The Twin Cowlick... The Double Swirl... Oh, No!

After reading this blog's title, you are probably wondering what this one is about. After all, "the twin cowlick" and "the double swirl" are rare! But it so happens that both of the men in my life have them - Daniel inherited it from his Papai!

Here is what one of my haircutting books says about the twin cowlick: "Every person's crown region has one cowlick, and on rare heads you'll find two back there... I usually describe the cowlick as if it were the axle of a bicycle wheel: the hair in the immediate vicinity is like the spokes of the wheel - they all go out and away from the axle..." And also: "Less than 10 percent of people exhibit the hair grain phenomena known as twin or double cowlicks... On about one-quarter of these folks, the hair between the cowlicks will want to stand on end, particularly if it is cut too short...you have to leave the hair longer so that it will bend and lie down with the other hairs around it."

So for me, learning about the twin cowlick has been very important because I have to be extra careful not to cut their hair too short in the crown region!

There is a whole section in my book about this!

And even Daniel was interested to know more!

But there is much more to this twin cowlick phenomenon...

I first heard about it when we went to Malaysia this past Christmas. Several people quickly noticed when looking at Daniel's hair that he had, as they called it, a "double swirl." (I had never noticed before; I just didn't know there was such significance hidden in the back of his head!) What I quickly learned is that his double swirl was a big deal but not in a good way!

You see, it turns out that there is a Chinese superstition that children who have a double swirl grow up to be very badly behaved and difficult! I remember very clearly the horrified look that one of Jonny's Chinese aunts gave us when she saw Daniel's double swirl... It was like she was saying to us: "Oh, no! Poor you! This is not good news!" We were able to comfort Jonny's aunt, and others who had the same reaction, by saying "Don't worry, Jonny also has a double swirl and he has turned out OK!"

I recently did a search on the twin cowlick and discovered that, as with the Chinese, the Japanese also believe that people who have them are more likely to behave badly but in addition, they are more likely to be a genius! At least there is a positive twist to the Japanese superstition!

In any case, I just find these different cultural beliefs fascinating... this is the kind of thing that makes our world a more interesting place.

Here are some close-up photos of Jonny and Daniel's double swirls! Who would have thought there was so much meaning to them?

The Finished Product!

So here are some photos of Daniel yesterday, after my first proper attempt at "bulk-cutting" the hair on top of his head. It may seem subtle, but I actually cut quite a lot off - to compare, have a look at the photos of him climbing the deck on this recent blog post!

A Childhood Dream Coming True!

Few people know that I have always loved cutting hair. As a child, I loved pretending to cut my dolls' hairs (I actually had one that I could cut and it would "grow out" again - remember, Adri?) and I have great memories of my dad letting me cut his hair and do his beard! So many times I cut him badly and put a band-aid on different parts of his face and he didn't mind at all (remember I wrote recently that my dad doesn't care what he looks like?). In fact, I found this photo below of me cutting my dad's hair in Brazil a few years ago... I remember as I was cutting he would say "don't worry my daughter, just cut it off!", which was very reassuring.

Well, I'm now really excited to report that my childhood love for haircutting is becoming an official hobby and responsibility! Since Daniel has needed to get haircuts, I realized that unless we were willing to put him through a traumatic experience at a salon (sitting still for one is very hard to achieve!), it would be better to just cut his hair myself. So that is what I have been doing for about the past 6 months. The truth though, is that I haven't really known what I have been doing! I have just been snipping away randomly at long bits hoping that it would turn out OK. Up to now I think it's worked out, but recently, his hair has been getting thicker and thicker and I haven't really known what to do with the top part especially... I was seriously thinking that for his next haircut, we would have to take him to a salon...

But recently, Jonny decided that he wanted me to cut his hair too! He said, "Ana, why do I need to keep going to a salon if you love cutting hair? Let's just get some clippers and you can cut my hair too!" Oh my goodness, that offer just excited me sooo much!!! Jonny has the exact same attitude about his hair as my dad, "just cut it off, it will grow back", which really gave me the courage to try!

So off we went to get clippers and on the same night, I gave Jonny my first official full haircut (I had trimmed his sides and back in the past, but never did the whole thing). Apart from some mistakes that can be seen, it turned out fine. In fact, if you look at the photos of him on our anniversary a few blog posts back, that was only a few days after I cut his hair - not bad, uh?! Well, actually, it was quite a stressful experience because after doing the back and sides with the clippers, I had no idea what to do with the top (I actually said outloud, "Now what?") and when Jonny looked in the mirror he said "It looks like a mushroom!" So he encouraged me to cut more from the top and again, not really knowing what I was doing, I just snipped away and it thankfully turned out OK! Jonny was very sweet actually, as I was literally shaking and sweating cutting his hair, he said "I'm very proud of this haircut, it's been done by my own wife!"

But since Jonny is now serious about me doing this from now on (he loves to say how much money and time he will save not having to go to a salon!), I decided that I had to learn how to do this properly. After all, it's a big responsibility cutting the hair of the two precious men in my life! So after realizing there wasn't much online that could really help, I ordered two great books that shows exactly what to do. Haircutting is not a mystery after all, there is a systematic approach that I can actually follow and apply!

So today, after spending the last few nights reading my books and preparing mentally, I cut the top of Daniel's hair! I didn't want to cut much of the length but wanted to cut the extra bulk and heaviness. It wasn't as easy as I thought to follow the instructions on a moving and impatient toddler, but for the first time it felt like I knew what I was doing!!! And it turned out OK and with practice it should get better and hopefully more even -there are still evidences of my past random snips remaining!

In any case, I'm really having fun with this new role. It really feels like a childhood dream coming true!

Here are some photos taken today before and during the haircut (I will take a photo of Daniel tomorrow with his completed look!):

This is my haircutting gear!

Posing excitedly with my clippers and scissors!

Showing Daniel my hair cutting books!

Cutting Daniel's top part after reading the books!

Daniel got to play with Jonny's cell phone which helped him wait a bit... but I still had to be quick!

Tantrums At 16 Months?

I'm glad to write this blog tonight after a peaceful and happy day with Daniel. I say this because just a few days ago, we experienced his first ever tantrum and now, we're just wondering when the next one will strike!!! Oh my goodness, I didn't realize the "terrible twos" started at 16 months?! Well, hopefully it was a one off until he gets a bit older, but we got to see for the first time what a tantrum looks like and it completely surprised us!

In his favor, dinner was running late, he was tired (slept over 12 hours that night) and has been getting new molars, but boy, we just never knew Daniel's emotions could get so out of control (uhm... I think he takes after me in this respect - poor boy! :-))! Anyway, what happened is that he wanted to go outside to play with his tricycle but I said he couldn't because we were about to have dinner and bang, the tantrum started: stomping his feet, kicking his legs, crying loudly, the works! We took him upstairs to his room where he loves to be and is usually soothing, but he just stayed "on fours" crying - literally! It all lasted about 15 minutes! I finally was able to pick him up without him kicking me and started to sing "Edelweiss" to him and he calmed down. We then went to have dinner and he just ate calmly, and a lot (he was hungry), as if nothing had happened! This was an interesting experience for us all to say the least!

Anyone reading this who may have some advice on how to handle future tantrums, please let us know! A Peruvian friend recently told me that in Peru, they put a toddler having a tantrum under the shower and they soon learn not to do it anymore! I thought I would pass on this advice in case you wanted to try it out! :-)

On a different note, we have continued to enjoy the summer a lot here, the weather has been just amazing for this time of year! Usually July is unbearable, too hot and too humid, but it's been just perfect: pleasantly hot with little humidity! We have also been missing Vovô Daddy a lot and Daniel kept asking about "Bo-bo" until Saturday - so he remembered him being in the basement for 4 days after he left. I just kept replying: "Remember that he took an airplane all the way back to Brazil?" My answer satisfied his curiosity each time! :-)

Check out the photos below for more of what Daniel has been up to at 16 months!

Daniel having fun at Jonny's Boss' "Crab Party"

Enjoying the pool at a friend's house

Little Mr. Cool!

(Daniel loves wearing his sun glasses - which is a great thing given how bright it can be here!)

We love this photo - hanging out at the pool having a drink is his "cup of tea!"

This is how we often find Daniel when we get back from work!

Maria continues to be a wonderful "second mother"

Daniel loves "running" down the hall before his swim class

He is getting better staying calm during car rides - he loves pointing at trucks, vans and motorcycles in particular!


Happy boy enjoying the outdoors...


Daniel having fun playing with his friend Devesh - he didn't notice us putting on the helmet but we thought he looked so cute in it!


Daniel enjoyed playing with Devesh's sand box



These last photos are of Daniel today, happy playing on the deck...


He loves playing with his cars more and more!


And climbing the deck too!!!

Celebrating 9 Years Of Marriage!

Can you believe it's already been 9 years since Jonny and I got married? It's been 9 years since the photos below were taken (We had to take a picture of these photos from our wedding album since there were no digital cameras in those days - unbelievable!):

Nine years sounds like a very long time; to us, it sounds very grown up! But the truth is, nine years sounds just right because it's been a very intense time since we got married. In the past nine years we have: finished our degrees, moved countries, moved homes, changed jobs, lost a son, had another son, learned (still learning!) to be parents, traveled, made friends, lost friends, prayed together, fasted together, matured, been sick, been healthy, laughed together, cried together, hurt each other, forgiven each other...yeah, we've been through a lot together.

But most importantly, as we reflect on the past 9 years, we can see that we have really loved each other. We have gone through everything as a team (even in our disputes, we have done our best to work them out together), helping and serving one another, committed to each other, committed to our vows, and above all, committed to God. The latter really is the key: it is very clear to us that we have made it through the past nine years loving each other so much because of God in our lives. As we have talked about our relationship, we can see key moments where if it were not for God working, if it were not for our faith in Him, we would probably not be together and even if we were, our marriage would not be strong. So as we celebrate our marriage today, we give all glory to God!

Thank you Lord for this gift of marriage, thank you for protecting us, guiding us, leading us, convicting us, teaching us. Because of You, we have experienced true love, the kind that "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." (1 Cor.13:7) (This passage was read on our wedding day, when we didn't really understand what it meant...now, nine years later, we thankfully have a much better idea.)

To celebrate our marriage, we had a great lunch today at a special Brazilian Restaurant in Baltimore and were even surprised by an "Anniversary Pudim"! Check out the photos below!

We managed to get a photo at the beginning of the meal but then got really into the food so no more photos of the amazing food...

We also enjoyed having the Brazilian drink "Guarana!"

And then coffee to keep us awake after the big meal - despite the celebration, we had to go back to work! :-)

We were pleasantly surprised by this Brazilian cream caramel (pudim) on the house!

I love you darls, now more than ever!

Thankful for Vovô Daddy!

I feel like this is becoming a habit: Relatives come to visit and I end up writing a "good-bye" blog after coming back home, seeing that they are truly gone, and feeling sad... This time, however, it's been even harder because Daniel is also missing his Vovô. We dropped him off at the airport this afternoon and Daniel has already asked about him... How can you explain to a 16th month old that his Vovô, a very loving and friendly man who has played with him for over 2 weeks and was "living in the basement", is just not here anymore? Well, this has made saying goodbye to my Daddy even harder....

But, before I let my emotions take over, I'm trying to focus on the wonderful 16 days that we just spent together. It truly was such a wonderful time: lots of love, lots of laughter, lots of playing, lots of having fun... and there were even some tears during meaningful conversations... For all of this, I'm very grateful.

Thank you Daddy, thank you Vovô, for coming all this way to visit us! We love you so much and we are already missing you!!! Oh Lord, it's not easy being far away from our loved ones!

You know, after my dad left I have been thinking a lot about him and what a special man he is. And suddenly it hit me and I was able to clearly define what in my dad is so special: he is a very humble person, a rare example of humility. He loves God, thinks first of others, loves to serve others, is very generous when he sees a need, and just doesn't think much about himself (he says he doesn't even really look in the mirror, just doesn't worry about what he looks like!). My dad is one of the most humble persons I have ever met, and for this, I'm truly grateful. To have my own dad as an example of humility, something that I strive to grow in, is truly a blessing for our family. I even bet that as he reads this, he will be thinking "No, my daugther, you shouldn't think that about me." Yes Daddy, that's exactly why I do; thank you for being this to me also! We love you and we can't wait until we are together again!

Vovô Daddy loved taking care of Daniel at the park...

Enjoying one of many wonderful dinners - this one with Maria Helena too...

He loved carrying Daniel...

Daniel enjoying his Vovô at a friends house on the 4th of July Holiday - thanks for these great photos Evy!

Vovô got to witness Daniel enjoy his swim class!

We also visited the Memorial Park...

Vovô got to eat Maryland Crabs!!! He liked them but thought the Old Bay Spice was a bit too spicy!

Hanging out on the deck...

Vovô was always so tender with Daniel...

I really love my Daddy...

On our way to the airport...

Last photo at the airport - sad but thankful. Daniel was looking at the airport busses and had no idea what was happening!