The "before" picture ( with stylist #1) after we discussed what 'the plan' was~
Laughing all the way...Mercy kept giggling that the water from the hose tickled and declared over and over again," Oh...it feels sooo goood!"
Under the dryer for a deep conditioning treatment......she saw an older woman at the dryer next to her who had fallen asleep so our spunky little girl figured this is what you're supposed to do when under the dryer....of course this peaceful stance lasted only a moment...pretty soon she was wondering when she could get out of it!
G keeping Mercy company and trying to distract her ~
ta-dah...the finished 'product'
Just look at these intricate braids...reminds me of Hope's handiwork...it will take hours to get these out when the time comes in about 2 weeks- if they make it that long!
L and Odesco making the best use of limited swing space! Notice the bare feet...what a difference a few days makes..now our yard is back to being a slushy,icy swamp!! Spring, where are you???? 
Making do with 2 big kid swings and 4 kiddos :) Mercy and G actually were the ones to copy this idea from other friends... See text below...
When this boy is ready for a nap, he crashes just about anywhere!! This is in the middle of the noisy gym at HDO last week~On Friday I needed to take Mercy to the doctor for an issue that was not an issue 3 days before at her appointment! No worries, she's fine, but in the scramble to get out the door for an unexpected appointment, Mercy was not slathered up with coconut oil (or grease as she and Odesco call it) so, she was not her shiny, shiny self. In addition to this, I had begun her hair the night before, left for a meeting with ladies from my caregroup and did not have time to finish it before leaving for this appointment. Instead, I had Mercy wear a purple bandana to cover her twist free, beadless, snapless messy head. The doctors who happened to be in on Friday are AA women. The first doctor took a look at her skin and mentioned how dry it was...then, Mercy removed her bandana (who knows why!-to humble mommy , I suppose :)) and the doctor commented on how dry and damaged her hair was and how I ought to take her to have in professionally blown out and conditioned. She called in the other AA doctor, also a women to confer on the issue that brought us there in the first place, and they both began offering advice on hair products. They even recommended a salon that caters to the ethnic population.
Now, they were both extremely gracious but I admit my pride was definately being revealed as Mercy's hair is rarely undone and her skin rarely 'ungreased'. I didn't even attempt to explain the whys of our situation that day but I did answer their questions about other products I was using etc..a few of which I learned are no good in their opinion. I'll admit that my prideful heart perceived their comments as if they were thinking of me as the ignorant white Mama who has no clue how to care for the needs of her African child. But, in reality, they were quite gracious ...just freely offering their unsolicited opinions :)
They did give me the business card of the salon they recommeded for which I am very grateful. I had been wanting to get Mercy's hair trimmed since I was noticing some ends breaking off during recent hair styling sessions. So, I swallowed my pride and after checking with my hubby who gave me the okay to pursue this, we decided to head to this salon as close to opening time as possible for a trim and maybe even a professional braiding session on Saturday morning.
So, after our winter storm the day before, I headed out the door at 8am with G and Mercy for a morning at the salon. I was surprised at the unplowed/poor road conditions but we took our time and had no problems...besides few other people were crazy enough to be out of bed and on the road :) Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted by the salon owner and Mercy soon made herself known to many of the stylists at the back of the salon where we were stationed. One male stylist asked her where she was from , recognizing her unique accent. When Mercy said, "Africa" he said for all to hear ," All right, we have a sister from our sister land!" Then he told Mercy that he just knew she had some spiritual songs to sing and she willingly obliged and sang, "God Answers Prayer in the Morning" for him. It was really quite comical!! After the salon owner and a stylist took a look at her hair they told me it really was not dry at all but it is the texture of her hair...phew...I haven't ruined our little girl's hair!! And they even thought the few twists I had started to do on Friday looked pretty decent....that was an encouragement after feeling a bit inept the day before :)
Still, we decided to wash her hair , followed by a deep conditioner, then have her spend time under the dryer for the conditioner to really penetrate.After rinsing the conditioner out, her stylist blew her hair dry in order to cut it (so that all of the kinky curls were relaxed and she could cut it evenly). It stood straight up... pretty wild looking!! After that , we decided to just go ahead and braid it..if I had taken her home after the cut ( and like I said, it was pretty wild looking at this point in the process!), I would have had to start from scratch because I can't twist her hair well when it is dry. So stylist #1 handed us over to stylist #2 who is a braiding wizard...we stayed with Mercy for a while and she was starting to get antsy...slipping out of the chair etc. That's when the male stylist who noticed her antics, suggested I go up front with G and wait as he felt Mercy would do better...I was hesitant at first because I didn't want her to think we were abandoining her. Then I realized she could see us from her chair and knew it was the right move. She sat still for over an hour of braiding and beading but she was a bit miffed at us for not being there...evidently she stared down a few of the other stylists who came by to see her...but at least she remained calm and self controlled :)
While we were at this salon we bumped into Hope's sister ...she overheard our earlier introductions and asked if I knew Hope(she was the wonderful woman who rescued me early on by braiding Mercy's hair for the first several weeks home!) Then, the owner asked how we heard about the salon and I was telling him the name of our pediatrican when a beautiful young woman turns around to say," That's my mom!!"
What a small world! G and I enjoyed watching all stylists work their magic...what creative styles we saw. We were the only white people in the place but the owner assured me they could do G's hair next time we visit....which won't be for many months! At least now we have all the dead ends off and a list of recommended products from the stylists. We were there for about 3 hours and I have to say both girls did quite well . On the way home I treated the girls to a surprise trip into the local Wawa so that Mercy could get a 'shausa'... aka hot dog. This is quite a treat since we almost never buy them and even though we are eating less and less of it( especially when you consider how much she consumed initially!!), meat is still quite the reward for Mercy. G settled on a bag of chips instead and we victoriously made our way home. In the car Mercy decided that Odesco would really like some of her 'shausha' so she only ate the bun in order to share half of it....she really does look out for him! Well, when we arrived home the big van was gone and there was a note on the table informing us the boys and Daddy accepted a sledding date with good friends from church. G and Mercy were a little put out that they missed out on this fun and Mercy decided to go ahead and eat the whole hot dog...can't say I blame her as it was now lunch time...oh well, at least she had the thought to share with Odesco! Definately a full but productive morning and I admit to being a bit relieved of our weekly hairstyling marathon for at least a week or two!
Some other tidbits:
* Mercy and L played a game together for the first time without others involved and they really seemed to enjoy each others company!
* Mercy and Odesco both received great reports from their Children's Ministry teachers in church yesterday..both teachers commented on the dramatic change they have seen since their homecoming...especially in Odesco who used to be very closed off to the rest of the world not engaging others with eye contact or conversation. Evidently yesterday he answered questions about the lesson when asked and was relating well with the other kiddos...even waited patiently for a toy after being told it was not yet his turn. Praising God for these major evidences of His work in their little hearts!
* Having 4 littles and 3 swings on our swingset often presents a problem with taking turns. (read: ample opportunity for conflict resolution!!) Mercy and G and Odesco and L came up with their own solution...see the picture above :)
* Yesterday evening M and the 6 kiddos joined another family in their monthly ministry of delivering bread ( a tangible way to share the love of God !) to seniors in a highrise apartment building. There are a total of 11 floors and this project requires knocking on doors, offering bread and hugs and prayers if requested. I stayed home because I am on the tail end of fighting what the kiddos had. I was concerned that the new kids would not do well but was delighted with the report when my hubby returned home....he said everyone was engaging and helpful...no tantrums or major outbursts and the residents seemed blessed which was the whole point! P even had an opportunity to pray for a few men (with Dad's encouragement!). Thanks L family for including our family in this opportunity to serve :)
* Mercy is teaching C how to do 'cat's cradle' with a rubber band...C is quite impressed with her know how. Earlier she was toting him around on her back! The brute strength of our little Liberians is amazing!
* Mercy likes to pretend she is answering the phone...this is her newest salutation,"Hello, this is Mercy Biggie Mouth B".....don't worry , she does not answer the phone yet and she came up with this interestingly self depricating title all on her own!
*Last night, as Odesco was getting ready for bed, he pulled his elastic waisted pants well up to the middle of his chest...he seriously could rival St. Nick when he does this...he said,"Hello, I am Odesco Biggie Belly B"~again a self made title. These 2 continue giving us reasons to laugh, that's for sure!
Rejoicing in the small steps taken and purposing to remember He is at work when behaviors regress and "opportunities " for sanctification abound!
Love, MamaB
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