I try not to be a lunatic, ya'll

I really wish I wrote and/or spoke with a southern accent. Wouldn't it make some of my drivel more likeable/interesting? Oh well, I tried it. Midwestern-y it is. Hmmmm. I was a midwestern sorority girl, like what do they sound like? Super sweet, obvi. 

Okay. Glad that little bit is out of my system. So, take a look at this picture of Cupcake taken about 15 months ago.

Bald, but still model posin'

 Mere weeks before this photo, she had a head full of curls. Then? None. It's a long story, but she ended up having her whole little noggin' shaved a couple of weeks before making the trek to America. A friend had been to the orphanage picking up her son and took mercy on my new momma soul and sent photos of our girl. She prefaced it by letting us know that it appeared her head had been shaved. I had a total melt.down. We weren't getting information on how she was doing. No updated photos. Nothing. Suddenly, we found out that she now had no hair, and we still didn't know when we would be able to return to Ethiopia to pick her up. We were legally her parents and I was so upset that someone shaved my baby's head without talking to me about any of it. We did get a phone call shortly thereafter which explained the need for the head shaving (well, I still maintain they didn't need to shave the whole head, but I made my peace... sort of). Fast forward to now.

Those curls just keep a'coming!

 She has a head full of curls (this picture was taken in August... those curls are even longer and thicker now). Ironically, she hates when I try to style her hair. We are slowly making progress there, but I blame the traumatic head shaving for her not wanting me to detangle and play with her hair. Alright, so I've written what? 2 paragraphs about the history of a 2 year olds hair? So, um, yeah... it's kind of  big deal (to me). I've watched youtube videos on style possibilities. I read blogs about chocolate hair (I TOTALLY RECOMMEND THIS ONE: http://www.chocolatehairvanillacare.com/). I research hair products. I have what seems like every accessory for little girl hair, ever made... too bad I can't use them for more than 3 minutes. 

So, to the stranger who came by our table at a restaurant to essentially pet my kid's head, I'm a little sorry I snarked at you, but wasn't it kind of obvious when said child kept moving her head and grabbing your hand to keep it away from her that your touch wasn't welcome? She isn't a poodle. She is a human. Whew, don't we all feel better with that cleared up? Honestly, in this situation, it really isn't a question of touching a black girl's hair. Just don't touch ANY toddler like that. Yes, she is beautiful. Yes, she purposefully tries to get the attention of every person within 20 feet of her, because she likes to say hi. Nope, neither she nor her parents want you to fondle her head (or any of her, actually). I should really write a post with a positive spin since it is the month of Thanksgiving and National Adoption Month and all that. So, um... yeah. Okay, can't do it. Too crabby.