Pierced!

This is the blog I've been most excited to post since most people don't know about it. Enjoy! :)

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Hannah occasionally makes comments (unsolicited, mind you) to the effect of, "I wish I could have my ears pierced." "I like your earrings. I wish I had some."

Well, Miss has been considering this for quite some time but feared the reaction of the can't-stand-to-see-a-hair-on-Hannah's-head-harmed grandparents. After another comment offered while I was doing my makeup before going out one night this week, I mentioned to Miss that Hannah brought it up again. We decided to take things to the next level. We explained to Hannah how it would work: the lady would make a dot on her ear, wash that spot, it would pinch like getting a shot, and then they would show her the earrings in the mirror. She didn't love that it would pinch - she repeated that it might pinch, so I corrected her that it WOULD pinch. I didn't want it said that I misled her! :)

Anyway, fast forward to Friday night, August 6th. I did her hair in braids to give the piercers better access to her ears. She was excited but got in a fair amount of trouble just before we left. Fast forward again to a few minutes later - much crying on her part, being ignored by Mommy and Tia until she could talk without whining/yelling (a rule in her house).... She apologized for being "dis-ispeckel" (which garnered a hidden smile from us as she did her best to try to get out the word disrespectful), and we were once again en route to get her ears pierced.

We were a little nervous because, of course, she's just 4, and we didn't want her to get an infection. We tried Kohl's first, but the lady there never acknowledged us, so we left. Next up was the jewelry counter at JC Penney's, but they don't do ear piercing. We also called a tattoo parlor that does piercing (actually where I got my nose pierced in college) since they have licensed tattooers/piercers who work there and we'd been told to try that as an option. We were shot down again.

We ended up at Claire's in the mall, which turned out to be great. They were able to do a double piercing, so we didn't have to worry about Hannah chickening out of the second piercing. Miss asked what they did to sanitize, and we were shown that each piercing gets a new kit that is boxed up until opened. The woman who led the way in this adventure was named Beth, and she was super friendly. Hannah took to her right away - not typical of her with most strangers. Beth was kind enough to say, "Can I ask what nationality she is?" Most people just ask, and we appreciate very much when people are sensitive to the fact that it's a little rude to just assume we're willing to discuss it. It's not that we aren't... it's just that, as Hannah gets older, she becomes more and more aware of her difference from us, so we appreciate it when people understand to broach the subject politely.

After about 10 minutes, we were ready to go! I took some videos of the event and thought you'd get more out of our experience by seeing it firsthand! In this video, you can see she's pretty pumped. You also hear me comment on what some passing teens said when they saw Hannah in the chair.

Here's where they are getting her ears cleaned and ready to pierce. Beth was great to show Hannah everything she was doing (and hide the piercing guns behind her back until the moment they were needed).

And, finally, the moment of truth.

Just so you don't think we're terrible, here's another clip to prove she recovered quickly. Forgive the shrill nature of my voice! You can see Hannah's pretty mellow in this clip, but she's also pretty content with her "magic sucker."

We decided not to tell Mom and Dad but to surprise them when they saw Hannah. They came up Saturday morning, and I told Hannah not to say anything but to see if they noticed. Everyone gave hugs, and then Hannah said, "Know what my surprise is?" They didn't, so Hannah said, "Look to see my ears!" Mom smiled, paused, and then said, "HANNAH! Those better be fake!!!" Hannah giggled, and Mom, still surprised (but not angry), said, "Those are real?! Oh my gosh!" Hannah liked her reaction. Dad wasn't upset either - just smiled in the background. Everyone thought they were very pretty, and not surprisingly, Mom said she was glad she didn't have to be there to see it. I played them the video, then, so Mom didn't have to miss out. ;)

Here are some still shots of Hannah's lovely new earrings. Here's a shot from before her ears were marred for life.

And a lovely after shot from a little girl who's looking even more grown up now!

Overall, it was a great experience - Hannah's reaction was about what we expected, and she likes having them done. We kept making a big deal all night, and she let us touch them without complaint. I'd highly recommend Claire's if any of you ever opt to torture your children in the future!