Big Girl Haircut

....And voila-Laney has her first big girl haircut. She had her hair trimmed for the first time in January but this is the first time that she has really had her haircut. And it was so time for it. Her blonde locks had grown too long and it was a constant battle to keep her hair at least somewhat presentable and not totally and completely in knots. To me, she looks a little like an elf---a very, very cute elf! She's been blonde since birth-but it still surprises me.

After Laney's haircut, we picked out bedding for her 'big girl' bed and then went out to lunch. It was a pretty good morning----which was really nice because she has been so tough the last couple of days. I have felt a huge sense of accomplishment each night when she's sleeping in her bed---we got through another day and we're both alive and well!

Delaney has a bunch of milestones coming up in the next couple of weeks---first dental appointment, turning three, her first big birthday party with friends, her 3 year well child visit and starting preschool---and I must say that I am looking forward to each and every one of them. When we took away her binky after she turned two--and she (and we) lived through the transition, I felt like we could do absolutely anything. When she suddenly became potty trained in May--pretty much all by herself--, I was so stunned and also so relieved-finally something came super easily and wasn't a battle. Seriously-weeks passed by after she was potty trained and I was still walking around with my head in the clouds thinking--Wow-we don't have to get her to do anything or teach her to do anything else for a long, long time----or maybe just a couple of months!

And now, I can't believe that she's turning three on August 12---I have actually kept her (and myself!) alive for three whole years, and she's a smart, beautiful and amazingly strong willed little girl---that's not so bad. She's not easy-never has been-but maybe, just maybe, I can truly get over that and totally accept that maybe this isn't a phase but just who she is and savor all of the wonderful things that come with her being difficult to parent. She's an itty-bitty-cuter-than-anything little girl who people always assume is super compliant and sweet. But Laney totally and completely has her own mind and her own opinions and she is not to be persuaded or reasoned with. It's not a matter of picking battles with her----she picks them everyday and very rarely walks away from one. And we have some long, long days together---but that makes me appreciate all of the little milestones that much more.