Shock and Awe

I am now into my 19th week of pregnancy and I actually feel pretty good. I have discovered that I am no longer a chicken eater. I started to notice that whenever I would have it I would get sick, so I am sticking to red meat (mainly bison) and turkey. With so many rules about what fish you can and can't eat, I have just given up on the idea of fish at all. I noticed that I now have a bit of a sweet tooth, which of course is never good for anyone......pregnant or not. The thought of a Jolly Rancher, Skittles or Starbursts makes me so incredibly happy!! I really hope that goes away after Buttercup gets here because that would not be cute after pregnancy.

My sleeping positions have changed so much. I can no longer sleep on my left side mainly because the baby gets mad if I do. My right side is a lot more comfortable. My husband sent me a link for this pregnancy pillow called a Snoogle and OMG that is the best thing that has happened to me!! I love it!! It's basically a whole body pillow and I can't imagine not having it. My friend Alissa suggested I name it and her name is Betty! She is named after my favorite Golden Girl because when it's time for bed, I always am watching them on T.V.! LOL!! I have also be reduced to using a step stool to get in bed at night. Having a high bed was a cool idea when Buttercup was not chillin in my belly.

There really isn't much of a hair update except that under this weave, it's growing!! I still use natural products, especially shampoos and conditioners. I am really curious to see how long it is when I stop using protective styles in October (my 1 year anniversary since my Big Chop).

As I stated in my previous post, we were going to find out the sex of Buttercup. Well we did and it was complete SHOCK AND AWE for me. We are having a little girl!!!!!!!!!! Yep, a little Nikki running around.......the world is not ready and neither am I. I was so surprised, a girl, really? I swore up and down I was having a boy! The Chinese Calendar even predicted a boy ( yes, I believed the calendar). My hubby was not surprised AT ALL!! He has been saying it since day one that we were having a girl. After my initial shock, I started to cry because I think deep down I may have really wanted a girl. The thing with them is that they are so precious and I truly believe that a mother has to face and come to terms with her own issues to be sure not to pass them down to her daughter. Girls are fragile creatures and I am happy that I have come to a place in my life where I can now see and speak my Truth and pass it on to my daughter.

Buttercup Update

23 more weeks to go until little Buttercup arrives! That seems so close and I have nothing purchased and I really haven't been looking. Does that make me a bad mother already? I think I am still in disbelief (despite the fact that my belly is growing leaps and bounds) about there being a baby on the way. I think I have to admit that I am nervous and scared because I want this baby so badly and I have no control………..just a little…….of what happens. Nature is happening inside of me and it's all so unreal and beautiful.

I can honestly say that as women, especially pregnant women, go through so much. As a non-pregnant lady for 31 years and some months, my body was so much different than it is now. My pregnant body is amazing and beautiful (if you over look the fat rolls and dimples). Things are growing, stretching, and pulling in all directions. What an interesting journey this has been so far!

So what has my baby been doing???? Well, I think I felt a flutter on Monday night!! I was out with the hubby at Hooters………….say what you want, they have great wings…………and felt this little pop/tickle sensation and at first I thought it was gas, then I realized…….it was a flutter!! It was ever so light, but I am convinced that's what is was. I just turned 17 weeks, so I think I am right on track to feel my baby move, even if it's a little. ;-)

People say that morning sickness is a sign of a healthy baby, well this baby will be doing push ups when he/she comes out. My all-day-sickness has gotten worse during my second trimester. As soon as I eat, it comes right back up. Do you know how frustrating that is for someone who spent money on a nice lunch?! The good thing is that my body is working for the baby (thanks, Alissa for that bit of wonderful info) and could give two craps about me. I'm cool with that because my Buttercup needs everything!

I decided to do a protective style again this year and I went for a straight plain Jane look. Nothing fancy, just something to do while my hair takes a break. I got a sew-in and braided all of my hair up so that I wouldn't have to put any heat on my own hair. The look is cute and some say I look younger………..WINNING! I think I may do another protective style in May for my trip to Florida! This time it will be more of a curly/wavy look, perfect hair for Miami!

Hopefully next post I will be revealing the sex of my little one. We go to the doctor on Friday, so wish us luck!

Getting Bigger...................Belly and Afro

 So I finally decided to take care of my hair. Who knew that after weeks of neglect that it actually grew. I finally did a deep condition last week and twisted my hair. I was so shocked at how much my hair had grown and how much thicker it is. I am sure it is a mixture of hormones and me taking care of it, but still I was shocked. I still prefer the wash and go, but every now and then I really need to twist my hair to get the best styles. Pregnancy really doesn't give you any extra energy, so those days will be few and far between.

Speaking of pregnancy, it has been an interesting journey. I have been scared, excited, overwhelmed, surprised, and anxious. My dear sweet friend named my unborn, Buttercup. I fell in love with it!! Since I have yet to find out the sex, this is perfect because I hate saying he or she......even worse, it. YUCK!! My body has experienced so many changes, like my hair, and it has been interesting to see certain things grow and grow and grow.........yes, that means the scale too. :-( I actually lost weight in my first trimester due to MASSIVE morning sickness. It has not gone away, it's still haunts me, but not everyday like it use to. If I verbal say that I do not have morning sickness anymore, Buttercup says.......SIKE!!! I swear I really need to keep that to myself. My baby will always put me in place.

So pregnancy brain is REAL!!!!! I was on my way to class on Tuesday night and as I was halfway there, I just so happened to look down at my feet. I had on a flip flop on one foot and a ballerina shoe on the other! Really???? You would think that I would feel it, but no......I was walking and looked down for a second and realized it. Such a shame.......not to mention I can't remember words or remember things to do. This is going to be a long pregnancy.

My dear husband has been so awesome. I am truly blessed to have someone who cares so much. He is constantly trying to make sure I am okay and that Buttercup is doing well. He will make such a wonderful father, I can't wait to see him hold our child in his arms. It's funny how we decided that we wanted a child and a couple months later it came to be. No one told me how emotional I would be or how I would see my husband differently. I am loving every minute of it and I pray that I stay on this emotional high.

Buttercup is slowly letting me know that it's time for bed..........my eyes are going drooping really bad!

My, My How Things Have Changed!

It has been a little over 2 months since my last post and boy oh boy life has happened to me! Not only is my hair growing, so is my belly! Yep.............I am with child!! YAY!!!!!!!!! I am 14 weeks (3 months and 2 weeks for those that hate counting) and I couldn't be more excited. During the first few weeks of pregnancy, I completely gave up on my hair routine due to horrific morning sickness. I just wanted to crawl in the corner and sleep through the first trimester. My hair suffered so much. :-(  It was dry and brittle and I had no energy to twist it, condition it, or even put the much needed satin bonnet on my head at night. Yes, it was that bad. Now that I am into my second trimester, we will see how everything all comes together. I am predicitng lots of deep conditioning treatments, twists and maybe even another protective style (loved the braids). I will be updating my blog (maybe even adjusting the name)with hair photos and maybe a baby bump shot here and there. We will see!

Happy New Year and Happy New Do!

Happy New Year all!! I hope 2011 brings all your hopes and dreams to light this year! It's been awhile since I posted and that's because there has been a lot going on in my life and I have not gotten around to updating you. So let's see...........I have decided to do a protective style for the winter. For those of you that don't know what that means, when the weather gets too cold, it's not a Curlies best friend. :-( The air dries out our hair so much and it can become quite brittle and VERY dry. That is not the business! So I have decided to do braids for the next several weeks.

I went to Sister Sister African Braiding and I was a little thrown off when I walked in. I saw a swarm of women surrounding one woman...........I was kinda scared, but I managed to say "I would like Micro-Braids." First they looked at me like I was crazy (maybe because I was looking at them like they were crazy) and asked me to repeat myself. I did as asked and then someone came up to be and offered her assistance. Once she looked at my hair and determined that Micro-Braids were not in my best interest (that is basically for people with relaxed or naturally straight hair), she told me to get Kinky Twist. Now I have heard of these braids before, but I was kind of skeptical because they looked too bulky for me. I decided to trust her opinion and go for it.

As I sat in her chair, I glanced around the room and there were 4 other women in the salon getting their hair braided. They were all surrounded by a swarm of women, it was then that I realized that these women surrounding the customers were actually all braiding their hair. There were 4 women to one head of hair! So that's how they braid so fast!!! Once I realized this, I was then surrounded by 3 women and each took a section of my hair and started to go to work!!! First let me just say....................I HAVE NEVER WANTED TO CRY SO BAD FROM MY HEAD BEING PULLED IN EVERY DIRECTION!!!!!!!!!! Those women don't play!! I felt like I was in my grandmother's kitchen back in the day getting my hair done. That mess hurt!!!

When I initially came in to the salon the stylist told me the braids would take 3 -4 hours to do. I thought that was pretty fast. Well my hair was braided and styled in 1 hour and 45 minutes!!! That was insane!!!!! I looked in the mirror and guess what............she was right! I loved the braids!!!! So I will be rocking this protective style for the next several cold weeks and I am too excited to see the growth!! Unfortunately, I will not be posting and update for my 3 month anniversary. My hair will be in braids. Maybe by 2/23, it will be warmer weather and I can most my 4 month anniversary. We will see. Check out my Kinky Twist below!

Protective Style for Winter (yes, always representing the Cowboys!)

2 MONTH ANNI!!!!!!!!!!

Today marks 2 months since I chopped off all of my relaxed and damaged hair! YAY!!! I have been chemical free for 7 months total.........which is really shocking. So in honor of my 2 year anniversary, I wanted to post a recent picture of how THICK my hair is!!!! Check it out!

As you can see, the thickness level is un-real! I LOVE IT!!!
To see my big chop 2 months ago, check out my 1 month anniversary post below. I hope you all have a wonderful Holiday Season! ;-)

TRULY IN LOVE!

So after a couple of days of frustration with my hair (and horrible acne breakout) I am once again back on the right track. I realized the reason why I was having so much frustration (and horrible acne breakout.....yeah it was bad) was because I was not consuming enough H2O!! It's funny because the moment I stopped drinking so much water ( I was trippin) my hair let me have it! It didn't cooperate with me one bit!!! I am a true believer that your hair can't cause a bad hair day, it's YOU!!

Once I decided to give my body some water (lots and lots of it) my hair was back it action. Last night I deep conditioned it with Aussie 3 Minute Miracle (left it on for 2 hours) and rinsed. I then applied Kinky Curly Knot Today Leave-In (yeah I know I was only going to stick with Giovanni, but I bought the product, so I have to finish it) and then applied Kinky Curly Custard and twisted my hair. I let it dry over night and when I took it out this morning (with coconut oil on my hands) it look GREAT!!!! I was actually shocked! I think the combination of more water and using Aussie's (have you smelled this stuff.......awesome), my hair reacted differently to the Kinky Curly product line. I am very pleased!

I must say that I am completely in love with this curly fro on my head. It amazes me everyday that I had the courage to see what my hair really looked like. I knew I might like it, but I didn't know how much I would love it. In my friends words "Your hair will be your pet." She was right........my hair is my pet and I love her so! ;-)

Frustration!

So I have learned to stop buying so many products. I have used several and they have been an epic fail!!!!! My hair did not respond well (the first few days it did) to the Curl Enhancer Smoothie. My hair feels icky and the dryness is unreal! To be fair, it could be because of the cold weather, so I will try it again in the warmer months.

I have lived for twist outs! I think my hair responds better when I twist it while dry. My curls seem to really pop and I can really see the growth. With that being said, I think it's time for me to go to a barber for a shape to my hair. My twist outs would be more fierce with a style. I do the fro-hawk, but I am starting to get really bored with it. I think I may get the sides tapered down a bit and go from there. Who knows.......all I know is that I am stuck in a hair rut..........probably because I play with my hair to much! LOL!!!! I think I will leave it be for the rest of the month, go back to using my basic products and see where I am in my journey.

What a great weekend!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Mine was relaxing and filled with shopping! My hair adventures were really interesting. I did the Henna on Wednesday night and it didn't look much different leaving it in for 7 hours rather than 3. I will say that every time I got into the sun, you could see the color (reddish) a lot more. I did a twist out(my go to hairstyle) and unfortunately, I didn't let it try all the way through and my hair looked a mess (to me at least). Friday night I did a dry twist out I hate that my camera didn't catch the true fierceness of the twist out. I must say I will be twisting my hair every night!! I experimented with a product called Shea Moisturizer Curl Enhancer Smoothie (Target $9.99) to define my curls when I do my twist and I must say that it did fairly well on my hair! The ingredients include Neem Oil, Coconut Oil, and Silk Protein. My hair felt soft and I really liked out the curls popped. With that said......I am off to search the Cyber Monday deals! ;-)

Gobble Gobble

I am excited and tired thinking about Thanksgiving. I am excited to be off of work and chill with the hubby and friends but I am also tired because we are cooking tonight and I am going to Henna my hair! YIKES!!!!!!!! I think I can get it all accomplished without going crazy.......maybe. So the plan is to go home, take a quick nap (yeah right), put the Henna in and while it's cooking on my head I will then start to cook my Thanksgiving meal. I am anxious to put the Henna on tonight because this will be my second attempt and this time I will have it on for about 7 hours vs. 3 hours! I promise to post pictures!!! Anyway, hope you all have an awesome Turkey Day and don't get too stuffed! ;-)

1 Month Nappiversary!!!

It has been 1 month since my big chop!!!!!! I am super excited for this amazing milestone! My journey so far.......I have to admit.......there were days when I looked at myself and thought "what in the HELL were you thinking!!" Those days were bad! Luckily it was only a couple of days (my aunt flow was visiting) so it was no big deal. ;-)  This whole experience so far has been amazing, nerve racking, confusing, and utterly expensive (I am a major PJ = Product Junkie). I have bought every conditioner known to man!!! LOL!! It's fun though, seeing how your hair reacts to different products. I need to learn to stick with one and I have to say that this whole month, I always go back to Giovanni Direct Leave-In! I actually found a combination that worked for me while doing my twist outs. I co-wash my hair with Hello Hydration conditioner, mix the Giovanni in with 100% pure Shea Butter, coconut oil, peppermint oil, vegetable glycerin, and Castor oil. I massage the concoction through my hair, brush my hair with a Denman brush and twist! The results are amazing and my hair is 100% moisturized!! I LOVE IT. With that said, check out the day that I big chopped and today!

Big Chop 10/23/10











1 month anniversary 11/23/10



Where have I been???

I can't believe it has been several days since my last blog post! Yikes!! I was putting together an AWESOME baby shower and I got seriously sidetracked! Sorry about that. So my hair has been going through some changes these past couple of days. I am experiencing massive shirkage and it is quite annoying! My hair shrivels up so badly with Wash n Go's!! UGH!! So I have decided that twist outs are my best friend. The only thing is, it takes me 1-2 hours to twist my hair! My hair is at the short stage, so it will be a little while before I can actually just throw 6-8 twists in my hair and keep it moving.

I was supposed to post pictures of my henna treatment and I totally forgot! My iPhone got jacked up and needless to say I lost all of my "after henna" photos! I loved it though. I will be doing henna 2 times a month so we will see how my hair behaves. Chat with you all soon!

Do You Henna Your Hair?



Many of you know Henna as an art that is used to tattoo. What some of you may not know is that Henna also has great benefits for your hair!! This powered substance mixed with green tea and a little honey can make your hair soft, shiny, and even give you a hint of color. It will not lift your hair color (even though if you use it constantly, it just might) but it will make healthier. I did my first Henna treatment last night and let me tell you, my hair has never been this healthy looking since I cut off my hair 2 weeks and 5 days ago (yes, I am counting)!!! Check out my fellow curly, Curly Nikki for the step by step tutorial! Pictures will be posted soon!

http://www.curlynikki.com/2008/12/henna-pictorial.html

What Relaxers Have Prevented

Relaxers have prevented so many women from truly enjoying life and what it has to offer. Many women don’t like getting in the water at a pool party because “Girl, I just got my relaxer in!” Men have been trained not to caress their woman’s hair because “Honey, don’t mess up my hair, I just got it done.” Even we have been deprived of a good nights sleep because we didn’t want to mess up our hair *cue movie scene with Regina King trying to sleep and at the same time not mess up her new do*. How many times have you told your partner these things, had a horrible night of sleep, or just looked cute in your bathing suit……..outside of the pool? Since cutting off my relaxed hair and embracing my natural hair I have been able to take a shower without the fear of messing up my tresses. I can literally stand underneath the shower head instead of playing dodge ball with it! The shower head is no longer my enemy and steam is a welcomed friend. Sleep is amazing and as far as the pool is concerned, maybe now I will learn how to swim (yes, the relaxer prevented this too). I will say that when I had my relaxer, I always did my best to make sure my hair was healthy and full of life. Now that I have been natural for a full 2 weeks and 3 days I am learning what it means to really have healthy hair. Water is now my homey and sometimes my lifesaver and I can honestly say I wish I would have done this many years ago. When a natural says she feels free, I am sure she is speaking to one of these points. ;-)

Kinky-Curly Knot Today

As I continue my journey as a natural, I have encountered some products that work and some that don't. I love Giovanni Direct Leave-In Conditioner, but I am almost out so I decided to try Kinky-Curly Knot Today Leave-In Conditioner. I must say that Giovanni may have some competition! I loved the way my hair felt when I was done putting it in and once my hair dried, it felt so soft, moistrized and smelled oh so good! I will contiue to try it this week and see how my hair reacts to it. I will give you all an update on Friday!

BTW, I didn't do a review on the Indian Clay because I forgot!!! The results were great!!!!! My hair had shine and felt great!! 

Clay for your hair????

I have been using Indian Healing Clay on my face for.........well.......facials and I did a search on youtube for the benefits of this clay for you hair and wow!!! The results are AMAZING!!! Not only does the clay pull out the dirt and build-up of products, it adds sheen and curl definiation to your hair. I will be trying it tomorrow and I will post before and after photos.

Hair Growth

So I have been natural for 1 week and 5 days! Check out the hair growth!


Fist Day of Big Chop 10/23/10




Look at those Curls



11/3/10

Love it!

Just because you can..............

.............really doesn't mean you should. Yesterday after work I had an assignment to turn in at school. I made the drive from work to the UTA campus on a cold and rainy day in the DFW. As I'm driving I immediately start stressing because I didn't have an umbrella and I had to walk across campus to get to class. I'm looking in my car for any kind of scarf or sweater to throw over my head when it hit me..........I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT MY HAIR GETTING WET!!! YAY!!!!  So I proceed down the road filled with confidence because I am a natural sista with hair that LOVES water. As I pull into the farthest space from my entry point I get out of the car in confidence, lock my car and walk to class. Here is where is got ugly. 30 seconds into my walk it hit me. It's raining and it's 50 degrees outside and my head is exposed! We all know what that can lead to...........that's right.............a damn cold!!! Needless to say as I was walking (well running at this point) to take cover from this down pour, I knew that I should have grabbed that stupid sweater off the back of my seat! I walk in class soaking wet (my hair still looked fly), drop off my paper and left. I was not about to sit in that cold classroom. Again, I ran across campus back to my car and sat there for a minute thinking "Just because I can walk in the rain without worrying about my hair, doesn't mean I should do it when it's freezing outside." With that, ladies and gentlemen, I am off to take some sinus medicine. :-(

For the Babies and Chi'ren

So there have been a couple of people asking me about hair care products for little curlies. I personally have not had any experience with anything for the young ones, but there are a couple of products that have been reviewed on other sites. Here are a few:

http://www.beemineproducts.com/

http://shop.curlisto.com/catalog/Curlisto_Kids-18-1.html

http://www.originalsprout.com/styling-products/curl-calmer?cPath=78



Again, I have not had any experience with any of these, but I may look into Original Sprout's adult products.....they are an organic company and 100% Vegan! Happy styling!

Not more products!!!

I was at Whole Foods yesterday (I cheated on Central Market) because I was on a quest to find some Aztec Indian Clay that my gorgeous friend suggested as a facial mask. Upon entering I was really surprised at how many natural curlies were in there. One lady came up to me and asked what I used in my hair because she thought it looked "healthy and thick" (and to think I was about to put on a cap). I explained my process to her and she in turn said to me that in all of her 10 years of being natural, she had never thought to use most of the stuff I was using! I must say, that I was blushing a little. :-)

As I am strolling through the store, I come up to their aisle filled with natural curly hair products and there was a gang load of Kinky Kurly on the shelves. Now I have heard good reviews and bad, but I didn't want to purchase ANOTHER product. I know my husband is going to kill me when he sees my secret stash of every conditioner known to man. As I continued down the isle, I noticed that there were so many products that I hadn't seen or heard of before and I am really anxious to try them out. Even though I LOVE my routine now, I am always trying to find out what's out there because I know that my hair will change and this hair is about to get a lot bigger! With that said........check out my curls! They are really starting to get their definition on!!!