I have been on a mission searching for little toddler rain boots, with not very much luck. The smallest I have found are size 5 at a fancy little baby shoe boutique (read: expensive), while the majority of stores carry size 7 and up. Well, Miss Ana wears a size 4, poor tiny little thing. (But if she takes after me, having small feet will not be a problem she will have in the future. I’m a 9 1/2, thankyouverymuch.) So I have been asking around and one of the mothers at Ana’s playgroup told me that Fred Meyer had some adorable boots and matching rain coats. So today Ana and I went to check them out and she was right! They are the cutest things I have ever seen. Plus they were on sale! We ended up getting Ana a size 5 boot and 2T coat, which are both very roomy, but I figure once we add warm layers and some thick socks she will do just fine. Plus she may even be able to wear them next year too! Score!!

Once again wishing you a Happy St. Patty’s day from “Dad’s Lucky Charm!”

And just to show how things have changed in the last year, I offer you a side-by-side comparison.

Funny how some things are totally different yet some are the exact same.

Since the vote for bangs came in as the overwhelming majority (both online and off) Simeon and I took Ana to Kid’s Castle Cuts for her very first haircut. She was excited the moment we walked in the door and instantly wanted down to play with all the toys. Then the hairstylist called Ana’s name and we were escorted to a tiny pink jeep for Ana to sit in for her haircut. Seeing that Ana was a still relatively young she popped in a Baby Einstein video to keep her entertained while she trimmed her bangs. And boy did it work! Ana was enthralled with the video and didn’t even seem to notice someone cutting her hair.

Her bangs turned out a little shorter than I envisioned, but I guess that just saves me the trouble of having to cut them myself in a few weeks. Sim worried that it looked like she had even more of a mullet than before, but once we got home I pulled her hair into little pigtails and he was much happier. Ana was adorable and we didn’t have to brush her hair out of her eyes once this afternoon. Yippee!!

I am struggling with what to do with Ana’s hair and I thought I would put it to the Internet to help me out. I am trying to decide if I should give her bangs. Originally, when her hair was just starting to grow, the decision for no bangs was easy because her hair naturally “swoops” to the side in the front. But now that it’s getting longer, more often than not it ends up in her eyes and she looks like a ragamuffin. See?

So bangs? Or no bangs?

I have thoughts on either side. If we decide no bangs, I just need to patiently wait for her hair to grow long enough to put behind her ear or back into a ponytail. Presently I have tried to put the tiny clips in, but her hair is so fine they either slip out or are quickly pulled out by Ana herself. I can keep ponytails in longer, simply because she has to work a little harder to get the rubberbands out. But with the clips, as soon as I see her hand going for her hair, it is already too late. I had to hold her arm down just to take this picture:

If we decide on cutting bangs, my only issue is the maintenance. If her hair grows half as quickly as mine (or her father’s for that matter), we will be trimming her hair every other week. I know, I had bangs as a child. I am not worried about the cost, because I plan to do the trimming myself (the initial cut, however will have to be at a “baby saloon” to celebrate the occasion). What I do worry about is the squirm factor. I already have to turn on Blue’s Clues to keep her sitting still long enough while I trim her fingernails every week. And I would really hate for her to move while I am cutting her bangs and snip a chunk out of the middle. But I am willing to do it. Mostly because I know how much I hate having hair in my eyes.

So I want to know what you all think. Simeon doesn’t care either way. He says she will be adorable no matter what. And he is totally right. But what do you think??