Day 253- Haircut!

Well... clearly, it was time. Time for a haircut!

Caleb's wisps of hair had been getting longer and longer. I was hardly able to keep them brushed over to the side and out of his face. So I decided to try my hand at giving my first baby haircut (first haircut period, for that matter!).

Caleb working REALLY hard at smiling!

Getting ready for the cut... Before:

After:

Posed shot

Hats off, Mom!

While I was VERY nervous to give Caleb a haircut, I was determined not to pay $15 for snipping a small head of hair. Here are the items needed for cutting a baby's hair, plus a few tips I learned.

ITEMS:

1 pair of haircutting scissors
1 highchair or other seat with harness (could also use another person holding baby)
toys or food to distract baby
optional: spray bottle to wet hair- personally didn't use
optional: comb- personally didn't use
optional: plastic baggie for collecting sample of baby's hair

INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Time is of essence... gather all items ahead of time and have a game plan before you start
2. Place baby in highchair
3. Give baby several items of interest or a favorite food to entertain him/her while you are snipping
4. Start at the front (so that if the cut only lasts for a few minutes, at least the front is trimmed
5. Take the hair between 2 fingers, pull it up vertically and snip at desired length (pull it vertically otherwise it will leave blunt lines- or so I'm told)
6. Continue doing this all over the babies head, until all the hair is roughly the same length everywhere
7. Trim around the ears (careful not to snip them!)
8. Recheck front and back to make sure the lines are even. (I believe the front is supposed to be more of a "wide smile" than a straight line, but that may depend on the look you are going for)
9. Request help from another adult to hold baby still for the last few snips
10. Step back and admire the new look on your "big boy" or "big girl"

Thankfuls... (with catch up due to my blog slacking)
226. Caleb being approved to start at a new childcare facility (nearly 1/2 the price!)
227. good garage sale finds
228. starting Razor's Edge- a spiritual development class at church
229. lunch today with Paul and Bethany
230. Al's chili
231. cool weather
232. being offered a formal contract with work
233. the discovery of HGTV on our TV
234. a few cancellations this week to help catch up on notes
235. new running shoes
236. that although we cannot achieve perfect integrity, we have a God who bridges our inconsistencies
237. houseplants
238. a chat with my sister, Stacy
239. having a healthy, nearly 1 year old (this time last year I was just hanging in there for a couple more weeks)
240. going on walks with Alan and Caleb
241. parents who demonstrated what it is to have a personal relationship with God
242. that America has not faced any more terrorist attacks since 9/11
243. the smell of coffee
244. reading a book that takes me to another world
245. Caleb's smile
246. having a husband who has a servant's heart
247. that Caleb loves to "read" books now
248. that Dave and Kayleen were willing to take Nigel and give him such a good home
249. that Fall library programming is starting up
250. the discovery of a cheap, good Ethiopian restaurant near our house!