Pigtails Make You Famous

This is Olivia's first official 'do. I've never styled her hair before, beyond combing it out the way that it naturally falls or slicking it down with good old mom-spit (you guys know that stuff is magic, right?). I probably could have been doing this for a while now, but it was really just today that I looked at her and said "Wow! Your hair has gotten really long!" She has been eating and sleeping a lot lately, so maybe it was a growth spurt in the head and hair region. Lord knows, as she becomes more and more adept at walking (and trying out her running legs from time to time, which makes for a really funny and awkward waddle of sorts), her legs are slimming down, giving her a rather top-heavy look. Don't get me wrong, I do love a baby with a big ol' potbelly, but her head is starting to look a little bit... giant. Until I put her hair in pigtails. Hmpf! Must have been all that hair!

So this afternoon, I "dragged" (Reuben's description) my family to the annual fair that is going on right down the street from where we live. Olivia had never been to a festival before, so the sights, sounds, smells, and all the people were really something to her! After a little while of being strolled around, she demanded to be carried because it was all just too much. Once she was safely tucked into my or Reuben's hip, she was very interested in pointing out all the things she found exciting. Her favorite seemed to be the giant pirate ship that swung soooo high into the air and then swooshed back down, to the screaming delight of its passengers. Livi probably thought them all half mad. But, then again, this is the girl who loves being carried and swung upside down by her father.

Anyway, moments after arriving, we (and by "we", I mean "Olivia") caught the attention of a local news reporter who was covering the fair. She asked if we would mind being interviewed and I, being a tiny bit of a ham, myself, said "sure!" I was all charm and smiles as I told her how this was Olivia's first time seeing anything like this and how much fun she was having seeing all the rides and people. Then the reporter asked Reuben about his thoughts on the spree being a celebration of our city's birthday. Reuben, or shall we call him Rico Suave, mumbled that he knew nothing about that but wished our city a very happy birthday. Finally, the reporter handed the mic to Olivia who pawed it curiously and had the serious (but utterly adorable) sunglass-clad face of a serial killer. Who do you think made it on the news? My adorable pigtail girl and her father. Upon seeing themselves on TV, Olivia did her usual monkey hoot and pointed at the screen, and Reuben said "Boy, I am handsome!"

Of course, we set up the tv to record ourselves on the news. And, of course, the recorder didn't work right so our 15 (or 1.5) seconds of fame are lost into outer space. But, it's bound to happen again some day. After all, Reuben is handsome.