Thursday, November 09, 2006

The First Haircut! (She’s Growing Up Fast)


The first haircut, where has the time gone? As my daughter sat on my lap getting a trim, while my wife was snapping pictures, all I could think about was about how fast she’s growing up. It all starts with a haircut, then asking for money for clothes, and then asking for a wedding that costs more than my house. I wanted to shed a tear, but men don’t do that (especially in a salon!)

Somewhere between 12 months and 16 months she went from baby to kid. The things she does now completely baffles me. Things like parrots phrases I didn’t even know I say much, like “Ah, Man!” or “No way!” all the time. You can point to things and say what it is and she’ll point and repeat it exactly 400 times (even while nodding off to sleep). She insists on bringing a toy along with her for car rides (ones that make noises). She wants to feed herself everything, even open the package and take it out. She’s smart enough to know when we don’t want to want her to eat something (like Halloween candy) and hide it or eating it while trying to act like nothing is in our mouths (she’ll try to open your mouth like Superman bending iron).
And last night about 10 minutes before her bedtime she walked up to my wife, rubbed her eyes (our signal she’s tired), and said “Nigh-Nigh”. She then walked to her room. Whaa?! Somewhere when we weren’t looking, an alien took over our child. That’s my only explanation.

I remember complaining about how time wasn’t moving along fast enough. She needed to get out of that baby stage so we could do more, but now in retrospect it’s a little sad. Time goes by FAST and when I take a second to look at her, I see this little kid who looks like that little baby I once knew - the one who would just laugh, poop, eat and sleep. I sometimes wish that baby were back on the days when my daughter throws spaghetti on the wall and yells “no!” But then I get a little proud when she peels the spaghetti off the wall and starts eating it. No baby can do that.

14 comments:

  1. Wow, much more advanced than my kids and they're almost two!

    Well, you know what happens when they're not babies any more - time for another one!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous10:18 AM

    I'm with you, Tony. It's bittersweet at this age, isn't it? No longer a baby anymore. No longer someone who wants your help with everything. But wait until she really starts talking. Things get really fun then.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Get out of my head! Get out, get out, get out. No, wait, stay there because misery loves company. I really know what you mean.

    Your daughter looks so cute getting her hair trimmed!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Congrats on the haircut, man. I've been trying to convince Little-E's mom that it's (finally) time for the first cut -- as the back of her head looks like a mullet that's raging out of control.

    But alas, we haven't navigated that one, yet.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I know exactly how you feel. With my first 3 kids, I wanted them to grow up so fast, and then when we got there, I wondered what my rush was. With my fourth, I savored every moment. It goes way too fast!

    ReplyDelete
  6. it never stops, man. once you start this slope of "oh my God what's happening to my little baby?" it just keep getting better (and scarier) and more rewarding every day. stay in awe, keep being amazed and learn something every day from your little girl. in a way, she can teach you more than you can teach her.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous7:28 PM

    Tony, it will only go faster and faster. My youngest is 13 now...and it seems like only yesterday that she was tiny and falling asleep on my chest while I lay on the couch watching TV. Enjoy every moment. And thanks for sharing this moment with us.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous8:16 PM

    She's still a young one...so enjoy it. Wait until she's four or five and starts school...it's not cool to shed a tear at the bus stop either...if you know what I mean.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous8:37 PM

    Elle puts herself to bed and started doing it at a young age. Zed never would. He fought sleep until the bitter end.

    Time flies. They do new things every day at this stage.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous4:45 AM

    It does go WAY too fast. My youngest is in college...sob, sob. Enjoy it, she is definitely a cutie!

    ReplyDelete
  11. What? Time goes by faster?!

    You're all not making me feel any better about this...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Yeah, I too couldn't wait to get out of the baby days and just recently uttered my first, "You don't need to grow up too fast, 'mkay?!"

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous8:06 PM

    I swear when Annabelle turned 14 months I was like, "She's finally FUN!"

    And getting more fun every day. I love watching her personality come out and grow. She's hilarious!

    So amazing to watch them, isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  14. It's a crime how fast they grow. A crying shame.

    ReplyDelete