Documented: A Hair Journey

Me and my hair have had quite the relationship.  It has had length, it’s been cut short, asymmetrical and recently, it’s been hidden under braids and crochet hair.  

God bless my mother, but as I look back at pictures, it is clear that hair was not her thing.  It’s a funny thing how life works out though.  Now, we’re having a daughter and I’m already thinking about how to make sure Baby Girl doesn’t look back at baby pictures and wonder what Mommy was thinking.

Since I started working as a teenager, I was able to take hair matters into my own hands and add regular visits to my beautician to the budget.  I was also somehow able to make those regular visits as a college student, but by then, I had figured out how to perfect my wrap.  I’m now at a stage where I’m trying to figure out exactly how I want to rock my hair for now.  It’s been four months since the last relaxer and before more chemicals are slapped on my head, I’m taking myself and my mane on a hair journey.  The goal here is to experiment with my hair now and learn some techniques for Baby Girl’s hair.

I spent some time last week watching YouTube videos of women demonstrating how to style their hair.  This isn’t the first time I’ve looked at videos for inspiration, but this time, I realize that I have to dedicate time and patience to this process, as well as an openness to rock styles that I have not done in the past.

Walgreens is currently having a buy one, get one half off sale on Shea Moisture products and it came right on time.  I’ve been using their shampoo, conditioner, as well as coconut oil on my hair recently as well.  I purchased the curl enhancing smoothie to add to my version of bantu knots; currently awaiting the results.

Shoutout to my husband for the encouragement to take on this process, as well as document it as it happens.  Looking forward to sharing the lessons learned!

What should a pregnant woman look like?

Women get pregnant and give birth everyday, but somehow pregnancy feels miraculous because it's happening to little ol' me.  I find myself rubbing my belly, imagining our baby's face and personality and thinking about how different life will look by the end of the year. 

Thanks to a Facebook memory, I was reminded that I once said I didn't think I would have children and that it would take a good man to change my mind (shoutout to Mr. Everett 😊). The post was written after hanging out with my friends boys, who at the time were one and two. 

But dear friends, we must chat about this whole pregnancy thing and make a clear PSA: pregnancy impacts each woman differently. Even more intriguing: the same woman can experience pregnancy differently in regards to how much weight she gains and how she carries the baby. I'm nearly 6 feet tall and weighed 165 pounds pre-pregnancy. 24 weeks into this amazing journey and I've gained about 15 pounds. "Oh, you just look like you ate" is probably one of the most common things I've heard about being pregnant and while it's not offensive, it is slightly dismissive of this tremendous task of carrying life. Admit it, our idea of a pregnancy, even at conception, is that of a waddling woman, carrying an additional 50 pounds. 

I'm thankful in so many ways: our baby girl is healthy, growing as she should and thus far, my pre-pregnancy clothes still fit. Only in the last month have I been asked, "When are you due?" 
Instead of comparing pregnancies, let's look at this task for what it is: amazing, miraculous and hard, yet rewarding work!