The end of a beautiful thing

The time finally came. Last Friday Gabriel got his first haircut. It was an emotional experience, at least for me. He seemed pretty emotional too, though I can't say for sure that it's because he's going to miss his curls. I think the tears had something more to do with getting his hair caught in the barber's cape, and then some general unease about the whole process. I liked the barber though. He lives in our building so he came over in the evening and did the job in our apartment. Gabriel was a real trooper, clearly upset but he held still and hung in there. It has been five days now and I'm finally getting used to his new 'do. I have to admit I was doubting my decision to cut. His hair had gotten so long that most days his curls were just a mangy mess rather than the charming halo I adored. Even so, watching them all fall to the floor was hard, and spending several days feeling like I didn't recognize my own son was a little troubling as well. We all survived though, and Gabey is handsome as ever, just with a new look. And I saved some of his curls for his baby book. Or maybe for my own keepsake box. In any case, the first cut is a thing of the past. Here are some pics to document the event (14,377):

BEFORE:

DURING:

AFTER (what a handsome young man!):