Hayley warhol

worn

This past weekend we went into Stride Rite to get Hayley’s shoe size. We were lured in by the 5 dollar off coupon and the fact that she would be fitted by a “certified fit specialist”. I had envisioned this cool machine in which she would place her cute little feet to be analyzed precisely resulting in her exact size. In reality it was a kid taking time out from his break using one of those old slider things I remember from when I was a kid. Hayley looked at the kid and slider with great suspicion. She knew something was up. The kid gently place Hayley’s foot in the slider and stood her up and decided that she was a size 5. 5? I exclaimed. I thought she was maybe a 3 or 4 tops. Hayley may be cursed with big ugly feet like her mom. Anyway we proceeded to peruse the overly priced Stride rite shoes. The average price seem to be around 35 dollars. We found a cute high top black patent pair for fewer than 30 and with the coupon we considered the expense, so we had the kid get us a pair in size 5. He didn’t have those in that size but he came out with another pair equally cute. Together we struggled to put Hayley in the shoes. Then we stood her up to lean against an ottoman. She looked at the shoes, shaking her feet then looked at me and the kid as if to ask “what have you done to me?” In the end we decided the price was too much, so once again the guilt of short changing Hayley set in. Later talking to my mom on the phone she said back in the day stride rite did have a fancy X-ray machine they used to determine a child’s shoe size, and parents felt like it was worth the expensive price tag knowing that the shoes fit precisely. But then it came out the unnecessary X-rays especially for a child wasn’t the best idea. Now stride rite uses the old fashion slider thing like everyone else, but the price never went down. “They out grow them so fast Stef, don’t feel bad about not spending the money. Just go to Target.” my mom advised. Today before work I went to Target, I have been obsessed with getting Hayley black patent shoes to wear with her Christmas and birthday outfits and I want to get a photo her in her Christmas outfit before it gets too small. There they were in the pre-walker section, cute little black patent shoes for 9.99! I also threw in some pink sneakers. The fives looked huge and I was again worried that Hayley was cursed with my feet. Then I made my way to the slipper isle and saw the leather shoes I had gotten Hayley only a few months ago. Hayley has been cruising around so much that she has already worn them out, and I considered getting her another pair. I checked the size chart on the back and a size 5 is for children 6-12 months! So she is right on target feet wise. Whew! Now the only thing to worry about is what to call her “First pair of shoes” for all prosperity. Are they the beautiful little pink slipper shoes I got her to take her home form the hospital, that she has probably only worn twice? Or are they the much used leather shoes that are more like slippers as well? Or are they the first dressy shoes and first sneakers I bought today? Old and new, delicate and worn, I guess they are all firsts in someway.

delicate Hayley

delicate (adj.): requiring careful handling; easily unsettled or upset…

This photo of Hayley best illustrates this definition of the latest photo Friday challenge. I usually don’t think of Hayley as “requiring careful handling”, (I mean any more than one is usually with a baby) and she really isn’t “easily unsettled or upset”. As my husband describes her “she is a rough and strong baby”. Matter of fact just today I left her wrestling with the toddler with whom she shares her nanny. He was falling all over her and Hayley was just laughing and squealing with joy. However that strong not so easily unsettled or upset Hayley goes out the window the minute my family descends upon her. In their defense or in Hayley’s defense she usually encounters them when she has just woken up from a nap, and they are usually so excited to see her that they all start talking loudly and crowd her in an attempt to give her a hug. “They” being my mom, dad and grandma. This particular visit, Hayley took one look and immediately started to cry. This photo was taken some minutes after the initial outburst, when she realized they were not going away and she was in between being upset and simply enduring their presence. Sometimes she would seem okay with them being there; my mom even got her to smile and my dad even pick her up in his arms. But then as soon as she realized where she was she started to cry all over again. She was definitely in a delicate mood. Eventually she got over it, as was all smiles all the time. As she gets older and more used to family visits this delicate mood doesn’t last long, sometimes it doesn’t surface at all.