Here's To Silly!

Remember how I told you I wasn't really into the whole resolution thing?  Yeah, still not.  Let's be honest, I'm not even great with setting goals for myself (which may be a reason for my general appearance of laziness and undisciplined nature).  However, I have set a goal which I thought was going to be a breeze, but is turning out to be a tad challenging.  It has to do with hair.

Hair?  Really?  I can hear you now.  Don't judge me.  Hair is a big deal in my world.  First off, let's just say that for someone who has lost all of her hair - twice - and who understood, at least intellectually, that she would lose some hair postpartum, I had no idea how hard it would be to see my lovely locks abandoning ship.  Seriously, there is hair everywhere.  Bean has at least one hair on her onesie somewhere or in her fist pretty much all the time.  I try to get them off her and keep them all in one place, namely the round file, but those hairs, they are tricksy.  Anyway, the losing of my hair has caused me some minor trauma. 

Still, before the trauma really hit, I was already making a hair plan.  It's been a delight to have hair again, really it has.  This minor trauma has been nothing compared to the complete baldness I experienced not-really-all-that-long-ago.  So, I certainly revel in my ponytails.  However, I also have not had a specific style since, um, I'm not sure.  I think when we got married it was in a specific-ish style.  That's almost three years.  Right now, it's just been growing for two years.  It's lovely, but untamed to say the least.  While I live in paradise, that is no matter.  It is in a ponytailer of some kind essentially all the time.  I have been planning a post-island trip to the salon almost since we got to the island.  Originally I was going to make it a postpartum trip (don't all new mommies need new hair?). 

Since I got the chance to come back to the island I decided to postpone.  With the postponing came a plan.  I want to donate it.  This may be the only time I have such long hair that is completely untouched by chemicals of any kind.  My sister donated her hair, and I've tried to do everything she's done pretty much since I was born.  It's the curse and the blessing of the little sister, I suppose. 

Here's the thing.  It's not long enough yet.  I don't know how long it will take to get long enough.  I already have started having visions of cutting my own hair into a cute, tousled short style.  I actually think I could do a decent job of it (I've cut my own hair before, you know).  There's a chance we'll leave the island in five weeks.  There's a chance we'll leave in five months (cross your fingers for the months option, really, hair aside it will be SO MUCH better for us). 

Here's how long it was just over a year ago, right after I found out Bean was coming:
Here's how long it is now:
Can I survive the wait?  Did it grow extra fast with Bean brewing, or did it just seem thicker since it wasn't falling out?  Will it actually grow faster now since I'm not supporting another life form, or slower since technically I guess I still am with breastfeeding and all. 

Update:  I thought I had to have 14 inches to donate.  Turns out I just need 10.  That makes it seem a little more do-able.  Still, if I'm within walking distance of an American salon in the next month or two, heaven only knows how strong I will be. 

Conclusion:  I've been right all along.  Goals are lame.

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So, I got no pictures so far.  I'll work on that.  Still, I just wanted to report on a few things. 

1 - I know I'm 12 days late, but everyone seems to be posting about their New Year's resolutions.  I don't really make those, and if I did, I think that September is a good time to do it.  I read that somewhere, and it made sense to me, what with school starting and the seasons changing and all.  Still, I feel a little bit like making some change for good.  My goal is to floss my teeth daily.  That's been my goal for 12 days now and I have yet to do it once.  Nevertheless, the goal remains.  I thought maybe if I shared it with the internets, it'd give me some accountability.  I used to be good at getting my floss on every day, but I've lost it and I blame it fully on marriage.  I love Wonderman and all, but he put a serious crimp in my hygiene style.  This is the year to conquer that.  I hope.

2 - Can I just write a glowing, rose-colored glasses bit about nursing?  First I will say that I haven't yet experienced the chapped nipples or mastitis or all the things that make nursing hard (although pumping is definitely not my friend).  I'm sure I'll get my turn.  That being said (recognizing that my experience is limited): I love being able to feed Bean with just me, the way we were built to do it.  It's beautiful and incredible and I can't imagine why anyone would say formula is easier because I can't tell you how many times Bean has started to get a little crazy and I just whip out a boob and she's fine (too crass?  sorry).  Love it.  Don't love nursing pads, but I'll take it.  Also, I think I am officially the dirty hippie who nurses sans cover.  Even at church, where I was sure I would always use the cover.  My cousin made me an amazing cover that I used at first, as I was getting the hang of things.  I am grateful for it.  I haven't used it in weeks.  It's so much easier this way.  I think I'm pretty modest and  no one sees anything too exciting and it just feels so natural.  Sigh.  Dirty hippie.

3 - On another hippie note, I have been wearing Bean as we walk around the island.  The Baby Bjorn is good, but she seems a little contorted or something.  Plus, she got a wicked sunburn after just one trip to campus (don't tell my mother-in-law).  I switched it out for this sling that my sister gave me.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  I love it.  More comfortable.  More cute.  More Bean sleeping sweetly.  More better all around.  Ok, I still love the Bjorn and I know it has its place, but it's going to the back of the closet for a while.

4 - I love my cloth diapers.  I bought these and they work great.  After using disposables for all our travels, I am glad to be back to cloth.  They never come nearly as close to the blowouts or leakage as do the plastic diapers.  I have done a couple diaper laundry loads here on the island and they still work great.  I was worried about our washer being lame or the detergent not being good enough or them not drying or something else I hadn't yet imagined.  All is well.  And this has kept rash at bay so far (I know we're just beginning, but still, I think it's good stuff)

The end of me reporting on stuff today.

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