Today I learned a new 'do to add to the list.

When I had my Waybums, she was born with a full head of hair.

It was dark and soft and required little care.

I'd wash it, comb it, trim the bangs every once in a while. . . and it was good.

Well, except that one random and really bizarre hair-day.

We don't really know what happened there. She woke up this way.

I think the aliens that abducted her were doing electroshock experiments.

But all other days it's been wash and wear and cuteness.

And then three years later . . .

Another baby came to live with us. We didn't know how long she'd be here.

We just knew she was adorable and we wanted to take good care of her

while she was with us. And that included a crash course in AA Hair Care 101.

I bought books and did research online. And I was overwhelmed.

Thankfully her initial baby-fine hair was easy to care for. . .

And it just got cuter with every little tendril curl that started popping up.

I was a little nervous when I read one of my books on the subject that

"washing too frequently will dry hair, lead to breakage and cause hair to fall out."

I was especially concerned because she thought that barbecue sauce not only

worked well as facial toner, but was great for hair gel as well.

I told her that while it effectively glued the hair in place,

it seemed a little too stiff for her to use regularly.

With the help of special shampoo and hair lotion and tedious and gentle combing

we survived the toughest part of the baby months with her hair in tact.

And to our delight, we found out that she would be living with us for good.

We adopted her in November and she just had her second birthday on Sunday.

And now that I've accepted the position as permanent Mom/hairstylist

and now that her hair is finally long enough for me to play with it a little

I've really been wanting to learn new ways to do it. Variety is fun. 

So today I scoured the web looking at pictures of adorable little children for ideas.

And I came up with a style called The Four Rosettes.

Tonight was hair-washing night, so I started with freshly washed
and conditioned hair. I adore her curls. They are so spunky and beautiful.
Just like her. I love it loose and natural like this, but being a baby sometimes
having it up makes it easier to take care of it.

I always comb it with a wide-tooth comb after its been conditioned.
And I have a stack of books for her to read so that it's a fun experience.
She used to hate having her hair done until I figured this trick out.
Now, she'll bring me a stack of books and say, "Make so pretty?"

First I section the a little bit in front for her "bangs" because her little curls are so cute.
Then I section the parts and put the hair-ties in to make the two "puffs" on top.
And of course, you have to use the special rubber bands so they don't break the hair.
I also always cut the hair-ties instead of pulling them out. Less stress = happy hair.

You just wind the puff around your finger into a larger curl, and wind that into a rosette.

And then you repeat the process for the bottom two rosettes.

It didn't take very long to do, and it looks pretty cute.

It might look sweet with some little flower clips or barrettes, too.

And of course, she wanted to show off her new 'do.

She's kind of shy sometimes around the camera.
But she was actually asking me to take pictures tonight.
She kept grinning and asking, "Say cheeeeeese?"

Making a tidy pile of books for her bedtime stories.

And she was even hamming it up tonight.

Look at those smiley eyes.

While I was looking through hairstyles today, Waybums sat with me.
We got to a photo of a beautiful African woman with big, puffy natural hair.
Waybums was speechless, "Mother! It's so beautiful! Can Kodi have that hair?"

I love Waybums' straight and long and light brown hair.
And I love Koda's short and kinky dark black hair.
Waybums will probably want to curl hers someday. And that's fine.
And Koda will probably want to straighten hers someday. That's fine too.
There's nothing wrong with wanted to change the way you look.
Just as long as you're comfortable with who you are.

Both my girls are beautiful. And unique.
But I hope they understand that their truest beauty
comes from their character . . . .
. . . the mind under the hair, and the soul under the skin.

I'll keep you posted.