Hair Babies

She was born with lots of curls and before her 1st birthday, she had tresses long enough for small pony tails. I have fond memories of my own childhood French braids, buns, pony tails and lots of creative variations on ribbons and bands. After our first born was a boy, I only half jokingly told my husband that if our 2nd (and last) child should happen to be a boy, too, he'd better like braids!











From age 1-2 we had such fun with her hair, and amassed an embarrassingly big collection of what she affectionately named "hair babies". The nickname started with wooden headed pony tail holder dolls with knotted limbs and cloth dresses. H & M carried a wide variety of colors and styles of hair babies and eventually we had collected them all.



















Then the terrible 2's set in and Sagezilla loudly and frequently declared, "NO HAIRBABIES". I kept trying to entice her with all the cute clips, scrunchies, butterflies and bows. I'd give it a rest for a few days, then try again, figuring it was a phase. Well, the phase lasted an entire year! "NO HAIRBABIES." became her second favorite phrase after "NO".

I never forced the issue and told her, your hair is your own and you can decide what to put in it "within reason" or not put in it. She still had to wash, brush and take care of it. In fact it took more brushings to keep it looking presentable when she insisted on wearing it down every day. But, the No Hairbabies policy was firmly in place.

There were days when the wind whipped her long hair into her mouth or the sweat ran down her roasting little neck. I'd appear with a plain band and plead with her to consider at least one low, non ouchy band in the back. But she never went for it. And the hair babies sat in their bin for 12 whole months.


Then she turned 3 and after a few months, one day she brought out the hairbaby bin and asked to have some in her hair again. Then we were into the year of "NO 'KIRTS" wherein she staunchly refused to wear any skirts or dresses. But Zilla has never again wavered in her love of hairbabies and creative looks. She may be a tomboy in a tutu, but the kid has style!