"They" said she couldn't do it

Monday morning I woke up at 4am. I couldn't get back to sleep so I came downstairs had a glass of milk, took a shower, heated my rice pillow and snuggled back in bed. A few minutes later I got a phone call from a papa saying that L was having contractions but, not to come over just yet. So, I started to doze of when the next call came, her water had broke. So, I got up got dressed and headed over. When I got there L was laboring really well and getting herself ready to get into the pool. I got my baselines, took a few notes, called Mona and went in to lay down on the couch. Mona arrived around 6:30am and we chatted for awhile. Everything was so calm and felt so perfect. I was elated to be at this birth. As I lay on the couch listening to L moan and breath through contractions I thought about the conversations we had about the doctors and how they said she should have just planned her csection from the beginning. At about 7:45am I started to hear L doing some involuntary pushing but I wanted to wait a bit before we went in and disturbed her flow. Finally around 8:15am I went in and sat beside the pool. She was really starting to push. I saw the babies head emerge gently and I watched as all the mucus was pushed out of his nose by the mama's yoni. Then slowly she pushed the rest of the baby out into my hands. I slowly lifted him out of the water so he could take his first breath and handed him over to L. She looked down and discovered that the baby was a boy. She and her partner began to cry with joy. It was such a sweet victory. You see L has a heart shaped uterus. Her first birth was a csection and the doctors told her that she would never be able to carry term or give birth naturally. She was 10 days overdue! And those doctors were so wrong! Welcome River Free I, born December 3rd 2007 at 8:35am, 7lbs. 6oz. Beautiful, perfect and amazing.

The journey begins

So, I sent my mother in law an email that said many things including that I started dreadlocks. She said that her family was very conservative especially with hair and that none of them will like the dreadlocks. She did say that it was my hair to do with as I please....

So, the journey begins. Strange how we have to start with our families isn't it? On thanksgiving I had a conversation with Jesse's grandma about being different or looking different and why some people choose to do so. I tried to talk to her about our prejudices and how being different on the outside forces people into facing these prejudices.

Having dreads is one way that I want to buck the system. It is another way that I can look Babylon in the face and say "I am done! I am done trying to conform to your outrageous beauty standards! I done trying to fit into a culture that will not accept me for who I am." And then I will walk into a persons home and be likable. Down right kind and likable. I will make people look at our culture and what it says to them about what beauty is and maybe just maybe they will begin to question what beauty really looks like.

Why are dreads such an abomination to the white people? Is it because black people do this to their hair? Is it possible that the white persons repulsion of dreads could be a racist response? Can you imagine? Could it be possible that black hair is beautiful too? Even if it's on a white girl?