We had some uninvited visitors this weekend....
It was not a skunk, or a mouse, or a stray dog or cat...
It was something I have been dreading forever. Something that just hearing about makes my skin crawl and my body itch....
I can't even bring myself to type the word on this page.
OK, here goes....
Jessica had lice.
This is the first and hopefully the last time I ever have to do this.
Sunday, at around noon, I noticed Jessica scratching the side of her head as she stood next to me at my computer desk. I was like, "Ew Jess, why are you scratching your head like that. That's so gross. Can you not stand so close to me if you are gonna do that?"
(ooh, that sounds kinda harsh....)
Then I looked at her again, and said, "Jess, let's go outside. I wanna look at your hair."
Sure enough she had tons of nits, and I was like totally freaking out. I made her stay outside while I checked Emily and made Jon go to Walgreen's to buy the lice shampoo. Emily's head was clean ( I checked 3 times), and so was Will's and Alyssa's and Jon's. My mom came over and checked my hair and said I was clean too. Phew.
Yeah, so I spent my sunday which started off nice and leisurely and stay-in-your-pajamas-till-12 kinda day, cleaning Jessica's hair, washing everything we own and vacuuming the house from top to bottom. I sprayed the carpets with that special spray, took everything in her room down to the laundry room, washed all the coats and spent 3 hours picking all the freaking nits out of her hair!
At 11 pm last night, Jessica was crying, begging me to let her go to sleep. I didn't want her to go in her bed till I found every single nit (this was hair check for 3 hours take 2). Finally I gave in. I tied a Target bag around her hair and then a shower cap and put her to bed. Of course she couldn't sleep well because she felt like her head was in a cheap diaper, so she woke up early monday morning. After I took the other kids to school, I started nit check #3. I found a teeny louse, freaked out and shampooed her hair again. (I also dyed my hair cuz someone told me that lice hate dyed hair... OK FINE, and my roots were showing, but it seemed like the timing was good) Anyway, then we proceeded with nit check #4. We spent the whole day until dinner time combing through her hair. I started with it all up in a ponytail and slowly took out a few centimeters of hair at a time. I was almost blind when we finally finished. Jessica's hair was beautiful and shiny and lighter in color for some reason. I told her that she has the most beautiful bug infested hair I have ever seen!!!
Anyway, I think we got them all. I have yet to see when we start nit check #5 tomorrow. And, I am still in the middle of washing everything we own (comforters take forever to dry!!!).
But, you should all know, that after ignoring my other 3 kids most of the day, and my husband who was working from home and in a fowl mood, I decided that while he picked up some take out for himself and Jessica, I would let Alyssa help me make the picky kids some dinner. If you can really call it dinner..... We made french toast, french fries, tomato slices and watermelon. OK, now if you are a normal person, you might be vomiting that I let my kids eat these 4 things together for dinner. Or you might be thinking that I am the worst Mom and am giving my kids the worst dinner in the world. But, Will ate more than he usually does and Emily told me that it was a very delicious dinner.
Anyway, so Alyssa helped me make the french toast. She helped me crack the eggs, and she blended them with a fork all by herself. I added the milk and she got all excited. I showed her how to put the bread into the mixture.... and she went to town! OH MY GOD! She slapped that bread into the egg mixture at least 14 times. Then she finger painted the microwave, my cell phone, and the whole counter! That's when I decided I had had enough help. I washed her off and sent her on her merry way...... and she galloped out of the kitchen looking for something else to destroy............
So sorry Rayli. We went through this with So just b4 school started this year - and I took the lazy way out. I let "hair fairies" do the dirty work. And I still gave my kids crap to eat.
ReplyDeletethis makes me tired. i cant even imagine having to clean the house that well.
ReplyDeleteRayli - i have unfortunately due to my geographic location suffered this plague in my house twice. once with live bugs!!!!!!! and once with nits. I praya you never experience this again but if you do...Firstly - skip all the chemical shampoos - put thick conditioner on the hair - like pantene - and ALOT - finish half a bottle if you have to, leave it on overnight or for a 4+ hours - it suffocates the bugs and the eggs, then you have to pick them out (sorry no help for that) although we have a lice lady who charges @ 40$/hr to clean out heads. well worth it!!! good luck!!! ES
ReplyDeleteRayli, I taught little kids for a while and also in my previous marriage, my step kids always came home with those critters. I found a solution for us, that may also work for your family. Purchase a bottle of tea tree oil from your local pharmacy. Put about a dozen drops in each shampoo bottle that you use. Shake the bottle each time before using. The oil puts off a scent that the critters don't like, but it really doesn't change the effect or scent of the shampoo. It will not kill them once you have them, but it is supposed to keep them away once the hair is free of them. Might be worth a try, it worked for us.
ReplyDeleteStop in over at my blog and see the award I have posted for you! :)
ReplyDeleteOMG you poor, poor thing. Biggest nightmare ever!
ReplyDeleteI feel for you. Use Pantene conditioner and TONS of it. We went through 3 1/2- 25oz bottles when we had it. It also has a 14 day incubation period so when you think it's over, make everyone sleep in conditioner again in a week.
ReplyDeleteGood Luck!
I am terrified of lice. last year, two of the kids in my carpool had it and I was convinced my kids were going to get it. THANKFULLY they didn't. but I still live in fear...
ReplyDeleteI think lice is probably better than bed bugs. Poor Jessica! (and Rayli!) I don't remember it being such an ordeal when I had lice at age 7.
ReplyDelete