Bangs

One morning, a woman I work with said that she liked my hair - and especially my bangs.  I thanked her but wondered if they were really bangs?  Are bangs still bangs if they are unintentional?

I have avoided discussing the following topic on this blog in an effort to protect Future Mommas-In-Training from running far, far away from ever trying to get pregnant, but now it is time.

This morning, in an effort to avoid Day Three of piling all of my hair on top of my head and twisting it into the sorry result of what would happen if a pony tail and a bun got together, I got out the curling iron.  

Several things are worth noting at this point.  

First, my hair is naturally curly.  Not the kind of curls that bounce.  Not the kind of curls that fall loosely around my shoulders.  Not even the kind of curls that are tight and have character.  My kind of curly is the kind that warrants [necessitates] a beauty product that I have never found.  My kind of curly is the kind that reacts to rainy, humid weather by becoming a wild mass of fuzz.  The curling iron actually (and ironically) is my quick way of fake straightening my hair.  It brings things back together rather than allowing them to fly apart into their more natural fuzz state.

Second, Nanny was fifteen minutes late today.  Normally, when she runs late, I run late.  And when I run late, I try to cut out the "extras" - like making a lunch for myself or spending more than two minutes on my hair.  (See e.g., Day One and Day Two of piling all of my hair on top of my head and twisting it into PonyTail and Bun's secret love child.)  But pregnancy has a way of increasing the pressure to put some effort into the the parts of my appearance that I can control (which are mostly above the neck).

Last, today is the third straight day of rain.  

This morning, I began the process of curling my curly hair into submission, hoping for something at least tame enough to pull into a pony tail and that would seem semi-professional.  As I wrapped each section around the curling iron, I couldn't help but focus on the Post-prego Hairline.  Oh, the Post-prego Hairline.  Those bangs I have?  They are not bangs.  They are the visible evidence of the Post-prego Hairline.  They are the result of two separate events: (1) the loss of massive amounts of hair starting when Bug was about three months old; and (2) the return of new hair when Bug was about seven to nine months old.  Apparently, this is a completely normal and natural process that most mothers experience.  

It came as a bit of a surprise to me, and today, it did not feel natural or normal.  It felt like one more obstacle to looking presentable - let alone professional.  Here's to hoping the rain stops soon.