Hair Blab!

• I relaxed my hair on July 21st after stretching for seven months. I'm in the process of finishing the blog post. I just have to edit my pictures.
• Jen from JustGrowAlready inspired me to organize my hair products. Well that and seeing how messy my cabinets in my bathroom are. I will definitely share pictures once everything is complete. 
• I think I may be suffering from my 1st set back. I experienced some breakage from stretching my hair so long and not properly caring for it. I'm sure no matter how I moisturized and sealed I would still have some breakage, but not to this magnitude. I will be sharing more about this in my relaxer update
• I used Aussie Moist 3 Minute Miracle as a co-wash and I'm in LOVE!!!!!! I will be sharing a more detailed review of this product next week!
• I contemplated transitioning to natural hair during my 7th month stretch. I decided against it for a few reasons. One, I'm still learning about my relaxed hair and don't want to start a new journey until I fill like I've been successful at this one. Secondly, I'm not ready to have short hair and I would definitely have to BC to minimize damage to my hair (breakage). 
• I'm really hoping and praying that I don't have postpartum shedding as I did with my son. I shed terribly for a year. This is what led me to information on starting my healthy hair journey.
• I really need a good trim. I think I will wait until my next relaxer which I plan to do in 16 weeks. 
• I'm really happy that I have the energy to do my own hair again. I missed giving my hair the proper TLC it deserves
• I miss the smooth sleek look of my bone straight relaxed hair. I do love that my hair is much thicker and healthier now.
• I want to try Hairfinity Vitamins, but I need to check with my doctor and pharmacist first. Yes, I check with my pharmacist before taking medications. They know the medications better than physicians IMO. I actually read every paper given to me by the pharmacy before consuming and medications or giving my children any medication. Maybe it's the nurse in me. 
• I will be trying more styles soon! 
• I look forward to growing my daughter's hair. I think by me being relaxed and her being natural I will have the best of both worlds.
• I need to start babying my hair again. When I first started my HHJ I was faithful with mixing my d/c, oiling my scalp, and pre-pooing. My hair thrived from this. I'm going bk to weekly washes and deep conditioning. 

New Products

Over the course of my pregnancy I have purchased several new items. Some I have used and some I have not. I will be doing product reviews in the future. I use products for at least one month before I feel I'm able to give an accurate review. Below is a list of the products I have purchased.

1. GVP Conditioner Compare to Paul Mitchell's The Conditioner

2. Aussie  Moist 3 Minute Miracle Deeep Conditioner

3. Aussie Moist Split-End Protector

4. African Shea Butter

Have you used any of these product? Share your thoughts on them below!

July Goals Recap/ August Goals

July Goals

• No direct heat (with exception of the time I used it 7/2/13) Success!
• Steam hair for at least 30 minutes using homemade steam method. Fail
• Do set of medium two strand twists Fail. I relaxed my hair so this is why I didn't complete this goal. 
• Do braidout. Success!
• Make homemade shea butter. Fail
• M&S every other day and as needed Fail! I'm terrible at this. 
• Use castor oil on scalp and edges every other day and as needed. Fail. Again something I'm terrible at.
• Return to weekly or biweekly wash days. Success!
• Start back working out at least 3 times a week. Fail! I have an accountability partner who will be helping me keep this goal starting this week 8/4/13.

I'm getting terrible at keeping my goals. I realized that this is largely due to the fact that I forget the goals I've made until I'm recapping at the end of the month. I plan to keep a copy of my goals on my bathroom mirror and cross them off as I complete them. To reach my goal of M&Sing and Oiling my scalp, I plan to keep a calendar on my mirror. I sure hope this helps.

Here are my goals for August

• No Direct Heat
• M&S every day
• Oil Scalp 3 times per week
• Workout 3x per week
• Saran roller wrap

What do you do to make sure you meet your monthly goals? Comments and suggestions are appreciated!

Birth Story

During my pregnancy I had no fear about the birth of my baby girl until then night before she was born. I had spent the day with friends and family celebrating Father’s Day at my place. It was about 11pm when I finally took my shower and went to lay down to go to sleep. Only my mind would not allow me to sleep. I was scheduled to have a C-section the next day and I was becoming nervous about the health of my baby. I wondered if she would come out with all her fingers and toes, if she would have a birth defect, or some other type of health issue. Of course I would still love her the same, but this would definitely complicate life. That night I may have gotten four hours of sleep.

I had to be at the hospital at 5:30am to be prepped for surgery. After going through the registration process I was escorted to the surgery prep/recovery area. The night nurses were finishing up their shifts and the day nurses were starting. I was escorted to the bathroom and told to change into the hospital gown. I was then taken to a room and an IV was placed and fluids started.  Shortly after the anesthesiologist came and explained his part in my surgery. I think this caused my anxiety to peak and I couldn't sit still. I then begin to cry. My fiancé tried to comfort me and suggested I try to close my eyes and take a nap. A few minutes later the nurse came in and told me they were ready for me.

Initially I had to go to the Operating Room by myself to get a spinal block and my fiancé would later join me. I must say the nurse anesthetist and anesthesiologist were phenomenal. The spinal block was relatively painless and the nurse anesthetist made sure to explain any symptoms I may have during surgery and assured me that he had medications to take care of them. After the spinal block everything seemed to happen so fast. My doctor came in did his prepping before the nurse went to get my fiancé. I made sure to let them know that he was not to see a thing or he’d be lying on the floor! My fiancé is extremely sensitive to seeing blood! My fiancé was amazing throughout the entire surgery. He held my hand and took my mind off the surgery by talking to me. Minutes later I heard the doctor say it was almost time to meet our baby girl. Suddenly I heard her cry and I burst into tears. It was love at first cry AND before I even laid eyes on her.  Nyla Lacole was born on June 17, 2013 at 7:48am EST. The nurse brought her around the barrier that blocked us from seeing the actual surgery and I could have sworn my fiancé turned green. I couldn’t see her that well, but I could tell she was beautiful. The doctor quickly reminded the nurse to wipe the baby off before showing her to dad. My baby had some lungs on her! She was screaming the entire time until she was placed into my fiancé’s arms. I remember looking at her and thinking my goodness she is tiny! It was then that we noticed she looked almost identical to my son when he was a newborn. She even had mannerisms like my son. She weighed in at 5lbs 13 oz and 18 ¼ inches long. We are overwhelmed with love for her and look forward to watching her grow. I will be posting everything I'm doing with her hair. I already have a post or two in mind.

I hope you enjoyed reading about the birth of my princess. I know this post is long, but I wanted to capture as many details as possible. I plan to show this post to Nyla when she is old enough to read. Don't forget to like my Facebook Fan Page by clicking here! Until later, happy hair growing!

The many faces and outfits of Nyla. 

My son's first time meeting his sister