I didn't exactly wake up this morning with the plan to get an ear piercing. It just sort of happened. I was at the mall with my sister and aunt when we walked by the pre-teen girl heaven known as Claire's. For anyone who may be unfamiliar with the accessory store, picture a super cramped glitterized rabbit hole with earrings, bracelets, hair ties and Zac Efron backpacks strewn throughout. Got it? Good. Now don't forget to add a couple dozen giddy nine-year-olds grabbing everything they can trick their parents into buying for them.

As we walked by the store, I saw the window poster advertising free ear piercings with the purchase of earrings. Don't think it was a spur of the moment decision. I've flirted with the idea for the past couple of months. I've had both of my ear lobes pierced since I was less than a year old. My parents just brought me into the store when I was sleeping in my bassinett and had a girl pierce my ears. Just like that. I don't remember the event at all, but I imagine it to have been slightly traumatic. My parents reasoned that I would have probably gotten my ears pierced eventually and that it was better to get it over and done with.

I have a slight fear of needles so I was a little nervous standing in line to get my ears pierced. Ahead of me was a toothless little seven year-old girl who sat on the stool smiling up nervously at her mother. The mom kept asking, "This is what you wanted, right?" The girl would nod her head vigorously, as if to reassure herself. She began to swing her legs and sing along to the latest Hannah Montana (I think) song that was piping through the store sound system. As she waited for her mom to fill out the parent consent form, she began to relax. Watching her relax, I began to relax as well. Nothing to it, right? If a seven year-old can do it, then of course I can too.

The girl in charge of piercings signaled to her colleague who was working the counter. They decided to take one piercing gun each and do both of the little girl's lobes simultaneously. Smart idea. The little girl reached out to clutch her mother's hand as the employees counted, 3-2-1! AHHHHHHHHHHHH! The little girl's ear-piercing (pun intended) screech startled everyone in the store. The funny thing about it was how long the scream was. I counted a full 10 Mississippi's before she gasped for air and decided to sob instead. Yikes. I remember saying a little prayer then, asking God not to let me cry. That would be embarassing, not to mention terrifying for the rest of the little girls in line behind me.

Thankfully, my sister volunteered to go ahead of me. She already had two piercings on each lobe, plus a piercing on her right cartilage. Today she wanted a third set on her lobes. Luckily, it went a lot smoother than the previous procedure and my courage was coming back to me.

My turn. I hopped onto the stool and filled out the liability release forms. Am I the only one who actually reads through them? I may be overly cautious, but I always read the fine print before I sign anything. Somewhere in there it said that the procedure may cause fainting or "cartilage deformity." Uh oh. Well, I decided to man up and get it over with. The attendant asked me if I wanted to clutch the stuffed bear they keep to comfort the little kids. I decided to be a grownup and go sans bear.

I took a deep breath and-- click. It was over. Hardly any pain at all. It just sounded like someone stapled my ear (only not as painful, I imagine). I felt pretty good at not crying. I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the mall without feeling any pain at all. Sometimes I would feel it start to get itchy or hot, but a few deep breaths always helped soothe the discomfort. It only hurts when I accidentally brush it against something. The woman at the store said that I would have to clean the piercing 3 times a day with solution and to keep the stud in for at least eight weeks. After that, I can change the earring. The shocking thing was that it will take a year for the wound to heal completely. A whole year?! It takes less time to have a baby!! But at this point in my life, I'm glad I only have the piercing to worry about and not a human baby.