Sleepless in Thomasville

Okay, here is the smile everyone has been waiting for. She and I spent some time in the lobby this afternoon and she really opened up when the camera came out. I am having to post twice today because I got a day behind yesterday. Julia has not ran fever or not anything to talk about since last night. Yeah! I still kept her in all day and took her out to the pool late this afternoon. They like for the kids to be around other Chinese kids as much as possible so that they feel a little more comfortable. She didn't think much of the water so she spent her time just walking around and looking at everyone else like they were crazy.

We went to dinner at the Western Restaurant here in the hotel and she ate really well. After dinner, Nancy and Grandma Susan had a grand idea of me going downstairs to the hair dresser/massage parlor to get my hair washed for me and they would sit in there with Julia. Shouldn't take long at all they said. Well, first of all they place you on this table where you lie down and they wash your hair the whole time they are massaging your head and neck and scratching your scalp for about 15 minutes. I was in heaven. Then they condition your hair and scratch it again. I didn't think too much when they kept signaling to Nancy that my hair was so tangly and I had a lot of it. She completed her task and sent me to the next chair where they put you in a haircut chair and start massaging your neck and arms and fingers. Still relaxing.

Well, then everything went downhill from there. They took my hair down out of the towel and saw a tangled mess. They immediately had the entire shop ... all seven workers looking over my hair and wondering how to get such tangles out of my head. The whole time I am asking for a hair pick in picture drawing English. They dug really deep and found a pick they thought could even come near touching my hair. I grabbed it and started combing my hair. The owner quickly stopped me and sent me back into the hair washing/massage table area again. They each took turns picking out my hair and each kept applying conditioner after conditioner and some more conditioner. The owner would walk in there and hand them some special conditioner. One guy even brought me a translator dictionary showing me the work "hair treatment". I kindly said no.

After remaining in that room for 30 minutes of grueling hair picking, they finally sent me back to the haircut chair where they started picking again. I finally took it away and picked myself handing them back the pick and a few hairstrands. They began to do the final task or so I thought of drying my hair and stopped in midstream to apply more conditioner to my hair. They then informed me that I would have to sit there (it is now 8:45 and Julia is sitting in the lobby floor asleep waiting on me with Nancy and Grandma Susan who by this time are laughing hysterically because they see that I am stuck in there). I explain to them that I cannot wait any longer and need to go. Of course, they did not understand and insisted that I had to wait for the owner to come and finish. I, of course, did not understand what I was waiting for.. a haircut? I don't think so. She saw I was about to get up and leave and started massaging my shoulders to keep me in the chair. He finally came over and blow dryed my hair and apologized for the wait. 9:10, I walk out of shop... 50 yuan ($6). I approach the lobby to obtain my child and find two women sitting there laughing their heads off and are probably still in there room laughing. It is official, I have the slickest, cleaniest head on the entire 14th floor of this hotel. Not to mention, there is absolutely not one tangle in my head.

We had another pee pee on the western toilet party for Julia after returning to the room tonight. I surely hope that we are moving in the right direction in that area. Tomorrow we will go to a museum and then do some shopping. On my way to sleep after looking over some more official paperwork. Please continue to pray for these kids. Some are still going through a lot of grieving and it breaks your heart. We have been very lucky with Julia and she seems to be perking up each day.

Lots of Love,
leah