Hair ye, Hair ye!

Very exciting updates I have for you today, are you ready?

My spinal MRI results are in and I'm all clear!  No metastases.  Huge relief :^)

And I'm bald!  Nere' a hair'ee on my noggin.  And it feels wicked cool.  And alien like.  And quite chilly, in fact.  I can say without hesitation that I am no longer a fan of our ceiling fans.

I first noticed things were changing last Thursday when I went to snip (not pluck, as Nelson had trained me) a white hair, and found to my astonishment that it came right out before I had so much as raised the shears.  I then proceeded to swiftly pluck the other 10 or so white strands without any remorse.  Then on Friday, I was gazing down at Imogen's head and remarked, "my, what long hair you have" - then realized I was actually shedding on the poor dear.  Soon after, my scalp became super sensitive, and even the wind rustling through my hair began to hurt.  On Saturday, I fashioned my favourite scarf around my head in a desperate attempt to salvage as much hair as possible, but decided that I would take the plunge on Sunday and make it a Mother's Day like no other.

Ready to rock it

I had been talking with my kids for a couple of weeks about how my hair would soon fall out, so they were thrilled to hear the day had finally come.  Mummy was about to look really funny!  We installed a nice barber shop setup on our back deck, and with Grandma and Auntie Nina (aka Steph) on hand to snap pics and tend to the baby, we set to work as a family on shaving off Mummy's hair.

Off she goes

Salvador had the first go at it, combing out the longest and thickest locks with delight.  Soraia went next, dabbling with the comb before realizing that her hands could cover more ground more quickly.  Her hysterical giggles I will never forget.  Nor will I forget the image of Salvador sweeping up my hair with a paintbrush and loading it on to his Tonka truck.  When I asked him why he was mixing my hair in a container with garden soil and dandelions, he advised me that he was going to spread his muck in our yard in hopes that the human scent would fend off the groundhog or other creature that has been digging up our grass.  Smart cookie, that one. 

Hairy fun with Tonka

Who needs a scarecrow when you have mystery hair concoction?  (which is working, btw!)

After the kids had had their fun, Moises got down to the task at hand, first snipping away with scissors, then trying unsuccessfully to use our pathetic little hair trimmer that was just not cutting it.  He finally resorted to a beard trimmer which did the trick, albeit, really really slowly.  I cracked open my beer of choice (1664 Kronenbourg) to help pass the time while a sober Moises worked diligently.  He remarked how fun it was to cut off my hair, and I told him to enjoy it as he wouldn't be doing it ever again. The kids, who had moved indoors to chill with Grandma, periodically popped their heads out to point and exclaim, "ha ha!  Mom has no hair!"  When we were all done, we decided I looked part Sinead, part 10-year-old hooligan who's about to steal your car.  And interestingly, blonde. 
  

Non-buxom blonde

In terms of a head covering, I picked up a nifty "beau beau", a fancy kind of head scarf that requires no tying whatsoever, you just pop it on.  I would highly recommend these as they are a great time-saver.  Actually, I've shaved a fair bit of time off of my morning routine not having to wash, blow dry and flat iron my hair anymore.  So much so that I am for the first time ever showing up EARLY for appointments!  I actually have to WAIT to be called in.  I have even taken to bringing along one of my many unfinished books to pass the time.  Yes folks, the little-known bonus side effects of chemo - punctuality and book smarts!  

Looking rather beau beau if I do say so myself

My next round of chemo is tomorrow, May 17th, which is a good omen indeed.  It is Norway's Consitution Day, a day full of celebration.  All those good Viking vibes are sure to be coming my way.  Speaking of my favourite Norwegian...

Blessing report of the week, the month, the year and my lifetime:

My mom.  She rocks it.  Since this adventure began she has been shuttling me around to appointments when I was advised not to drive, tagging along when I was able to drive but just needed company, walking Salvador to kindergarten when my appointments coincided with school drop off or pick up times, and helping care for Imogen when I was too infectious to hold her.  And after all of her hard work, she brought ME a Mother's Day present.  Honestly, if I ever turn in to my mother, my kids will be lucky indeed!

Peace out!  (that's the hooligan in me talking)...or perhaps more appropriately, piece out!
Ellen