Losing My Hair

So last night, I shaved my head. What did you do?

My hair started falling out in earnest on Saturday morning. We were staying in a hotel, and Saturday and Sunday, I felt so bad for the housekeepers at the hotel! I left a note of explanation and a tip for them.

Backing up a bit... Last week was a great week! Part of the reason for the rush in getting started on chemo on April 11, was so that I would feel good for a trip to St. Louis that our family had been planning for several months, and I did! I felt as normal as I've felt since chemo treatment #1. My mouth went back to normal- less dry and carpet-y feeling, and my digestive system got back on an even keel, and I was HUNGRY a lot! I gained 3 whole pounds, and my jeans are not quite as loose.

Indulge me for a second, I have to brag on my kid for a moment... Xander is a part of the Robot Geeks, which is a First Lego League team made up of all 7th and 8th graders from Patrick Henry Middle School here in Sioux Falls. FLL teams are judged on the performance of their robots, which is the most public event at a tournament- scores are posted, and they do them in a large space and have MCs and it's all very exciting. Each year, there is a theme, last year's theme was Food Factor, this year was Senior Solutions (helping the elderly with common problems). Teams will do a Project, where they come up with a problem and a creative solution to that problem, then present it to a panel of judges- usually a little skit of some sort, then answer some questions. They also have a Tech Briefing, where they present their robotic programming information to the judges, they do a Core Values activity- they have a poster outlining the core values of FLL: 

We are a team. We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors. We know our coaches and mentors don't have all the answers; we learn together. We honor the spirit of friendly competition. What we discover is more important than what we win. We share our experiences with others. We display Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition® in everything we do. We have FUN!

 and then the judges have them do an activity together, which they don't know what it will be going in, to see how well the team communicates and works together. I've only gotten to hear about these activities until last week, because parents aren't usually allowed to watch. 

These 3 things along with Robot Performance, in which the robot the team creates attempts to solve missions on about an 8'x4' table, filled with Lego creations that the robots interact with, all according to the theme of the year- this year with Senior Solutions as the theme, there there missions such as completing a Lego quilt, walking a dog, fixing a broken chair, turning off a stove, working a cardiovascular machine, bowling, choosing the right color medicine bottle, and balancing the robot on a bridge. The more missions your robot completes successfully, the more points your team gets.

In 2011, the Geeks' robot got 2nd place in that portion of the competition, but the team won the overall State Tournament, and got to advance to the North American Championship at Legoland in Carlsbad, CA. This year, our robot, Steve, did not perform as well at State, and we were really quite shocked when we won the State Tournament for the second year in a row! The team was sent to the World Championship in St. Louis, and we were one of 80 teams from 60 different countries to come home with a trophy!  The kids got a trophy in the category of Inspiration because of some of the ways they support and promote FLL and the South Dakota Robotics Association in Sioux Falls.

As you can tell, "We Have Fun" might be their favorite Core Value. 

Also, Christmas Lights should be added to this team's values.

The trophy is the red thing in the front center.

OK, back to my hair loss.

Despite the short haircut, the process of my hair falling out was still traumatic. I was able to get away with hats for Monday and Tuesday of this week, but Wednesday, I decided it was time to bite the bullet and wear my wig for the first time. I was really self-consious about it, but I posted this picture on Facebook and everyone was really nice about it.

Despite the goofy look on my face... 

which my mom & brother both commented on. So much love!

After wearing the wig for a full day, I decided it was time to shave my head. The hair falling out is MESSY! It is just gross, and it gets everywhere, so I had Matt buzz my head (which I said I wouldn't do, but desperate times and all...)

Honestly, neither of us enjoyed this process. I think it may have been as hard on him as it was on me. I looked at it in the mirror afterward, and it was so patchy and weird looking. I decided to take a shower, and it was still falling out, but more like whiskers, but it made it even more patchy and weird looking, so I shaved it. Myself. In the shower. Yes, there were tears.

I got out and used a towel to dry my head- a towel I will be able to reuse for the first time in a week! I told Matt that I needed him to still think I was beautiful. He assured me that he does. I rubbed some soothing coconut oil into my scalp, as he reminded me of all the sexy bald white women in movies like "V for Vendetta."  I said I was thinking of "G.I .Jane," and a creative plan emerged.

Here are my celebrity knock-off photos. Enjoy. (and excuse my terrible Photoshopping skills)

Here's my Demi Moore, with one notable exception...

My arms are significantly longer than Natalie Portman's

Sinead O'Connor is just beautiful. 

And yes, I shopped in stubble on my head.

And then I put my glasses on, and let's face it. I look like this guy.