The Boys’ First Hair

There are so many precious “firsts” when you’re a mom. First foods, first words, first steps. . . . And first haircuts! Here are layouts from Caleb and Zach’s first haircuts. Looking back I made two observations.

First, the age gap. Caleb, while born with more hair than Zach, did not need his first haircut until 18 months - and even then it was more of a trim than a haircut. He had a few scraggly patches and the hair cut made him look a little less disheveled. Zach, on the other hand, needed a haircut when he was 15 months old. He had blonde curly hair that was just beautiful - but it was a little too beautiful. Dave did not want him looking too pretty. Dave had certain opinions of how little boys should look . . . . I won’t even touch on his thoughts when I would dress them alike!

Another observation looking back was how traumatic haircuts were for Zach. Thankfully his first hair went ok, and the lollipop helped distract him. By his second haircut he would scream as if HE was being cut! We couldn’t understand the over exaggerated emotion! It wasn’t until he was three years old when we learned about sensory issues. Caleb’s OT had been suggesting that Zach was a “sensory” boy, but truthfully I was so overwhelmed with all the therapy and doctor  appointments Caleb needed that I didn’t give it much thought. Zach was walking, and obviously did not have Spinal Muscular Atrophy like his brother, but we missed a while bunch of warning signs and a major speech delay.

That same year Zach started attending a special needs preschool and we started learning about sensory issues and anything and everything to help him. The more we learned, we realized what we thought of as exaggerated emotion or “quirks” were actually sensory issues. While there was no cure for sensory issues, we developed strategies and ways for Zach to cope with various struggles. So, for his second haircut and beyond, we began taking a weighted blanket with us. The extra pressure helped him manage the sensations he was experiencing during the haircuts. Although it wasn’t perfect, it got better. . . And Zach outgrew this particular sensory issue, thank goodness!

Scrapbooking Tips:

While I kept a baby book for the boys, and I did a decent job of staying up to date with them, my scrapbooks are much more accurate. When it came to the locks of hair from each, I wanted them to stay with the photos, but I wasn’t sure how best to incorporate them into my layouts.

I found these acid-free vellum envelopes and these layouts came to mind. I was able to put the lock of hair in the envelope and then attach the envelope to my layout. I love incorporating special elements like this when I can, and it works as a layout embellishment. I feel it makes the page more interesting as well.

Supplies Used:

Cardstock- Bazzill

Pattern paper - Fancy Pants and Basic Gray

Embellishments - Jolee’s Boutique

Vellum Envelopes - Recollections