okay, Mommy??? NOPE.

I did take my camera...and I shot lots of pictures. You can SEE how unhappy she was (and you can see the mess that I had to deal with, too). In the end, they took 12 inches...and gave her the CUTEST little cut! I am proud that she sat there and let it be cut...and I know that deep down, in her heart, she knows she did a good thing, even if she didn't want to have it done. Someday, some child will be blessed to have a wig made of some of the most beautiful blonde hair!

The natty mess that drove mom batty!



















Hannah contemplates the loss of her hair



















trying to put on a brave face













Not too happy about it, though....













She didn't think I actually CAUGHT this (side note, she couldn't cross her eyes till a few months ago, lol!)













Combing out the mess and knots; the hair stylist was telling her how wonderful she was for donating her hair!



















STILL not too sure about the whole thing...



















Tying it off at about 12 inches!



















Last moments of long hairedness (is that a word?)













The scissors were starting the cut...



















Snip, snip, snip....



















GONE! Still a lot left, but a trim was needed...



















The braid...measured 10 inches braided. Can you tell she's so EXCITED? NOT. Don't guess I'll be posting these to the Locks of Love site.



















trying to get her to smile...waving the braid one last time.



















There are no words...she wasn't happy.



















Nope, still no real smile.



















The ensuing haircut.



















Caught in the act of "fish face"...she was pretending to breathe like a fish.



















Some last minute combing and fixing up...



















Voila! The finished product! Again...she wasn't happy to smile.




















But you know what? She told me yesterday that she LIKES her short hair...it feels nicer. And both Mom and Dad are happy too...washing the shorter hair is easier. It's now soft and silky again...not like straw!