Wednesday, March 2, 2011

A Hairy Situation

Scene: My buddy and I are walking home from Starbucks (ahhh the caffeine addiction!) on this gorgeous, spring-like day.  He is content in his trusty sling and I am content hefting him around, sipping away at my coffee.  We pass by a mother and her five-year-old daughter.  We smile conspiratorially at each other, silently acknowledging the cuteness of each other's children.

Mom (to daughter): Isn't that a cute little baby, sweetie?
Little girl: Uh huh!
Mom: You know, I used to carry you around like that when you were little too.  You loved being all snuggled up against me.
Little girl: Yes...(pause for dramatic effect)...but I had much more hair.

I burst out laughing.  I couldn't help it!  What a precocious kid.  As if she could remember how much hair she had as a one-year-old, but by golly, she knew it was more than THAT.  My poor monkey.  He has hair!  It's just very wispy and short, as all blondies are.  Not once has anyone thought I was his nanny as opposed to his mother because we look so much alike, right down to our wispy blonde hair.  In fact, one time, some woman stopped me to ask if I would like to hire her as a nanny for my baby.  Not only was this a supremely weird question ("Why yes, I am looking for a nanny!  The street is a perfect place to meet one.  Start this Monday, 6 AM."), but it made me wildly uncomfortable and forced me to respond, "Um, well, actually I am his nanny."  Yeah.  Definitely awkward.  Or the time when the subway was delayed between stops and Alix and I got to talking to this very nice man who could tell we were a couple and who then assumed that the baby I was holding was ours.
"So, how did you guys go about getting pregnant?" he boldly asked.  "My sister is trying to figure it out with her partner right now, so...?"
"Uhhh....well...." <-- aren't we eloquent????
Then the train started moving and the conversation did too and we were saved from having to explain why we had a baby that wasn't ours.  Thank heavens.

Long rambling post short: my buddy will grow hair when he pleases, thankyouverymuch.  Until then, he's still cuter than a baby hedgehog (and they're pretty darn cute).

2 comments:

Lauren said...

Hey Caitlin! It's Lauren from Smith. I have been hesitant to comment on your blog, because I am afraid that it is weird that I haven't talked to you in probably two plus years, but I am now a regular reader of your blog, but the story about you and Alix on the metro with the baby is just too hilarious to not comment on! It's crazy what strangers think is appropriate for small talk when you are all stuck on public transit together... Last year my girlfriend and I were on the metro in DC and this girl sitting behind us asked us how we liked being lesbians because she was considering giving up on men because all the men she ever dated were total jerks. She kept wanting us to tell her that women were nicer than men, and we tried to explain that it didn't work like that, but she would hear it. Anyways, keep writing because I love reading your blog- I hope that's not weird!

Cait said...

Lauren! I'm so glad you read (and enjoy) the blog. It's not weird AT ALL that you waited till now to comment, I love hearing from people that I haven't heard from in ages. Also, I can't believe the girl you talked about. As if being a lesbian were that simple...wouldn't all women date women? P.S. You should become a follower because it would make me do happy dances around the living room so that I don't have just one follower. Just saying :) Hope life is going well for you!!