Her hair hasn’t been washed in awhile and it had the cutest flyaway curls on either side of her head—which were intensified by the breeze of the ceiling fan. I tried to capture it…
Also, a cute new outfit. 🙂
Category Archives: Hair & Haircuts
Helping gramma curl her hair
Haircut with daddy
Owen decided he wanted to go get his hair cut with Tom. It was a new place (for Owen) so we hoped it would go well. And it was just fine!
Three month haircut!
It only took three months for Owen’s hair to grow out from the buzz cut he had last. Three months! Egads.
Katie was just hanging out while we were waiting…
Tom got this during…
And I completely spaced on getting a post-haircut photo. 😐
Cute & Grimace
Finally, some really cute (and good) pictures of his new haircut…
And then showing “GRIMACE” (a recent Sesame Street word of the day) with daddy.
New year, new haircut!
Owen desperately needed a haircut so Tom took him this morning so they could both get one. I told Tom to get it SHORT so Owen basically has a military “high and tight.” I think he looks SO much older!
And then him actually checking it out when he got home:
And with his new gun:
The best he’s been yet!
Owen was absolutely amazing during his haircut…according to Tom. No crying, no whining, and following directions—YAY, OWEN!
Haircuts are pretty easy now.
Owen is pretty easygoing about haircuts now, thankfully. Meaning we don’t have to bribe him with a toy anymore…though we still go get ice cream afterwards as a treat.
The Bargainer
Owen not wanting to take a nap: Can I have a story?
Tom: We’ll see.
Owen: But I had a nice haircut!
Tom: You’re right…you get a story!
Owen ROCKED his haircut today!
He was A-MA-ZING!! He even stayed calm during the buzzing clippers, which usually freaks him out—today he just said “That tickles!” And he got his first usage of gel!
Post-nap crazy hair
Bestest haircut experience yet!
Owen did absolutely phenomenal during his first buzz cut—even sitting alone, on a booster seat, and wearing the cape! ALL FIRSTS! I guess Raoul (see Cars 2 car in last photo) was a good motivator!?
Watching Raoul very closely.
Sitting oh-so still WHILE she used the clippers. He HATES clippers and has freaked out every other time we’ve tried to use them. Tom and I were stunned.
He even smiled on command!
Look at all that hair!!
I think he really looks like Alex here…
VICTORY! Raoul is his!
Best haircut experience yet!
Well, aside from his very first salon haircut when he had no idea what was going on so he couldn’t be freaked out…
He was getting quite scraggly and ragamuffin (see his recent “birthday month” photo) so we knew it was time. We postpone as long as we can because we know he hates it and throws a tantrum and it’s just. not. fun.
We tried a new place (again) and surprise surprise surprise—aside from an initial 20-second tantrum where he did NOT want to sit on my lap (so Tom and I switched) he was fine. Don’t get me wrong—he wasn’t exactly happy about any of it—but he sat pretty still and tilted his head as requested. She was even able to cut cleanly around his ears with scissors! And cut his bangs twice (I requested them a little shorter, and since he was pretty much cooperating, we went for it)! Then he was super excited to pick a toy from the drawer…because there was a car in there! Oh, happy boy.
This is him at our next stop—the farmers market.
Owen is 2 years 3 months old today!
Guess what? This is the first time I have forgot it was Owen’s “monthly birthday” (even though my phone reminded me this morning) but luckily I snapped two photos after his bathtime haircut from Gramma Jean…and one of them was suitable.
Good grief, Owen.
A brutal hot-iron branding…or a hair cut?
Before & After
What a good weekend…
We had such a great weekend—we didn’t do anything totally awesome, but it was a lot of little stuff that was all good…
Tom had the whole weekend off—amazing in itself.
I got to sleep in, though I didn’t really sleep in but I got to wake up/get up leisurely.
I got to go to Target. Alone. For an hour. And got some good deals.
I got in some kitchen time, making garlic butter, garlic oil, mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, and Tom made waffles.
We got to play with Owen in the snow and got some cute pics.
We got to eat a really good lunch with some new friends (met via Yelp!) and Owen was really well-behaved.
We had a blast watching Owen run through Party City finding every single ball display…he was just. so. happy!
I got some great cuddle time with Owen.
There was that semi-traumatic haircut in there, but he’s cuter now with short hair…even if his bangs are a little crooked.
I needed this.
A busy day!
After breakfast, we went out to play in the snow while Tom cleared the driveway. Owen still loved riding in the sled but didn’t want to play in the snow at all—though he didn’t mind walking through it.
After his nap, we went out for lunch and then to Petsmart to get a few more “ishies” for the tank. Owen gets SO excited to see the wall of fish at the store!
Then it was off to try another shot at a haircut. He walked around the kids area and instantly noticed the frog so we put him on it…and was enjoying the sucker that Tom was holding for him.
And then it was time for the actual haircut…and it didn’t go too badly. It wasn’t FUN, but it wasn’t a screaming nightmare like it was the last time. He didn’t want the cape and he hates getting spritzed with water, so she was cutting his hair dry, which meant it was getting all over him and in his mouth so he was constantly sputtering trying to get rid of it. The saddest thing was that he kept saying “Done…done…DONE!!” because he SO wanted to be done. Poor kid. Tom was keeping him mostly in line… Here’s a short clip of what we have to deal with:
At the very end (when we got out the buzzers) there was immediate screeching and tears and boogers…but with both of us holding him down, it was done in like 20 seconds. As soon as it was over, he was fine. Then we walked down to DQ where he got a few bites of our Blizzards.
THEN…it was home for a bath—his favorite thing. Here is the fun he has when Tom changes his diaper/gets him undressed:
And then, are you ready to see Owen at blazing fast mode? When we tell him it’s time for his bath? I can barely keep up with him to catch it on video!
Owen: 1 – Mommy: 0
I do not want the Terrible Twos. DO NOT WANT. I really don’t have the patience…as today proved.
He has been good so far…but today, I took him to get his hair cut (which is never really FUN, but even with the crying and snotty nose it’s usually not THAT big of a deal) and he started crying and screeching before I could even get his coat off.
The sucker didn’t help.
He didn’t want to play in the water.
He didn’t want to watch Word World (which ALWAYS works).
He didn’t want to play with the comb.
He didn’t want to sit on my lap.
And you can’t hold him down.
Needless to say we left without him getting so much as his hair combed.
Owen: 1
Mommy: 0
I laughed it off at the salon, but I really just wanted to scream at him (which I know wouldn’t do any good, it was just my first reaction). And I never did scream at him but I did tell him sternly that mommy was NOT happy. I’m sure it didn’t register but I felt a little better.
I know in the grand scheme of things a haircut is not a big deal but its just so damn frustrating. And I know it’s only the beginning.
🙁
Haircut!
It seems like we JUST got his hair cut, so I looked back on my calendar…and it was just over a month ago. Before that, we were making it THREE MONTHS between cuts. Hoo boy. I just can’t stand to have him look like a ragamuffin. 🙂
He did about the same this time…not loving it, and standing while she cut it. The dum dum sucker helped again, but unfortunately it could not help at all during the razor bit at the end. I am still amazed at how my fairly well-behaved toddler can turn into a crying snotty mess in a matter of seconds once that razor comes near him.
At one point where he was starting to get really upset, Grandpa Mike even handed over HIS sucker…but it didn’t help.
Yet another haircut!
Owen was looking like a little ragamuffin, so I decided it was time for a haircut. We got yet another new stylist (we’ve had a different one each time we’ve been there) and she was pretty good. She asked if he could have a sucker and I said sure, I guess so. Turns out it was a GREAT idea—he LOVED it! He still doesn’t like the water spritzer and the clippers turn him into a crying snotty mess, but he loved that sucker and by the end, it was all over him and me.
He was so sticky from the sucker and covered in hair that I decided to give him a quick bath outside when we got home. He loved it! This is him playing afterward (watching himself in the sliding door, of course).
And then trying to climb into the water table, and kinda getting stuck. 🙂
Yes, another haircut!
If you can believe it, Owen got ANOTHER haircut today! I’ve actually lost track of how many he’s had! And some of the kids in our mom’s group still haven’t had their hair cut!! Unfortunately, he still HATES the buzzing clippers and became VERY wiggly (even with Tom trying to hold him) and was crying (CRYING!) with big ol’ tears and a snotty nose. Good grief! When it was over, he settled down pretty quick, then had a blast next door at the resale shop playing while I looked around. You’d never guess that five minutes prior he was a snotty mess. Kids! 🙂
P.S. The scratch on Owen’s face is courtesy of Maggie. Tom was playing with Owen on the couch and Maggie got excited. Owen didn’t even make a peep when it happened… And I think this is the first scratch that’s happened, so we’ve set a decent record!
Haircut #5
Owen has been needing a cut for quite some time—his last cut was for his birthday, so we’re going on three months. So Tom took him tonight (I love that our salon can get us right in, usually without any wait) and of course, he’s soooo cute! And Tom said all the ladies there just loved him! I think he looks even older than he did before!
BEFORE
AFTER
My new color and cut!
My Yelp Review
To be upfront and honest, I only tried Flip because of their recent Groupon deal. I have a regular salon that is five convenient minutes from my house, but I just couldn’t pass up Flip’s awesome deal–color isn’t cheap, you know, and I’d never do it otherwise. So I drove the 25ish minutes there (rush hour traffic, you know) and luckily found a parking spot close to the salon. I fed the meter with two hours (maximum allotted time) and set off.
I was a bit early, and was welcomed nicely. I took a seat to wait, which only turned out to be enough time to look around, snap a few shots for Yelp, and then Chelsey was calling me back. She was really very nice and offered me a beverage, then asked me a TON of questions about what I wanted, what I liked, what my hair normally does, how I normally style it, what type of products I use, how much time I spend on my hair, etc…and was thrilled I brought my own pictures to show her what I was thinking (from past hairstyles and colors). I was really surprised at all the questions–I’ve never had a stylist ask so many questions before, but it was nice to see she was REALLY paying attention and trying to get a handle on what exactly I wanted to make sure I was satisfied. She actually suggested a bit different highlight colors than I’d had before and explained why, and I definitely agreed.
Score one for Chelsey.
I apologized that my hair was a little greasy–I’d straightened it that week and it always lasts at least 3-4 days, but since I knew I was coming to the salon, I pushed it to six days, but it was definitely past its prime. So imagine my surprise when she said it was actually GOOD that it was a little oily, because it would help during the coloring, as the oil provided more of a barrier and my hair wouldn’t dry out as much. Interesting. And definitely an interesting tip I’d never heard before.
Score two for Chelsey.
Now, admittedly, I’m not much of a small-talk person, so salon visits always make me a little anxious. You never know if the stylist is going to talk your ear off or if you’re going to sit there in silent awkwardness the entire time…but Chelsey was awesome. Nothing ever felt strained and I felt relaxed the entire time–the snippets of conversation here and there felt extremely natural and never forced.
Score three for Chelsey.
She worked consistently and quickly and I just sat and relaxed, not even reading a magazine or playing on my phone–it was nice to just be out of the house and not. have. to. do. anything. but. sit. there. (I’m a SAHM so getting out of the house ALONE is great on its own. Being pampered is another level of excitement.)
So there was highlighting and sitting under the dryer and washing and conditioning then adding toner then sitting under the dryer again. By the time we were ready for the haircut, I’d actually been there almost 2.5 hours–and I suddenly freaked out that my meter had run out and I was probably going to get a ticket. I asked Chelsey if the parking police were bad and she said yeah, pretty much–then OFFERED TO GO FEED THE METER FOR ME!! Wait, what? SHE was going to run out herself? Whoa. She even said she’d grab quarters if I needed them, but I had change in my pocket. But, seriously, WHOA. That is service.
Score four for Chelsey.
I was getting a little nervous because it was nearing 9:00 (closing time) and we were really no where near being done–she was still cutting my hair, and it still had to be blown out straight (and I have a thick head of hair). I made some comment to that effect, and she said if I wasn’t in a hurry, she wasn’t either. Awesome. I mean, I didn’t really expect her to cut me off mid-cut or mid-blow dry at 9 on the dot, but I was a little worried that she might rush through it and not do as good of a job. I should not have worried AT ALL. She continued to do an amazingly thorough job, and she was finishing up about 9:45! And it was GORGEOUS. Great color, great shine, and full of movement! It was one of THE best haircuts (and colors) I’ve EVER had. And you could tell she was honestly thrilled that I was thrilled.
Score five for Chelsey.
Checkout was a snap and just took moments. (Note, you CANNOT put tips on your credit card…so it was a good thing I had a stash of emergency cash in my wallet.) I also had no problems using my Groupon coupon from my iPhone (I didn’t print anything out). It was a good deal, too–I don’t get color a lot, but from prices I have seen elsewhere, it didn’t seem terribly expensive (especially for the level of service received).
Overall, I had a really great experience from start to finish, and I am so glad I tried this salon…and Chelsey was amazing. Flip definitely gets five solid stars.
Third haircut!
It’s been time for another haircut for a few weeks, and today I decided to brave taking the little man on my own. I figure he’s done well enough both other times, so it shouldn’t be an issue.
Well we got right in, and of course today was the day he decided to be fussy. He didn’t want to sit down and instead wanted to cling to me…which made for quite a difficult haircut. The guy got most of it done except for the razor over the ears—it just wasn’t happening. So, now I have to try and finish it sometime when he’s more calm. Hoo boy.
But he sure is a cute little boy (again) now!
Since I was alone, I couldn’t take pictures, but here he is at home afterward:
Carousel & Second Haircut
Since we were up north for Thanksgiving, Grandma Linda and Grandpa Mike said they wanted to take Owen to the carousel at the Grand Traverse Mall. So off we went!
Grandpa took him first, and Owen didn’t think too much of it. But he was cute. We have video from it, but it’s enough to make you nauseous so I won’t post it here… you’ll have to suffice with the pictures I took on Owen’s second ride, with mom and dad (specifically to try and get some good pictures):
After the carousel, we decided to walk around the mall a little, and one of the first places we passed was Mastercuts…so I decided it was fate (we had been saying for a few weeks he needed another cut) so in we went! He did a pretty good job—again, no crying! And again a little fidgety (he constantly wanted to see what was going on behind him) but overall he was very good! And now look how dapper he is again!
Eight months old & First Haircut!
Eight months! EIGHT! He cannot be that old—he’s our baby! But look at that long hair! We can’t have that…
So we went to get his hair cut!! Partially because it was really too long, partially to fix our shoddy razor job from a while back, and partially because we have a photo session with a professional photographer next week!!!
He did really, REALLY well—even though he slid off the slippery wooden seat a few times and even though he was really squirmy (he LOVES to look at anything going on around/behind him, so getting him to look straight ahead was a bit of a challenge), the stylist never got frustrated and kept talking to him and trying to direct his attention elsewhere. I had imagined being there FOREVER, but we were done in probably 15 minutes!
And here we are back home, with a cute new ‘do! Unfortunately, the bangs are a little crooked, but that was the hardest part to cut with him being wiggly.
Such a little man! He does NOT look like an 8-month old baby!
First pool & first hair cut!
Since our trip to the lake didn’t work out quite like we had hoped, I thought I would like to try the pool. A mom friend has easy access to a country club pool and invited us, so it was perfect.
Unfortunately, it didn’t go well. Whether he didn’t like his sunglasses or it was too warm in the sun or he was hungry or he was tired…he just cried and cried every time I barely put his feet in the water. Of course, the other two babies were having a ball! We’re invited to try again if the weather holds.
Then we decided it was time for a mini non-professional hair cut. The hair over his ears was sooooo long we’ve started calling him Hippie. 🙂 It also gets in the way when we take off his helmet (we pull hair a lot of the time). 🙁 Anyway, I’ve been wanting to take him for a professional cut, but Tom just wanted to trim it himself. I thought I could do it with a pair of scissors, but of course he wouldn’t sit still and I was terrified of stabbing him with the scissors…so I gave in.
Unfortunately, it didn’t go well. He didn’t want to sit still and the loud sound of the razor didn’t help. So there was lots of crying…which stopped as soon as the razor stopped (which you can see in the video). Stinker.
The morning after…
Well, I don’t love the new ‘do QUITE as much the morning after…just a bit more bedhead than I’d like/am used to. Hopefully it will just need a quick touch up with the straightening iron.
I finally did it!
So I’ve been planning on cutting my hair and donating it to either Locks of Love or Pantene Beautiful Lengths…but was leaning towards Pantene because the minimum donation length was 8″ as opposed to 10″ for Locks of Love. (I had enough to donate 10″ but I just didn’t want to go THAT short.) And if you remember from a few months or so ago, I was debating over about 10 different hairstyles. But new hairstyles scare me so I just kind of put it out of my mind.
Fast forward to our upcoming vacation, and I knew I really REALLY needed a haircut before we left. Well, it was getting really scraggly so I at least needed a trim. I wasn’t quite sure I was ready to donate it yet, so I was leaning towards a trim…and then in a few more months when it needed another trim I would cut the length and donate it. Except that Owen has become MUCH more grabby lately. And I am sick to death of wearing my hair in Pippi Longstocking braids or a pony tail. So I was actually leaning more towards a full chop.
So today, just for the heck of it, I took these two pictures to show just how long it was getting. Ironically, the back didn’t look NEARLY as bad/scraggly as I assumed it did.
I even put it in a pony tail and measured it, to make sure I had enough—and to make sure I’d still have some hair left afterwards! But, remember, I still wasn’t planning on getting anything but a trim…although I was CONTEMPLATING getting it chopped.
So I was planning on going to the salon on Friday, the day before we leave for vacation—because a professionally-styled hairdo will last a long time and I could probably avoid doing anything with my hair the entire time we were gone. 😛 So I talked to my mom about what time they were going to be arriving (because she was going to be my babysitter) and…she said she had no idea. EEK! Which means I had to go Thursday. So I called the salon and my stylist wasn’t available Thursday! 88| So I desperately asked if she happened to be available now—and she was! She asked what I needed to have done, and I briefly told her a trim OR I was cutting it all off to donate it—and I was VERY nervous. She said they would take care of me—and then I was literally out the door in less than two minutes.
I was VERY nervous when I walked in, but the two women there were VERY nice and VERY welcoming and VERY understanding with what I was about to do. Yes, I had decided to chop. it. all. off. 88| It was off to get washed, then get it combed out—and I told her she had to take pictures. Of course, she was totally game for it, and was excited that I was donating it!
And then she offered me a glass of wine to calm my nerves. And I eagerly accepted! :>>
So, here is my hair “before” completely combed out. It touched the top of the chair!
We discussed how much to cut—enough to make sure we got the required eight inches, but not so much that I wouldn’t have my own ponytail left. And then we measured twice, cut once. (Just like woodworking, dad!) Except we actually cut twice, because there were two ponytails! Here is the first one gone:
And then here are both ponytails…and my glass of wine! 🙂 I think the ponytails were about 9″ all said and done…and it was definitely a lot of hair…but just sitting on the counter they looked so small and pathetic.
And then here I am minus 9″ of hair!
And the final product!! I love it!!
Now, of course, the challenge will be if I can replicate how it looks!! And if I can make it do something in its wavy form.
The ponytails just need to dry now (which will take at least a day) and then I can mail them off! YAY!
Haircut!
I have been looking for a new salon since we moved here three months ago, but have just been hesitant because, well, if you are a woman, you know how important and scary finding a good salon is, especially after you have been going to the same person for a few years.
But today I took a chance.
I was going to Target and saw that the Indulge Salon marquee sign had a “Now Open” sign! Since just that very morning I had been contemplating (again) how badly I needed my hair cut (especially since my baby is due in three weeks and I know I won’t get a chance after that), I thought it was an omen.
So I pulled into their parking lot and went in, thinking I would just get prices—I wasn’t sure if I was feeling bold enough to actually get it cut on a whim. The salon was NOT busy—I saw one stylist and a receptionist—but then again, we had just gotten 4″ of snow and the city was moving at a snail’s pace.
They welcomed me very warmly and I asked for prices. They seemed VERY reasonable (the stylist looked at me and quoted me $35 for a cut and dry/style, which is a great deal since I have somewhat long hair that I would need blown straight). Since it was a good deal and I really needed it cut, I asked if they could do it right then, and she said yes! Wonderful!
Christine, my stylist, was very nice, with just enough chatting for me—not too much to make me feel like I had to keep up a full conversation, but not too little that it felt like she didn’t care at all.
The only thing I was contemplating complaining about in this review was that the radio and TV were competing for each other, and both were loud, and it was somewhat distracting. And honest to god, not 10 seconds after I thought that, she yelled for the TV to be turned off if no one was watching it (which they did turn it off). Eerie. But cool.
The hair wash was great, the haircut (okay, trim) was great, and the blow-dry style (straight) was awesome! I am not sure how long I was there, but it was certainly over an hour…drying my hair does take some time as it’s long and thick–and she even commented that she probably should have charged me more. (At that point I decided to tip a bit more than I typically would have, and she definitely deserved it.)
Overall I was very happy with my experience, and I will surely go back. So my on-a-whim haircut at a completely new and untested place worked out! I also want to go back for a meni/pedi before the baby comes, so I will hopefully have an update for that as well.
YAY!
And trying to get a pic with my belly in it:
