Grazie for haircuts!

One of Maggie's favorite places to go is the hair salon where she gets her hair cut. It's in north beach and cable cars go right past as she's sitting in the chair. (note the cable car in the background in the picture).

Lisa, the Italian woman that cuts her hair tells Maggie she is bellissima and now she is no longer a "bambina" but a "bella signorella." Despite the Italian words Lisa really speaks Maggie's language. Who wouldn't want to go there?

Maggie laughs through the entire haircut but really recoils at the water spray. 

One problem with having a trach and getting a haircut is the constant concern about stray hairs getting into the trach tube. If we didn't catch it it would be a huge irritant in Maggie's airway or lungs which could present enormous problems We had to stop periodically and suction out stray hairs. When it came time to blow dry off the excess bits of hair I just held the scarf over her trach. Maggie even thought THAT was hilarious 

Maggie is now cleaned up and ready for the holidays. And she looks bellissima

Ciao tutti!

Spring Break 2013

Spring Break is already half over and I haven't even complained yet! I must be losing my touch. Actually, we have been very busy girls, and that is the key to keeping Maggie happy.

Monday we took Brisco for a walk in the park. It was quite chilly but we marshaled on until Maggie started saying "Mom, I'm cold." We headed home via Safeway where Maggie lost a shoe.The right shoe. It's always the right shoe. It gets quite expensive, though I do have a lovely collection of left shoes The dog was outside barking incessantly for us as we retraced our steps looking for the errant shoe. I figured she dropped it in the park and gave up. I was halfway down the block when the security guard from Safeway came running after us waving the shoe. Excellent! I left it on the back of the chair where I could keep and eye on it and we walked home.

Tuesday we had our obligatory outing to the mall, and Maggie had a meltdown in the middle of the trip. Not sure what was going on there, but we sat down in the mall until she could collect herself. I think she was so worried we were going to leave, she anticipated being sad and lost out on half the "fun." We did get her some cool new clothes and she bought chocolate bunnies to send to Tim and to Eddie and Grace.



Yesterday we had appointments to get our haircut.  She was excited about it and on Tuesday night said so on her talker. She didn't have a word for beauty parlor and improvised and you know that always impresses me. It's difficult to read the entire thing. It says Dad dad dad I am excited because I will go to the place for my hair Mom mom mom













 Maggie has been needing a haircut for quite a while. We have been using headbands to keep Maggie's hair from hanging in her eyes. I took "this before" picture at the Post Office where we stopped on the way to the "place for my hair"

While she was looking forward to getting her hair out of her eyes, Maggie also loves loves loves the haircut itself. It's hard to cut her hair because she is laughing the entire time. 

When Maggie was done I got mine cut too. When she paid attention she thought that was hilarious, but she mostly checked out herself in the mirrors. Lisa, our cosmetologist, took a picture of the two of us with our new haircuts. 

If I can fill in today and tomorrow, we will have this Spring Break nailed. So w e are off to Clement Street to shop in various stores for various things. It's not the mall, but it will have to do.  

Back to school DO

Maggie has been looking quite shaggy lately and that means it is time for a haircut. She returns to school on the 20th so today we got her "Back to School DO" from her favorite Beautician, Lisa at Tony's Hair Studio.

Maggie loves to get her haircut. She loves going to the salon and getting the cover put over her. She thinks the actual cutting is hilarious, but really not nearly as funny as the hairdryer. I told her yesterday the we were heading to North Beach for a hair cut today and the moment I saw her this morning she was touching her hair and saying "Mom i want to go" on her dynavox.

I was looking at me email on the phone. The nurse hadn't even left yet and, more importantly, I had not yet had any coffee. She started with that "Mom I want to go" sentence over and over and I finally said "Go WHERE?"  She pulled on her hair but I told her I wanted to hear it. There is not "haircut button on her dynavox (but I should make one.) She started hitting buttons and I knew she was going to ask for help to spell the word.

 I turned on the video camera on the phone to catch it. It took a full 3.5 minutes to spell out Beauty Salon, but she did it.  It's slow, but kind of cool. (Don't feel like you have to watch the entire thing unless you want a spelling test.) Once she gets going she picks up steam.

It was difficult for Maggie to wait until noon for her appointment, but somehow she made it. And she enjoyed it just as much as always. It's nice to see her eyes again.

No school Monday

No school for Maggie today. There were teacher meetings or some such thing. This us the type of day off my mother used to call "janitor got a new broom day." I didn't really really get her sarcasm when I was the one with the day off.

I understand it better now.

Maggie enjoyed a fun filled morning with me. We listened to her music and then went to north beach to get Maggie's haircut. No one enjoys a haircut more than Maggie.

She enjoyed a quick  
feeding and then helped me at Safeway. She loved the pepper display I let her pick one even though nether she nor I touch the things. (she can't, I won't).

We were back here when the nurse arrived. They two of them of them are hanging out while I work.




Perhaps I should get back to that.

Hair cut!

For the past couple of weeks, Maggie was scratching her forehead like crazy. I would hold her hand to stop her especially when I saw how scratched up and injured she was from her actions.(You can see the last of it in the picture below.) We tried various creams and salves to deal with the itching. Nothing stopped it. It took me a while to realize that her hair was bugging her. I would brush her hair back in the morning, but her hair is so fine it never stays where you brush it. It was hanging over her forehead and getting in her eyes. It was past time for a haircut.

I tried to set it up for Monday when Maggie had the day off school, but it couldn't be arranged. Lisa, the lady who cuts Maggie's and my hair could take us Tuesday afternoon. Ok. Maggie gets home a bit earlier on Tuesday, so we could make that work. Maggie was excited. She started talking about it on Monday night. "Mom, my hair tomorrow on Tuesday." By the time she got home from school yesterday she was chomping at the bit to get down to North Beach to see Lisa.

Lisa's shop is a quiet little place on Columbus Avenue. There is a lot of energy on the street, cable cars and buses roll by every few minutes and the the numerous pedestrians strolling by watch you get your haircut. They were treated to a show yesterday. No one like to get their haircut more than Maggie does. She laughs through the entire process and her joy in infectious.

Lisa praises Maggie throughout the whole haircut telling her how beautiful she is. Half the time Lisa is saying it in Italian and that sends Maggie into peals of laughter. It's not easy to cut Maggie's hair becasue she moves constantly and the back of her head is covered by the headrest of the wheelchair. As a matter of fact, Maggie has a large portion of hte back of her head that's almost bald from rubbing against that headrest, but you would never know is when Lisa is done. Maggie looks stylish and trendy. Maggie very seriously checks out all the angles and admires herself in the mirror. I told Lisa that the following picture should go in one of the haircut magazines.  

She went off to school today anxious to show off her new "do" to her friends and classmates. She is going to be disappointed that there is no beauty treatment planned for today. . 

Haircut!

Maggie and I spent her day off of school heading to North Beach to get a haircut. Maggie LOVES going there. From the look of this picture, she seems pleased with the results, too.

Beauty Day

Maggie got a haircut today. We made an appointment, got in the car and went to North Beach to get it done. This is a departure for Maggie. Generally one of her nurses cuts Maggie's hair while she sleeps. That works remarkably well but every once in a while we have to go get it "done".

I called my friend Lisa who cuts my hair. She was surprised to hear from me because I was just there last week. I asked if she would consider cutting Maggie's hair. With her beautiful thick Italiam accent she said I would LOVE to cut Maggie's hair. You bring her to me."  Today was the day.

I asked Maggie if she was ready to get a haircut and she was excited. She kept grabbing at her hair all morning. I'm not sure if she was saying "take this away" or "I'm gong to miss this hair"

Maggie thoroughly enjoyed getting her hair cut - but the blow dryer Lisa used to clean off the hair all over Maggie was a bit much for her. I put a cover on her trach to prevent any errant hair from getting in there. When Lisa was finished she asked Maggie if she wanted it shorter. maggies signed yes and Lisa started to laugh and said. "Ok, Bella, we will make it shorter"

Now Maggie has a new pixie cut for her return to school

Next stop, mani/pedis