Read Phase One Here
Read Phase Two Here
Believe it or not, I am not really a bug-a-phobe. I don't necessarily like them, but I am not freaked out or worried by them. Mildly irritated is how I would describe in general my feelings toward bugs. (Spiders have their own place of dislike in my heart, but I feel like that's fair since one sent me to the hospital in Singapore.) I have to tell you though, that something was triggered in my mommy's heart when I saw bugs crawling in my baby's hair....multiple bugs, multiple times.
Phase Three: Happy Birthday, Would you like some itchy sprinkles on your cupcake?
The much awaited 4th Birthday had arrived, and I had the happiest little birthday girl you could imagine. We had big plans for the weekend starting with cupcakes and the carousel at the mall with her two best friends and followed by a special spa night at a hotel with Grammy and Mommy! Things started with a bang and my little princess was glowing and so excited to have cupcakes with her friends. I was visiting with the moms (two of my great friends) and even telling them how thankful I was to be on the other side of lice-capades. And they sympathizing as only great friends could do.
After riding the carousel, on our way out to the car I noticed LK scratching her head. I glanced at her scalp and right at the front of her hairline I saw a rice-grained size louse crawling on her scalp. Y'all, it was her birthday!!! I don't know what was worse, having to call my friends and tell them (one of whom LK had slept in her daughter's bed the day before) or having to tell my beautiful birthday princess that we were going home to shampoo and comb more itchies out of her hair. I cried through both.
One of my friends brought us a prescription shampoo. And before heading to the hotel that night we shampooed and combed. Then we just used a gentle cleanser later at the hotel and combed again (while we painted her toenails and gave her a hand massage).
We bagged all stuffed animals, babies with hair, dress-up clothes, comforter, anything with fabric. I threw away her pillow, bought a new one and left the plastic on it under her pillowcase. I threw away her hairbrush and hairbows. I washed sheets, car seat covers. Vacuumed mattresses and every inch of carpet. To be honest, the main reason I did all of this was to say that I did. I don't really think that this was the main problem. I don't think we had lice in her bed or even her pillow. Most of the research I found all pointed to the fact that lice will not leave their food source (human blood) and it is a waste of time and money to spray, wash furniture, etc... However, at this point, out of fury at the damn bugs who appeared on my babies birthday, I was unleashing every mode of attack I could. (FYI, I have some friends who swear that bagging, washing, etc...is what made the difference in getting rid of their lice).
After this we combed (using oils and conditioners) every day for the first 3 days and then a couple more times that week. We washed sheets and vacuumed her mattress every day. And started using a Lice Repellant line of haircare (that LK will use for as long as she lives under my roof.)
Feeling sure, there was nothing else I could do, and surely, SURELY we had gotten them all. Surely!
Stay tuned for Phase Four (no, I'm not joking).
(**As much as I love and appreciate sharing advice and am constantly looking for new ideas and normally I love this blog being a place for that, this is one subject where I want to kindly ask you not to. As you will continue to read, we tried a lot of things, have done a lot of reading and found so much conflicting information and advice we finally just had to make decisions based on what we felt like was best for our family. I think most people who have dealt with lice come to a point of being so frustrated that even the most well-meaning advice is discouraging and not helpful. The reason I chose to write about this at all is because I believe this blog is a place for me to write and share our real life: the good the bad and the ugly. This is the ugly. That being said, even though I think we are on the other side of this, my heart is still a *tad* tender to this subject. I ask that you limit your comments to encouragement only and reserve your advice for your own personal blogs or forums. Thanks for understanding. **)
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