Locking or Thinning at the Root?????

I'm almost 8 months locked and I'm still not 100% certain what my hair should look and feel like when it is locked, or has begun locking.  My assumption is that since I have been locked for almost 8 months that I am well under way in the locking process.  I started feeling around and felt up my lock.  At the end and going up the middle of the lock it feels spongy like, soft and thicker than before.  I assume that means the hair is no longer tight in the pattern but has coiled around itself.  Now as you go further up the lock with your fingers there is like a harder spot than the sponge like spot and as you continue going up the lock gets tight and skinnier.  Basically, what I think is going on is the portion that is skinny has not locked yet so that is why its tight and still in the pattern, the soft spongy portion has locked.  I hope I did a good job explaining, but I know that a picture is worth a 1000 words...