Maisie's been sort of interested in having pierced ears for a while now, but always backed down when we'd remind her how the process happens. She has some anxiety in general, so it isn't surprising to me that the thought of someone poking a needle through your earlobes would make her say "maybe when I'm older." :) But with turning seven, I thought she might be ready.
Saturday morning we had Suomi-Koulu, and afterwards Aaron was taking Ella to a birthday party. Maisie and I were talking about what we were going to do, and I suggested heading to the mall to get her ears pierced. Surprisingly, she was all for it! So off to the Mall of America we went.
When we got there, though, there were second thoughts. We talked about it and Maisie said, "Maybe when I'm nine." I said okay, they're your ears so it's your choice, and we went off to try lunch. Maisie suggested sushi (I know, what?), so we went to Masu Sushi where she scarfed down a bunch of edamame, four pieces of a teriyaki chicken roll, three pieces of an avocado roll, and three pieces of California roll. Holy cow! That girl's a sushi-eating machine. She does not care for wasabi or pickled ginger (too spicy!), but otherwise, she's willing to try just about any rolls. It was a fun, fun lunch.
We were walking out of the mall when we passed by a Claire's. I said "you know, they pierce ears here, this is where we could get it done." (I know, I KNOW! I have had enough piercings myself that I'm familiar with all of the gun vs. needle arguments. Suffice it to say, this was easy and fast and made Maisie super comfortable in a way that a piercing/tattoo shop wouldn't. Don't worry, we won't do any cartilage piercings at the mall.)
To my surprise Maisie said, "Okay, I'll do it" and walked right in. Holy cow! The nice young woman working helped Maisie pick out the earrings (topaz, her birthstone) and gave her a teddy bear to hold while she marked the placement.
Maisie looks a little nervous... maybe she was starting to rethink her decision? But before she knew it... it was over and her ears were pierced!
The person who did it actually had a coworker come help, so they did both ears at once. Super fast! Maisie was really relieved and happy and proud of herself when it was over.
And now she has pierced ears!
She has to wear these for six weeks, and clean them and twirl them two or three times a day. She's really good about not touching or playing with them, and so far they're healing beautifully... not a bit of redness or overly tender.
Maisie's so proud of herself, and keeps saying "I can't believe I got my ears pierced!" Aaron and I are so proud of her too, for moving past the fear that it'd hurt (it did, but just a little, and not for long) and doing it anyway. :)
