The Many Hairdos of Elly

Max was born with a lot of hair. In fact, when I checked in at the hospital to deliver the twins and was examined to see how far along I was, the nurse asked the midwife, “What do you see down there?” To which the midwife replied, “Hair. Lots of hair. So either Baby A has a really hairy butt, or he’s coming out head first.” (That moment when you cross the TMI line with your blog…)

Elly, on the other hand, was not as richly blessed with hair.

But that didn’t stop us from accessorizing.

And on the bright side, less hair made her beautiful eyes stand out even more.

Eventually she got enough hair to justify her first haircut, which her Aunt Lisa did when we visited Nebraska for Max and Elly’s first Christmas.

And then she started to pick up some momentum in the hair growing business.

On the top and sides of her head, anyway.

The staff at the daycare were the first to start exploring the styling possibilities of Elly’s curls.

And then we started to get really stylish with the accessories.

By the time we moved to Tanzania in June 2012, when Elly and Max were just about to turn one year old, Elly had a full head of curls.

And then it was time to experiment with some more Tanzanian-style hairdos with the help of Big Sister Brenda and our house helpers.

But not every day was a good hair day for Elly.

So we brought in some professional help and took her to the salon for her first braiding.

She did so well sitting still for the stylist to braid her hair, we knew she was ready for the ultimate in Tanzanian braiding styles: the “Kilimanjaro.”

Elly sat on Brenda’s lap while the stylist, with lighting speed, braided rows all around Elly’s head from her scalp line up to the top of her head, forming a mountain peak of hair.

A few colored beads finished off the look.

So after a slow start, Elly has caught up and even surpassed Max in hair volume. But her modest beginnings will forever be recorded in her first passport photo.