Emmett's first haircut

This post is happening way after the fact.  Emmett got his first haircut on his birthday, November 30.  I've been meaning to document it with pictures since then, and I'm finally getting around to it.

Chris made an appointment for him with the barber he always goes to.  He seemed a little weirded out when we first went in, but it didn't take him long to start walking around and checking everything out.  There was a man in the chair getting his hair cut (unfortunately Chris didn't need one that day) so we tried to show him and explain what was going to happen.  At one point he tried to get out the door, so he was already feeling a little apprehension.  When it was his turn I picked him up and set him up in the chair.  He freaked out, starting crying and screaming and flailing and doing anything to try and get out of the chair.  I really didn't know what to do.  The barber suggested that we both step back and just start taking pictures or do something else.  And that actually worked.  After we stepped back and he realized he couldn't be saved, he quit flailing and just sat their and accepted it.  He continued to cry for another minute or so.

He eventually calmed down and sat quietly while the barber cut his hair.

We never did get him to smile.

But he looked very handsome when it was all done.

Overall it was a success.  He looked so much older when it was done, like a little boy instead of a baby.  I got a little teary-eyed over it later, after putting him down for his nap.  And of course I have a little ziplock bag of his hair that I will save for his baby book.  We made sure the rest of his birthday was all fun and nothing else unpleasant.  I will be documenting the rest of his birthday with pictures later on.  And his hair is already starting to get long again, he will be due for another one soon enough.  Hopefully now that he has experience it will go better next time.

Quick update...or maybe not so quick after all...

I am so not in the mood for blogging lately.  So this is going to be a quick update.

Thanksgiving was good.  Spent good quality time with family, both mine and the in-laws.  Emmett loved riding around in Pawpaw's golf cart.  He also loved riding in the trailer behind Grandpa's riding mower with his cousins, Philip and Gabe.  Those would be considered the highlights of his Thanksgiving I'm sure.  As usual, it went by too fast.

Emmett's 2nd birthday was this past Wednesday.  I will describe it in detail and include pictures soon.  He got to open his birthday presents from the extended family early during Thanksgiving visits.  He opened the ones from us on his actual birthday.  He got a track with a couple of battery powered trucks that drive around it.  The track has a bridge and can be rearranged in a million different ways.  He loves it.  We also got him a little electronic keyboard/piano and a wooden handcrafted helicopter.  This weekend we are planning to go and get him a couple of goldfish to complete his birthday presents.  We also took him for his first haircut.  He was absolutely terrified at first, but then he got over it and did very well the rest of the time.  He looks so handsome and grown up.  Pictures soon.  After his nap we took him to the mall and let him ride the train and play on the mall playground.  Then we went to Arby's and had a roast beef sandwich for dinner.  Emmett loves an Arby's roast beef sandwich with a crazy passion.  He doesn't care for chicken nuggets or hotdogs or burgers or any of the foods typical kids his age like.  He even ate his apple slices and yogurt pretty well.  His other favorite food is pizza.  At least that's more like a typical kid.

The other highlight of his birthday is that I finally found him new sneakers.  He needed a new pair in the worst way, and I have had the worst time trying to find him shoes that I like and he likes.  I wanted stride rites, but it seems that whenever we go in there, they are out of his size (8 wide) in every decent looking shoe.  I finally gave up waiting on any of the styles I liked, especially since his poor little toes were crammed up to the very tip top of his shoes.  She brought out anything they had in his size, and we finally settled on a pair that we all liked.  That was a big relief for me.

This weekend we will probably get a Christmas tree and start decorating.  Call me a grinch, but I don't really enjoy decorating for Christmas.  Its just another chore for me.  The only thing worse is taking it down after Christmas.  I never even got out my Halloween decorations this year because I just didn't feel like it.  But Christmas, you just can't skip that.  What I do look forward to is watching Emmett open his presents this year.  He did great with his birthday presents, and he gets it now.  The next morning after his birthday when I went in to get him out of his crib, the first thing he said to me was "Presents?"  Poor kid.  "No, sorry kiddo, not to today" I told him.  But lucky for him there will be presents again in just a few weeks.  He is starting to understand the concept of Santa too, so that should be fun.  Oh, we need to get out Elf on a Shelf and get started with that.  Ok, I am starting to get in the Christmas spirit.

Everytime I say I don't feel like blogging, I start typing and suddenly I've gone on and on.  But I'm really done now.  I will be posting pictures soon.