Grooming Madi

On Tuesday, Madi and I went to get haircuts. I can remember Madi's first haircut like it was yesterday (shown in first two photos). She had been home for a few months when I decided to start taking her with me. Madi was definitely suspicious, to say the least, about people she didn't know. I knew, early on, that my best shot at ever getting her haircut would be to gain her trust in Mommy's hair stylist. So, for about eight months, she went with me. She observed. She studied. And finally, one day, she told me that she wanted to get her hair cut too. I wasn't sure whether to believe her. If I truly thought she would go through with it, I would have invited half the family! Was she really ready? She sat very quietly and very intently watching Debbie work me over, trying to psych herself up for the big event. Knowing what a small window of opportunity we had, Debbie gave her a quick snip all over--the whole process took about five minutes, if that. It was a huge step for Madi, and she was rewarded with a certificate and a sucker.

A year later, she's a pro. She has had probably eight haircuts with Debbie. Now, she gets her hair washed at the sink. She sits by herself in the chair like a big girl, and she gets a blowdry. She still gets a sucker, of course--she's no dummy:)