mom hair

January 10, 2007

i've never been one to shower on a daily basis. most weeks, i'd say i average two to three showers. maybe more often in the summer and less often when it's cold out. mostly, if my hair is starting to stick to my head in a weird way, it's time for a shower. or maybe i'll catch a whiff of an armpit and realize it's been a few days. so, clearly, showering has always been more of a necessity for me than a luxury. but it's always been my choice. if i WANTED to, i could take a shower. i just usually have something better to do.

except that lately, i am DYING for a shower, dreaming of the hot water pounding my back, as i sit in a chair with babies asleep on me. maybe it's because it's the only time when i am truly all alone. maybe it's because it gets a little sweaty with two warm little bodies on top of me all day. maybe it's because i am often covered in spit up. yesterday, i was holding isa on my lap while checking email and i felt her tense up, a telltale sign of an imminent poo. next thing you know, there is a loud squirting sound and i feel a warm puddle on my lap. yep. her shit squirt out of her diaper and onto my lap. a stinky puddle of mustard-colored poo soaking into my pants and dripping onto the carpet.

so when jeremy gets home after an 11 or 12 hour day, i struggle with the urge to just hand them over and disappear into the bathroom for 30 minutes. i try to give him at least 5 minutes to put his keys down and settle in. and even that doesn't happen every day because i'm the mama and i'm the one that they want. so when i am able to sneak into the bath, the last thing i want is for my entire shower time to be spent untangling my dreading curls. so i now have mom hair. i actually *cut my hair* because i don't have time to untangle it. i find that a little ridiculous, honestly. i mean, a girl should be able to determine her haircut based on preference or aesthetics.

my hair has now been added to the list of things i've given up in the name of motherhood. other items on the list include:

sleep
sex
privacy
personal space
the right to use the bathroom as needed
the ability to eat when hungry
button-down shirts (not practical for nursing)
parties
shows
movies
travel

but, i will dutifully say that the list of things i've gained is far greater! :)

seriously, i love these babies. for real. but i was really unprepared for all the things that change when you've got little mouths to feed and comfort.

ps--they'll be 12 weeks old on friday. i can't believe it. they're smiling and laughing and sucking each other's heads and basically getting grown. my biscuits.