Hot Dogs and Haircuts

We were waiting for it to happen.  The hair loss.  For the past week, I've been compulsively running my hands through Fionny's hair and then checking my hands for strays.  I didn't want to be surprised by it.  I wanted to see it coming.  Maybe then it wouldn't be so sad, so shocking.

And then yesterday Dex was crawling all over Fionny while he was trying to lay down.  Would not leave him alone.  Touching his legs, touching his tummy.  And then touching his hair.  "No, thank you, Deaglan!  No thank you!" Fionny cried out from the little pallet he'd made on the floor in the playroom.  I ran over to Fionny and extracted Deaglan from him.  Dex cried out in protest.  And that's when I saw it.  A fistful of blond hair.  Our beautiful boy's blond hair.  You just can't prepare for a moment like that, folks.  You just can't.

So we got on the horn and called in a favor.  Fionny's best bud, Jabari, wears his hair cropped very close to his head.  His dad, Jamal, cuts it himself at their house.  Weeks ago when we first got Fionny's diagnosis, we asked Jamal if he would mind staging a double haircut for Fionny and Jabari.  Figured the whole experience might go down a bit easier if it was shared with a friend.  Jamal said was more than happy to oblige. Just let me know when, he said.

So yesterday I texted Jamal with a quick message.  "Fionny's hair is falling out.  Can we have you guys over for hot dogs and haircuts this weekend?"

And so they came this afternoon, toting a silver kit containing the barber clippers.  We took a "Before" picture of both boys.

And then Jamal started clipping.  Blond hair fell to the ground in heavy tufts.  Fionny started crying.  He hated the way the clippers felt on his skin.  Hated the way the hairs fell onto his face and into his mouth.

We had to act excited, like it was the greatest thing ever.   "Wow, Fionny, you are going to look so handsome!  Just like Jabari!"  But of course I wanted to run screaming down the street.  After all, I'm the mom who practically clocked the girl at Hair Cuttery for taking a little too much off the top that one time.  I like my boys' hair long.  Always have.  Probably always will.

In order to get Fionny to stay seated for the completion of the haircut, we had to bring in the big guns.  Curious George.  It's not just for diarrhea anymore, people!

It worked like a charm.  Here's the "After" picture of the boys.  As you can see, it appears that one customer left a little bit more satisfied than the other. 

We expect that Fionny's hair will continue to fall out, and we will most likely need to razor it clean and smooth at some point once it starts getting patchy.  But this will do for now.  Huge thanks to Jamal, Irene, and Jabari for being such amazing friends.  They helped us turn a sad event into a party.  We are ever so grateful.

I will close with a cute picture of Deaglan just to prove that he is still alive, and we do still love him too.

Wearing his "The Godchild" onesie, a gift from his godfather, Lewis.