Friday, February 6, 2009

Lice, lice baby...

If you've wondered where I've been...I've just been around. Nit-picking. Literally. Any of you who have had your kids in the public schools very long, know that more than occasionally there is a lice outbreak. My kids have weathered this quite well...until now.

They came home from school last Wed, and I decided to just "check" them (after getting the 27th note from school warning that there'd been lice). I thought I saw a bug on Ella, but couldn't repeat it. And yes, if you keep up with my blog, you know I've had this panic before. :)

So - after their baths, I combed their hair with a special comb I'd purchased (thanks for the tip Kathy), and found something on Ella. At first, I couldn't tell what it was, so I asked to borrow Steve's reading glasses. When he found out what it was for he said "I have exactly what you need!" and he brought me his magnifying eyepiece that he uses for viewing slides. I will tell you that what I saw under that eyepiece is still giving me nightmares. So, while it worked to definitively let me know that it was lice, I don't recommend it.

I'm only telling you this because it ended up being one of the most interesting "family nights" we've had. How my kids reacted was the most fascinating part of the evening. When I found nits on Ben (only a few), he cried as if it were a personal loss on historic levels. He didn't want to be subjected to lots of baths and excessive hair combing. One he learned he was going to miss the 1/2 day of school the next day, and that his case was minor, he made peace with it all.

Ella was another story. She looked at the lice through that eyepiece - and she couldn't wait for me to rake out another one, so that she could see! Every comb she would turn around to see if something came out. I assured her that if she would sit still, I promised to let her know if I found another. And when I did, she ran about the house - proclaiming LOUDLY that we'd found "another one daddy!" I always knew, she was a bug lover at heart - but this proves she's a die hard! :) Fortunately, I only found about a dozen creatures on my kids combined. And Levi, Steve and I managed to escape them (for now). I spent all day Thurs doing laundry, combing hair and bagging up anything "fluffy" (according to Ella). For a few hours, I had the cleanest house I've had in a while. I'm sad to report that you wouldn't know that now! :)

So, I'll post about bigger and better (and less creepy) things soon! But for now, you can rest in the peace that we are alive, well and most importantly - LICE FREE! :)

2 comments:

Colleen said...

Wow, Angie! Does not sound like fun. My sister went through the same thing this past fall and I couldn't even imagine what a nightmare it was!

I had been wondering how things were going for you all, so I'm glad to hear that otherwise everything is ok :)

Jackie said...

EW! ok I could have went without reading this! I have an intense fear of lice for some odd reason, never even saw it! Sorry you have to go through that but glad it seems to be GONE! Your description of Ella cracked me up!