Reedisms

Saturday afternoon, we went to get Reed's haircut. We just take him to Great Clips, because they do a decent job and because I don't want to take him to my hoity-toity salon and let him create chaos in that calm, spa-like environment. Background: Reed hates having his haircut. He has had one haircut in his life that he has not cried, screamed, or yelled through, and that was at Cost Cutters in the Southside Wal-Mart in Paducah. Since we can't replicate that experience, we go to Great Clips. I'm also not above bribing him. I offered him a toy (he said he needed a new truck) and ice cream (to which he responded, "it's too cold for ice cream. I want cake." Okay buddy, whatever works). We talked up what a big boy he is ( and his response to that was "I'm not a big boy, I'm a little Reed.") and how if he was good during his haircut, we could go get a new toy truck and then ice cream ("no, cake!").

So we go to GC, put our name on the list and end up with a 40 minute wait. We go to the mall and walk around for a while. Go back to GC and it's finally our turn. He gets in the chair and immediately starts crying. The hairstylists offer him stickers and suckers (this kid has *never* turned down stickers or suckers), to no avail. He's just not happy about being there. We keep reminding him about the toy truck and cake (which, by now, in his mind, has turned into a cupcake with pink icing). He suffers through and finally she's done. He hops down and starts looking for his cupcake - in Great Clips. Frantically. Like, running around like a maniac, yelling "cupcake!" Holy embarassment. All of the stylists are cracking up. He's crying. "Cupcake! I need my cupcake!"

Finally I am able to calm him down enough to tell him that we need to go to the supermarket to get his cupcake ("pink icing, Mommy"). It's still close enough to Valentine's Day that I'm hopeful that we'll find pink icing. We bundle up and head to the supermarket. By this time, he's so focused on his cupcake with pink icing that he's completely forgotten about getting a toy truck (dammit, I wanted to go to Target). We walk in the supermarket and head to the bakery, where, believe it or not, there is not a single pink cupcake to be found. We do find, however, a tiny heart shaped cake that Reed decides will suffice. Thank goodness. Crisis averted.

Of course, all he really wanted was the Crisco-laden icing. That's my boy!