Read a book

Now I'm not just talking about any book here.  Those of you that know me, know that I love a good read; but the book I'm reading today is rather special.  It's a picture book called Nowhere Hair.  I just finished reading it with my 5-year-old.

It's started, the thing I thought I was prepared for but now realize I am not quite ready to face...my hair is falling out.  I noticed it after my shower this morning as I held out my hands and they were covered in my hair.  Each time I run my hands through my hair, they come out covered in strands.  Now I'm not saying I don't shed normally, but this goes beyond the norm.  My hair is definitely coming out.  Jonathan, my youngest (who is also very attached to my hair and has been since infancy) asked me what I was holding in my hands this afternoon.  He wanted to know if I had spiderweb on my hands.  When I showed him that it was my hair he said, "Your hair is starting to come off?"  We had warned the kids ahead of time that this might happen.

So, with that question being raised I asked him if he would like to read a fun book with me (thank you Melissa Stewart of Sloan Kettering) about what might happen to mommy's hair.  He said, "yes."

We snuggled up on the couch - when my 7-year-old saw the title he decided he would rather not look at this book right now.  That's okay, we'll deal with it in his own time.  Jonathan and I read the book, talked about what kind of things mommy might wear on her head and generally just got a little silly.  Silly is necessary when facing this topic.

This is a new kind of waiting.  Waiting to see when I will need to start wearing scarves and make the final payment on my wig.  Waiting to see if I can pull off bald with aplomb.  I'm thinking I'll need some great earrings and a cheery shade of lipstick to make this work.  And a husband who has already, lovingly, asked if he can make a few Kojak jokes.  I told him yes, after all, he's waiting too.