It happened. I cried.
I knew that this day would come…the day of the dreaded first haircut. Don’t get me wrong…nobody twisted my arm, held up a weapon to demand that I cut my cuties hair…but after Will’s ‘hair experience’ I knew that I should not be afraid to cut.
Let me tell you the long boring story. My little Munchie was due for a haircut. He is one of the happiest babies ever but lately, he’s been cutting some teeth (aka is very irritable) and his hair got long enough to tickle his ears (aka is very annoyed). When I found little scratches all over, in and behind his ears and his neck, I first checked to make sure he didn’t have a Katy Perry manicure. Then I started noticing that he would pull, move and bat at the little baby hairs.
One of the biggest regrets I had with Will is that I let it get too long before his first snip. I found myself questioning why I waited so long…putting his tolerance and patience to the test just because I wasn’t ready to let go of his baby-ness. Afterall, I am trying to raise men, right? As a parent, it’s a hard balance to know when to let go…when to let them do dangerous-stupid-adrenaline-rushing-risk-taking-testosterone-bursting stuff. It will come. I know it will. And as a mom of boys, I know that I want them to experience those things…as well as learn the lessons of responsibility and maturity and have a heart of love for others.
But I don’t want to take the ‘BOY’ out of them just because I am not ready. And that little haircut….that was the first thing in my own heart that I did…I wanted to keep Will forever my little needy baby. The truth is…He will always need me. And he will always be my baby. But putting my own desire on him when he was irritated with his Beiber locks…that was wrong on my part.
(Will @ 17 mths and Me @ age unknown)
The tradition is that we wait till the boys hair is long enough to ponytail and then we snip. Well Weston’s hair in the front was definitely not ponytail ready. Most of the time it looked like a butt-cut…which yes, cracked me up.
It had just started really growing back in and his hairline will never be one that is full and lush. Sorry bud.
But the back of his head had plenty. It is thick and full and ready for clipping.
So in true traditional form, I did end up with the world’s tiniest pony. It’s more rat tail than anything but hey…it works.
He was very excited that he got to sit in Will’s chair for this experience and let me cut till my hearts content.
It doesn’t look as red when it’s cut off than when its on his head, huh?
I learned with Will that trying to use scissors is a massive patience test….for the kid. Because apparently I am the worlds slowest hair cutter. So now I use the clippers. (for anyone wondering, this was a really inexpensive clipper set at Walmart and I used a #2 all over)
To keep him occupied, I used his favorite thing in the whole world….FOOD.
So at this point we are about five minutes into the whole process when Jeremy said…quick, one last photo….it’s about to rain! And then it did. It was like a mini downpour…right over our house. In fact, part of our front porch was still dry but the other three sides of the house were getting drenched.
I keep on telling everyone that I am shocked at how simultaneously he looks younger and older. Like I see him as a teenager but also just see him just like a little baby. And that is what got me. that’s what brought on the tears. that is what makes me realize that this thing called parenting…it’s like a haircut….you go in, hoping for the best…and you know it’s just hair…but ten seconds in…your heart is so entrenched that you wonder, is this the best decision?! am I doing ok? is this a mistake?! and then you realize…your heart is in it. you care. and you are more attached to simple little things more than you’ll ever know. And that it’s all gonna be okay…even when it’s not the outcome you expected 🙂
Awww, Katie! Your baby Weston’s first big boy rite of passage!
That last picture looks like a different child!
A big moment in the life of a momma 🙂 You’ve got some cuties on your hand! He looks like the happiest baby!!
How handsome! Your last paragraph was very poignant to me as I navigate the brave new world of parenting myself. Loved it 🙂
BTW, I need that cute red highchair.
Cutest little buzzed head I’ve ever seen.
My two week old son has a crazy amount of hair and although I think he’ll lose some of it like his sister did, I’m already dreading the moment of his first hair cut. He’s my last baby! But if it’s anything like his big sis, he’ll end up with a mullet that will look soooo much better after the cut. But I agree, they look both older and younger with a new hair cut!
Katie – your blog is so sweet! BTW LOVE your name…. my youngest is names Katie too! It is wonderful you can document these precious moments in your children’s lives through blogging. I know — I have 4 kids myself. Cheers. 😀
What a stud! 🙂 You make some pretty cute babies, Katie B (and Jer). When are we going to get an update on Bower Baby #3? How is the pregnancy going? Are we getting a gender announcement?!
My mum cut my baby boy’s (14 months) hair yesterday and I was quite emotional too…he’s my last baby so these are the last baby locks I’ll ever see cut away. I completely understand the emtoions you were going through! Weston looks very spunky now, as does my son Emmett. A tad too grown up for my liking…but I am so glad the hair is out of his eyes now, it was driving him mental!!
Oh my gosh, that rat tail is just the cutest ever! Ha!
Both your boys are ado-ra-ble!!!!
Having a woman’s intuition here … I have a feeling that The next bundle of joy is a >Girl !!
I am right ??
Can’t wait for the gender reveal post .
That was lovely.
You could have just trimmed around the ears. You gave your 11-month old a buzz cut. You took the baby out of him. Maybe it’s because you’re having another one so soon and you’re trying to rush him out of his baby phase. I don’t know. It’s very odd. I would think a priority would be to finish his nursery instead of giving him his first haircut. I’m a mom of three boys, 6 months, 2 and 4. Trust me, it goes very fast and there is plenty of time for them to turn into men. Enjoy them as babies for as long as you can, baby hair and all.
Thank you for this post! My son is I think almost exactly the same age as Weston. We tried to give him his first cut using clippers and only cut about two hairs before we called it a day–too afraid to cut too much! I love Weston’s new ‘do. Did you move the clippers from front to back all the way over his head, or did you move them up vertically around the ears? I’ve never used clippers!!
Thanks!
Thanks for this. That last paragraph is exactly what I needed tonight, as my husband and I have been making child care decisions lately. Parenting is wonderful, challenging and, for me, so emotional!
Pregnancy is going just fine…and I hope to announce the gender right after we tell my grandparents at Thanksgiving!
xo – kb
Ha ha! I guess it goes to show that different folks, different strokes! I personally think he’s very much still a baby and there isn’t much I can do to change that 🙂
xo – kb
I use them like the videos said to online 🙂 I am no pro but basically you just move them from front to back and back to front and then all over. Try YouTubing videos…it definitely helps!
xo – kb
My son cuts both his sons’ hair with a clipper set that he purchased at TJMaxx. (he hasn’t found them anywhere else so whenever he comes upon them at TJMaxx he buys it and has several “waiting in the wings). The thing that’s so special about these particular clippers is that while cutting the hair, it vacuums the clippings into a little cup on the clipper…so much more comfortable for the boys and they complain less about haircuts now. You could probably find them online, too.
Totally! Everyone is different. My husband and I can’t wait to have a boy and give him a baby Mohawk as soon as possible.
I went all “sociology” on YHL for this too but you never find out gender, just sex. Gender is socially/culturally created (think masculine/feminine) and sex tends to be more biological (think male/female). It’s super common for people to say gender because they like it more than saying sex but it’s not accurate. I always give the example in my class that the sonographer doesn’t look for a baby in hair bows or a baby pumping iron. Just genitals. Sorry to be “that person” it’s just my one thing I neeeed to correct.
You are such a pretty pregnant lady and your boys are adorable! Just wondering, what would you have done if you found yourself in the same situation with the little scratches on the baby, except the baby was a girl?
Everything you said about the first haircut and the babies to men stuff is so true. I did all the same stuff. He still looks like such a baby to me, I really don’t think it took the baby out of him at all. Kudos to you for putting his needs first, it is so hard when it comes to sentimental stuff!
It’s odd but I feel like ruffling his freshly buzzed head. My brother used to get buzz cuts all the time when he was younger, it feels kinda cool. He got a head massage while I got to play with his hair, win for everyone 😀
Weston’s little lock that you cut off looks darker at the cut end, is it just the lighting?
You two make adorable squishy smiling babies.
I like buzz-cuts on little boys! My “mother of two girls” heart dreams of buzz-cutting a boy’s head! Question… where is his outfit from in the first and last picture?
Our boy is 17 months, and he is so in need of his first haircut, but I’ve been hanging on to those baby curls! You’ve given me the sign to try to be brave – thanks Katie!
That’s interesting. I never thought about it because according to the definition of the word gender, it includes a range of things…one being the physicality of the person. I think in our lives today, our culture and within the confines of our language, it is acceptable to use gender to mean the biological sex. I know in the science of biology (like when talking about animals) you use gender to mean sex but I see how in the crowds of sociology, it may be one of those very different and inaccurate terms. Very interesting though…I like conversations like this because I think that based on what we study or our areas of interest, etc….language can be one of those things that the same term can mean different things! It gets my brain thinking!
xo – kb
I probably would do a lot of headbands…those comfy ones…
xo – kb
It is darker on the cut end…in the sun, both my boys hair turned reddish in those first couple years. GINGERS FOR THE WIN!
xo – kb
The shirt is from Walmart (they have it right now!) and the pants are from Gap (they were on sale about two months ago so they might still be available). The shoes are old ones from Target 🙂
xo – kb
I think so too. 🙂 From the couple pics I’ve seen, the belly shape seems a little different than with the boys (that’s how mine were & I have two of each), That plus a few comments about this pregnancy has convinced me the gender…err…sex is a girl! So fun to guess when it comes to pregnancies!
Katie….ok you made me cry today! Your whole comment about being entrenched in something as mundane as hair…. That our hearts are wrapped in every aspect of our children’s lives. Feel that every day. We have only been blessed with one child, who just turned 5. The things that come out of her mouth and how quickly she is growing astounds me every day. Every small moment is so precious and all I want to do is hold on and hit pause to soak it all in.
On another note can’t wait to find out what you are having!!! My cousin just had a gender announcement party. She cut into the cake and the filling was the color of what she’s having…. So fun!!
He looks adorable! You have such beautiful children KB!
LOL @ “world’s tiniest pony”! So cute! Do you save the pony tails after their 1st hair cuts? I still have some of my son’s hair from his first cut…and he’s now 5. Is that creepy? :/
What a well-timed post! I just cut my sweet Thomas’ hair last night. I went though just about everything you described. Except we used a #4 (he has some seriously fine baby hair that looks like we used a #2) and stuck him in front of the TV like big brother.
Oh my word – he is just too cute for words! Long hair, buzzed hair, who cares! He’s clearly a very happy guy.
http://jax-and-jewels.blogspot.com
I actually buzzed my first son’s hair at a very early age as well, earlier than your son … the little straggler hairs were driving us crazy! I have absolutely NO idea how a haircut “rushes him out of the baby phase”?!?! I don’t think leaving baby hair that looks all unruly and uneven keeps them babies. I actually thought that comment was a joke until I was like oh, she’s serious! Anyway, just wanted to encourage you that even if it made you sad, buzzing his hair will definitely not “turn him into a man” — that would be weird. And impossible. And if you that closely associated your son with his hair that would also be weird. 🙂 And plus, he’s so adorable you could’ve buzzed it all off! (Imagine the comments then!!!! :))
Have a great weekend! And I agree with the other comments … can’t wait to hear all about baby #3!!!
Awww he looks adorable!!!! I love that first picture where his foot is actually up off the ground!
I do save them. I am so creepy that I plan on saving teeth too. And I may or may not have saved their belly buttons 🙂
xo – kb
So I am convinced that the last picture of Weston pushing a pink car is a hint about your upcoming announcement! 🙂
Actually that was gonna be his Batmobile for Halloween but I only had about 24 hours to paint it and never got to it…so yeah…now he has a pink car.
xo – kb
The physicality is in direct relation to masculinity or femininity so it actually doesn’t work in relation to sex (make sense?). The physical aspects of gender would only be in reference to how a person presents them self physically to identify with a gender. For example: dressing like a woman, certain non verbal actions associated with women, wearing make-up, verbal communication, etc. In biology gender isn’t used to define sex. Biologically sex is so varied there is no male, female binary (there’s loads of variation sexually).
I hope that makes sense. Not trying to be obnoxious but it’s good info to get out to the masses. It’s also good to spark thoughts and conversations.
I actually love all the pictures you have shared specially the smiling face of Mr. Weston :). It is really awesome. Thanks a lot for sharing, may God bless him with peace and happiness.
For someone who is offended by how Katie used the word gender, you sure did use some gender stereotypes in your examples.
You’re mistaken. Biology is not the study of animals. You’re thinking of Zoology. Biology is the study of life (or your hilariously redundant: the science of the science of life hahaha you are a silly one). I’ve read enough of your blog to know semantics isn’t your think even though it “gets [your] brain thinking.” You’re revealing the sex of your fetus, not its gender. Even if you “think” otherwise.
I kept my daughters belly button too, but after several years I’ve found it just continues to decompose, so eventually it was just black crumbles, and I tossed it. My mom kept all my teeth also, and gave them to me when I had kids. That was super gross too, and I tossed them! I thought about keeping my kids teeth, but then I wondered, really, what would I do with them? So, they go in the trash.
Well, I did study biology…so I guess we will have to agree to disagree 🙂
xo – kb
Biology is the study of life…yes, which has subdisciplines…like Zoo…which makes biology include the study of animals. I agree…I think that we are all arguing semantics…which is kinda ridiculous on a site where I misspell and misuse words constantly. But I am gonna stick to my guns on this one. I will continue to use ‘gender’…because ‘revealing the sex’ also could mean that I am showing pics of my baby’s undercarriage…semantics are funny like that 🙂
xo – kb
It looks like he enjoyed his first cut! Really cute!
Just a question: why the need to give a baby a buzz cut? He didn’t have very much hair to start with. Couldn’t you just cut a few strays? My first was born with some really long strays and I cut them as soon as I brought him home, but his first official haircut was when he was two and just a little boy cut, no buzz cut. I’m not judging, just curious.
I clipped the following language out of a legal proceeding in a school district where they were arguing about the inclusion of the word “sex” when the word “gender” had already been included. I couldn’t care less either way, but I thought that this case was thought provoking. The parties arguing for inclusion cited the following: “According to the American Psychological Association, “Sex refers to a person’s biological status and is typically categorized as male, female or intersex. Gender refers to the attitudes, feelings and behaviors that a given culture associates with a person’s biological sex. Behavior that is compatible with cultural expectations is referred to as gender-normative; behaviors that are viewed as incompatible with these expectations constitute gender non-conformity.”
Also as of November 1st, Germany has now included the word “intersex” in adoption papers where it asks prospective parents their preference when choosing a baby’s sex for adoption. The first of its kind.
Well, I learned with Will (who was very patient and very still at a young age) that I am not great with scissors…so I was afraid that I would either jack up the hair or accidently clip Weston’s ear (he never sits still for five seconds). Plus, Weston lost his hair when he was a couple months old and his hair was growing in like it was buzzed (people always asked if I buzzed it but it was just a natural thing for him) and both Jeremy and I liked it because we could see his little widow’s peak…so when we talked about buzzing it, it just made sense to go back to what he naturally had before both for aesthetics and because it was very ‘him’ 🙂
xo – kb
It’s all so interesting!
xo – kb
I had to use gender stereotypes in my example to get the point across. I teach Gender Studies. Trust me, I know what I’m doing.
So cute! I also cut my kiddo (21 months) and hubbys hair! I’ve gotta ask, what is the age difference between your two kids? I’m preggo with #2 now and already worried about how busy/different my life is about to come when I’m already busy with #1! Hat’s off to you!!
Will and Weston are 31 months apart (2.5 years) and Weston and baby love will be 15 months apart 🙂
xo kb
Cute blog! And I admire your patience and politeness with the (ridiculous) comments.
My little guy is also needing a haircut (he’ll be a year in December so it’s definitely time)- I am terrified he’s going to lose an ear if I try it myself. But it’s definitely getting long, and similar to Weston’s where he doesn’t have much up front but it’s very long in the back. Ahhhh baby mullet!
I love those buddy fruit pouches btw- so great!
Never look back….
I regretted NOT cutting my oldest son’s hair, too. He had a mullet and in all the pictures- I SEE THE MULLET. My oldest likes his hair short (less hair shampooing probs) and less mulch/grass/dirt that gets trapped in there.
As soon as my second son was growing a mullet- I CUT IT, too!
I cut both kiddos hair, now. We use a 3 on the sides with fade into a 6 on the top. ; ) nikki
Awesome, that is about what my kids will be – 2.5 years. I’m not sure if I’m ready for a second yet, but I know it will be worth it for them to be close in age! Good luck when #3 comes, you’re going to be BUSY! 🙂
This is actually a reply to ‘Wendy C.’ but jeepers could you get any more condescending?! ò_ó
I get the point everyones tryna make but for goodness sakes, get off yer high horse and have a bit of tact. If you wouldnt say it to the pregnant lady’s face, dont say it behind the safety of your keyboard and monitor.