The Haircut

One of the things that everyone has always loved about Ava is her long, thick hair. It's beautiful, but she gives us a hard time about brushing it. Every morning is an ordeal to try to get her to stand still while we spray de-tangler through it and try to get it arranged into pony tails or braids. She cries that it hurts, and has no patience for the time it takes to get through the long mass. I've often told her that we should just shave it short like Gaffer has it, then we wouldn't have to go through this every day, but she tells me that she loves her hair and doesn't want it cut. Then, I say, you have to take care of it - and that means brushing!

When she was two, we had to cut several inches off so that it wouldn't hang into the toilet. She was terrified, but the nice young hairdresser at Bubba's was friendly and gentle with her, and we got the job done. After that, she's been several times to Bubba's and enjoys the whole process - the shampoo, the booster seat, the cape, and the attention.

The other day I saw a picture of a little girl about Ava's age, with a short bob haircut. I started thinking about how cute Ava would look with short hair, and how EASY life would be without the de-tangling, brushing, and braiding every morning, and how convenient it would be over the summer when she's swimming and playing outside. Even eating would be easier - no long strands blowing into her ice cream cone!

So I showed Ava the picture, and she liked it! We made an appointment, and headed into Bubba's - leaving Gaffer at home with very uneasy feelings about the upcoming loss of Ava's long locks. Even the young hairdresser was squirrely about taking off so much! Ava, freshly shampood and sitting up high in her booster seat, draped in a cape, was matter-of-fact: "Cut it short!" I was sitting nearby, and the hairdresser turned to me with an anxious face, "Shouldn't we make it shorter in stages??" I said, "Ava, are you SURE you want it short?"

But Ava was fearless and anticipating her new 'do, so the scissors went to work and 8" long strands of hair fell to the floor. There was a mix of shock, horror, and admiration on the faces of the other customers and clients as more and more of Ava's luxurious hair was clipped off, but Ava sat there, like a little statue, calmly watching the process. I was second-guessing our decision, but was so proud of her for her courage and steadfastness, and I was already imagining how easy tomorrow morning was going to be!

So she's got herself a little bob now, and it's even fashionably "poofy" in the back where she's got a terrific cowlick - looks like a rooster-tail every morning - and it's wonderful. We've been able to put away all the ponytail holders and barrettes, and never need the de-tangler. She brushes it herself and she looks adorable. I'll leave it up to her whether or not to keep it short or to let it grow out again!

Fishing

Back in September, when we were in Presque Isle for the moose hunt, Ava spotted a Dora fishing pole in the trading post where we tagged the moose. She looked at it, then looked at me, then looked down at the floor -- "We're probably not here to buy a fishing pole, are we?" And I had to tell her, "No, Ava, we're not here to buy a fishing pole today..." She was disappointed, but accepted it. But then, when the moose hunt was over, and the guys had paid for our guide service - they gave Ava and me a tip! So back we went to the trading post, and Ava walked out with a brand new fishing pole, that she had paid for herself!

She got her first chance to use it this weekend, on Cobbosee Lake. Gaffer took her to the bait shop the day before, and she picked out a fluorescent green lure for her own fishing pole. The day was beautiful, sunny and warm, and she and Gaffer had a great time casting. Ava's technique is to get the lure in the water, and then let it sink until she can't see it anymore, and then wait. We're not exactly sure what she's waiting for, but this is a serious part of her fishing technique. At some point, she decides to reel the lure in, and often will say with excitement, "It feels heavy!!" One time when it felt heavy, something was actually on the line - a perfectly shaped brown beech leaf. She was just as happy as if she had caught a fish! We had to save the leaf, and it came home with us in her backpack.




Gaffer got a big bass on his line, and got it close to the boat, almost close enough that I could scoop it up with the net, but then it let go of the hook and swam off. That was the only fish we saw all day, but seeing fish wasn't really the point. We just wanted Ava to have fun, and she did! We found a little island that had a cupboard with maps of the hiking trails on the island, and Ava led the way. The trails were also marked by white paint on occasional trees, and we got a kick out of Ava saying over and over, "... According to this map, we're going the right way!"


The next day, we took the boat out onto Merrymeeting Bay, where Ava was excited at the thought of seeing seals and dolphins, but Gaffer let her know that we'd have to go out a little farther in order to see those things. She tossed out her line a few times, for the fun of it. She's always hopeful that she'll catch something, which I guess is how every fisherman feels!