Reese and Julie: Oh What Have I Done? and Other Difficult Transitions

Oh what have I done? That really is all I could think as I fought back tears on Thursday afternoon. I would have all-out cried except that I was afraid of upsetting Therese. The day started innocently enough. I told Todd I was going to get Reese's hair cut - something I had been talking about for a long time since I was tired of raking through the knots that clustered in the back of her head. I took a shower and then gave Reese a bath, thoroughly brushing out her hair so that the person cutting it wouldn't traumatize Therese with a pick. We then rushed off. A few minutes and a miscommunication later, there were piles of pretty blond curls on the ground. Reese's beautiful hair was chopped off. Completely chopped off. Ok, not COMPLETELY, she does still have hair, but it looks so different short. I love her little ringlets. Well, I loved them. The woman who cut Reese's hair said, "Her hair was so beautiful that when you said to cut it I thought 'NO!', but I think it turned out really cute." I just screamed in my head, "THEN WHY DID YOU CUT IT?" while silently fighting back tears. Now, with a little distance and a little perspective on the whole thing (and a lot of help from Todd who LOVES the haircut), I do think it looks cute. Plus it is much easier to brush. But I still am mourning the loss of the long curls. I don't know how long it will take me to grieve.

The week and a half since we visited Cincinnati have flown by in a series of difficult transitions for us all (including the fateful haircut). Julie broke out in a terrible case of infant acne while we were in Cincinnati so that her face was covered in bumps and was rosy red. The books say it doesn't bother babies, but one look at her and you'd feel sorry for her. Everyone kept asking about it - what it's from, how long it would last. I am happy to say that one day back home and she was acne-free. Maybe she's allergic to Cincinnati. I think many people are. Since our return, Julie has been struggling to keep her nights and days straight. She has gone 5 hours between feedings a few times, but unfortunately these stints haven't been during the overnight hours. She has made up for this confusion, however, by spending a lot more time awake. She's learned to smile and loves to "talk" now. It's so sweet. She has such a little voice. She loves to carry on conversations of "Ooooohs" and gurgles with people. She has also started batting at her animals in her bouncy chair and the toys in her playgym. You can almost see her thinking as she tries to figure out how to get the animals to move. She's getting so big already!

Our return from Cincinnati has also resulted in Therese desiring a lot more attention. She had so much fun with her cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents that she now wants to have us as playmates all the time. Don't get me wrong - she loves her little sister and is constantly giving her her little cow toy (which Reese insists is Julie's favorite - she also says that when you push its stomach it doesn't say "moo," it says, "Ooooow"), she just doesn't want her to get so much attention. Luckily Therese starts school tomorrow morning. We went to her open house on Friday night to see her new classroom - she's moved from the 2s to the 3/4s - and to meet her new teachers. Reese seemed to love it - there are much better train tracks in this room - but I felt overwhelmed. I can't believe she is big enough to be in this room with computers and desk chairs and art cubbies. She's going to be playing in the "big kid" playground with the big slide and swings. I hope the older kids don't run right over her. Like with her hair (which Therese has hardly noticed), she's transitioning just fine while I'm the one struggling. Tomorrow is her first day of school. I'll have to let you know how it goes.

Reese's also been "cooking" up a storm for us in her kitchen. She recently started adding cookies to everything - like pizza - and has added frappe's to her list of drinks offered. She cracks us up. Last weekend we had dinner at one of our friend's houses with a large group of people. As we packed up to leave, everyone circled around us to say good-bye. There was a lull in conversation and Reese looked up from putting on her shoe and said loudly, "Last night (meaning some time in the past), at my school, there was a guy there and he had three eyes and he couldn't talk." Stunned silence followed by a few puzzled chuckles. Unsure, I asked, "Is he one of your friends?" She replied, "No." I immediately started thinking, "Why not? You aren't excluding someone because they are different, are you?" Then I remembered that this person was said to have three eyes. Someone finally smiled and asked, "Is he blue?" to which she responded, "No," in a tone that in a teenager would have translated, "Are you stupid?" She then continued (in the same tone), "He's greeeen." She was talking about a toy.

As for Todd and I, I started work last Monday and Todd starts teaching this Tuesday. More transitions. It's sad, but I'm really looking forward to having a schedule again (aided by the fact that Therese will be in school every morning). I've been craving some sense of normalcy. And adult conversation. I'll keep you posted on how this all goes!