Family, Curmudgeons, and Flat Irons

My sister K and her daughter J came to meet Xiao Mei last weekend. We had such a great time catching up, and XM loved all the extra attention she received. K is very funny—she has a dry, witty sense of humor. She was fun to talk to, and she had some great insights about XM. J is 11 years old, going on 23. She is intelligent, kind, and independent. She kept XM very entertained.

July is the perfect time for visitors to Portland. The weather was great, even out at the coast. We went to the rose garden, and there were still plenty of blooming roses. I carried XM in a front carrier at the rose garden. She loved looking around at the big trees and flowers. She was happy as a clam, so she started talking. XM is not a quiet talker. She shrieks, squawks and makes all kinds of interesting noises. At first, I was a little embarrassed because so much noise was coming from such a little person. However, I figured we were outside, so XM was fine to make as much noise as she wanted. Happy baby noises are the best. Well, there was an older woman walking near us. She was clearly annoyed that XM was disturbing her contemplative walk through the roses. She commented about how loud my baby was, and I was tempted to respond with a comment about how old she looked. (I didn’t). Anyway, that was my first experience with someone expressing her annoyance with my child and/or parenting. I’m sure it won’t be the last.

K brought her flat iron with her. She has the deluxe version that heats up to approximately one million degrees. K ended up with wavy hair after her pregnancies, so she uses the iron to straighten her hair. Well, as genetics would have it, I have also developed a few kinks and curls in my hair after having XM. I tried K’s flat iron and it was awesome! I don’t know why I have not used one before now. After K and J left, I proceeded directly to my nearest Trade Secret and picked up a fancy-pants flat iron. It makes such a difference. Before I looked like the scarecrow, now my hair is nice and smooth. The down side: it nearly doubles the time it takes to get ready.