We haven't blogged much about Dayssi's hair yet but we could have. Those of you who know Dayssi know all about the luminous golden ringlets that were kind of her trademark. What many of you don't know is that it is a big job to keep that kind of hair looking groomed -- challenging for both groomer and groomee -- and that May 9, the day of Dayssi's A.L.L. diagnosis, was the last day that anyone tried seriously to comb it out. In the past month it became kind of like one big dreadlock, and what to do with it became a stimulating topic of conversation for Jim and I, as well as a variety of curious observers.
Late Wednesday of this past week we agreed it should be cut, rather than wrestled with, especially considering the typical effects of chemotherapy on hair. We asked Dayssi whether she wanted a short hair cut, and when she giggled and nodded, we sped into action. I had an appointment at Juut in Palo Alto for myself on Friday, so I called right away and was able to book cuts for Dayssi and India at roughly the same time.
The salon was fantastic. I've always thought of Juut as a kind of snooty place but when I explained what had happened to Dayssi's hair they offered to comp the haircut, and put both Dayssi and India into the very kind and competent hands of a stylist-apprentice named Beth. Beth has great energy, she was very patient and gentle with both girls, and she she did an excellent job. India got an fantastic trim (her hair looked beautiful during the dance show today), and Dayssi got a really adorable little pixie kind of thing. I also got a nice pixie-ish haircut from a very sweet and talented stylist named Phil. Normally I wouldn't use this blog to promote a business but after how they treated us on Friday, I think they deserve it. BTW, for anyone looking for a stylist for your kids or yourselves: a haircut from Beth is very reasonable but a haircut from Phil ain't cheap.
We've had a great week and weekend. Dayssi off steroids is so familiar -- if she didn't look like someone else I would say she is just like her old self. It is amazing to realize how much the steroids affected her mood. She was very subdued while on them, occasionally smiled but almost never laughed, and was much less social than usual. We assumed that this was partially due to her illness and what she had been through. But it appears to have been largely due to the steroids. For the past five days she has been super social, giggling and laughing almost constantly, and playing like a regular almost-three year old. We'll be on steroids again in the near future, but for much shorter and more intermittent stints.
Today was India's dance recital and we all enjoyed ourselves there. Later we went to a neighborhood picnic, which was also a lot of fun. About an hour ago Jim took Dayssi in to the emergency room because one of the small wounds from the pokes on her back from Tuesday was looking red and irritated. I am blogging now to keep myself distracted, waiting to hear from him, hoping this will not turn out to be a big deal. She was not in pain today and did not have a fever.
When Jim gets home we'll update on Dayssi's wound and I will try to get him to post some hair shots as soon as possible.
More thanks: fantastic meals and gifts keep pouring in, as do the phone calls, emails, blog comments, and generous acts of support from close friends and family. As always, each gesture is a comfort. Thank you.
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