Girls Day

I started a tradition, when my oldest daughter was three years old, of going away for a special day. It has gotten harder as the our family has become busier. And harder to know whether I should take the girls separately or together. Sometimes we have stayed overnight at a hotel, other times we have just spent the whole day shopping and of course eating. We usually try to fit it in at least once a year. (The picture above is from our 2005 girls trip, this was Cece’s first.)

Yesterday I got to have a “girls” day with my youngest. Cece. She is my baby. She’s seven. Where has the time gone? God brought Cece into our family by adoption, when she was 5 weeks old. So this little gal of mine holds a different kind of special place in my heart than the children I pushed from my loins….sorry, it’s true(sorry for the loins not the truth). I have to admit each child is so innately different, that they each have carved out their own little spot in my being.

Look only at the cutie pa-tootie in the p.j.s and not at the possessed lady hugging her.

I surprised Cece with a day at the salon. Which we have only done a handful of times in her little life. Because, it literally takes a chunk of time. When you are doing black hair, it’s a process. An adventure. It’s a three hour tour…oops sorry that’s Gilligan’s, and it’s really nothing like a ship wreck kinda thing. You need to just be prepared to get comfy and wait.

I ventured out this time, I tried a new salon, recommended by a friend of a friend. So I was, needless to say a bit anxious. I just have to tell you my cousin Sara has been cutting my hair for 13 years so I am very uncomfortable with not knowing the outcome of a hairdo, and worried that I might be misunderstood and then the good Lord only knows what my hairdo will look like. Or what my child’s hair will look like in this case. I like to have fun and get crazy sometimes….just not with my hair. Or my kids hair.

This is Cece holding the “hair” we had to go buy for Kizzy to weave into her hair to make it long and to make her look like a “big” girl.

So I called this stylist (not really sure what the correct word is these days so sorry if I offend I am just not up on the correct terminology of well of most anything), and she answered her phone and got me right in and told me that she would wash Cece’s hair. Before the stylist I brought her to was extremely hard to get a hold of, I felt like I was stalking the woman, and she wouldn’t wash hair, I had to do it. So ok fine I can wash her hair. Which by the way if you are reading this and you are white and unfamiliar with black hair you do not wash black hair everyday or week for that matter. I wash Cece’s hair once or twice a month. She gets tubbies just not hairwashin’.

We arrived at our appointment to find the most wonderful place ever. I walked out of a snow storm into another world. A world of beautification, a world of music, and laughter and eating and catching up with friends. Very much unlike most other salons I have been to where nobody would sit right smack dab next to you, and heaven for bid strike up a conversation with you everyones face buried in a magazine. There wasn’t a magazine any where to be found in this place!

After we took out all the doo-dads from her hair.

Afro girl hair all clean and ready for braids! And the teeth aren’t they super cute next stop the orthodontist!

So there I sat for 3 1/2 hours. I watched amazing transformations happening with peoples hair, as well as with my child’s. I made some new friends. And I did read my book I brought, for just a little bit, I couldn’t help myself. I talked about American Idol, adoption, kids in general with my new friends. One sweet lady was amazed that I would come all the way “down” there to get my child’s hair done. I have to tell you I live in a very white “dutch” community. I said to her “where on my side of town would I take her?” “Oh you are so right” she said with a giggle.

This is the hard part, the braiding it HURTS, and it takes about 45 minutes to an hour. Poor kid this mama of hers has not done a good job at “toughening up” her head.

Aww Baby I’m so sorry she’s being tough not a sound coming out, but lots of tears I wanted to puke I clenched my teeth a lot, and tried to talked to my neighbors.

Almost done now we are smiling again!

After the hair was done we headed to the mall, we were on a mission to find new shoes. But instead we only ended up with a hand buzzer (one of those prankster toys), and a Discovery Kid play laptop computer. Mom is a huge pushover on “girls days”!

Holy Shoe! How is it that her foot grew two sizes?? Maybe that’s why we have a blow out on the side!

Then I let Cece pick where we would eat. She wanted Sesame Chicken, so we went to Seoul Garden for Asian cuisine. The food was fair, but the company was fantastic!

Finally we went to see The Frog and the Princess the Disney cartoon. It was very cute. Actually I loved it! Disney’s first African American princess about time Walt! The movie had a great message about working hard to make your dreams come true, just wishing on that star won’t get you there, and that love and family are enough. It reminded me of the old Disney movies I miss the good old days. Lady and the Tramp, The Rescuers, Snow White those were the best!

We didn’t do a hotel sleep over this time maybe next year. It was still incredible just to have her all to myself for the day. She kept saying “it’s just me and you today mom, it’s just me and you today”.

They get big so fast, and life is so busy! I need to make it a priority to carve out that time and go alone with each one of them, here and there, even if it’s just for a hot chocolate at the coffee shop.

I think I am going to declare February “love on your child month”! There it’s official it’s a National Holiday let’s send this on over to Hallmark!