“That’s my sister. She’s completely bald in front”. Jo March says this to Laurie, when she sees her sister Meg dancing at a party. This book/movie line from Little Women has been playing over and over in my head these last few weeks as Jo could easily be talking about me. Pregnancy can wreak havoc on one’s body, but these postpartum days aren’t always easy either. Hair loss is something that happens to pretty much everyone after they have a baby, and if you are one of the lucky ones, it is off to the side or maybe underneath. In my case, it is square in the middle of my head – right up front. To top it off, I am on the shorter side of life, so basically, everyone can see that part of my head. It makes me yearn for my pregnant 3rd trimester hair; hair so thick and shiny that it was hard to have a bad hair day.
I know that my hair will grow back, but I desperately want it to happen as soon as possible, so I did the only natural thing and Googled it. www.kellymom.com (one of my favorite sites) told me what I already know; I’m going to have to roll with it. In the meantime, get a good haircut, play with different hairstyles, and find some product to “bulk up” the remaining hair. So, in short, get a good haircut and forget about everything else until the baby is between 6-12 months old. I got my hair cut today and thankfully my hair stylist is a mom of two littles, so she could empathize with what I am going through. She knew that I wasn’t exaggerating when I said that I am losing handfuls of hair each day. I now feel a little more fresh and vibrant which has become one of my goals these last few weeks.
In addition, I finally decided I was ready to throw out the pregnancy tests for T4. As many of you may remember from reading this blog, I have a difficult time throwing them away before the baby is born. I took another look at him sleeping in his crib and knew today was the day. I pulled them from the drawer, gave them a final look and tossed them away. This too, made me feel a little lighter and happier – like I was letting go of the dread that typically accompanies these pregnancy tests.
Keeping with the theme of doing things that make me feel happier and more vibrant as I ease out of the postpartum days, I have started canning for the summer season and it is absolutely glorious. I love the process of canning…finding fresh, ripe, fruits and vegetables. Picking out the perfect jars. Cutting, measuring, boiling – there is purpose and balance in doing this, and in the end, there are beautiful, sparkling jars of food lining the counter. So far this season, we have canned peaches, pickled beets, and peach cherry jam that is so divine I ate it on a pork chop for dinner. While getting ready to make jam this weekend, I gave Scarlett and extra pair of jar grabbers to play with as she likes to help me in the kitchen. During a moment of weakness, I continued to let her play with them in the living room while I stayed in the kitchen. Sure enough, I looked over and she had them open and poised above T4’s head. Luckily, she stopped and decided to ask permission before she tested out her theory of her brother’s head fitting inside of them. I’d say that’s a mom fail and win all in one.
My sweet firecracker of a daughter reminds me every day that there is no standard for beauty in her eyes. She would love me with a full head of hair or if I were completely bald. Really that is everything that I have been striving for these last 8 years. Become a mom. Embrace the good and the bad of becoming a mom. So, for today, I may be a bit balder in front than most days, but I am determined to enjoy this summer to its fullest. Come winter, we will have endless jars lining the pantry reminding me of the summer sun, and with any luck, short tiny hairs emerging from the top of my head.
Fresh Canned Peaches
