LICE

Well, my Wacky Week of Family Fun didn't start off as anticipated. (Of course, I should know by now that things rarely go as planned!) While I was happily receiving my new leg I later discovered that Scott was waging a war on the home front.  We had been invaded by a nasty and determined enemy. Small in size yet packing an enormous ick factor, we were pulled into an epic battle against head lice. 

My head instantly began to itch as soon as I heard the news. Feeling the uneasiness that comes from the possibility that hundreds of bugs are dancing in my hair, I rushed to the drug store as soon as my leg was finished. Desperate and unnerved, I bought every remaining lice kit on the shelves. I think I surprised the cheerful teenager who checked me out with my basket full of lice treatment.  The poor kid didn't know how to respond, but I did chuckle when I saw him take a step backward from the counter.

Lice are utterly disgusting. Seeing little bugs crawling around Robby's hair will become fodder for nightmares for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately for my little Koopa, his incredibly thick and luxurious hair is not an asset when it comes to lice removal. He was a trooper, but it took me nearly an hour to brush out the dead bugs and eggs.  By the time I was finished, his torso and legs were caked with the not-so-dearly departed little creatures.

Scott had a moderate infestation and, much to his chagrin, it took him about 40 minutes to comb the eggs out of his hair. I treated my hair even though I couldn't find any bugs or nits. I figured that in this situation it would behoove me to air on the side of caution! (The fact that I removed so many bugs from Robby's hair made me experience sympathy itching all day long.) Timmy is the only member of our family to be unscathed by these annoying and ugly little critters. I guess not having much hair has a benefit!

After we were all thoroughly shampooed and combed, Scott and I set out to delouse the house.  Typically not much of a housekeeper, I was impressed by Scott's efficiency in this situation. Apparently the prospect of being invaded by lurking head lice is a huge motivator. By the time the sun was setting we had finished seven loads of laundry, had vacuumed the entire house and sprayed all the furniture with lice killer. Our house now smells like a pesticide factory.

Delaying our week of fun for a day, we hope we defeated our foe. We won't know for another week or two if all of the lice are gone or if we have to re-treat. In the meantime, we are going to try to put the buggy situation behind us. I haven't yet abandoned my week of fun, but I must admit that we haven't yet created the type of memories I had envisioned.
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