Getting' nitpicky

Coming soon...a fantastic visit with Mama and Papa! However, we interrupt the fun weekend blogging to ask the question...

Have you ever thought about where the term "nitpicky" comes from? Me either. Until yesterday...when we spent 2 hours picking nits (ughhh just typing that makes me cringe!) out of my hair. Yup, I had [have?] lice.

Backstory: about 5 weeks ago, there was a lice outbreak in one of my classes; 1 girl had it so bad that she was out for a week.  Then, a week or so after that, I developed a rash on my neck, so I made an appointment to see a dermatologist. In the meantime, the rash wasn't spreading, but it was very itchy, so I had Adam check my head for lice and ringworm (both ailments my students had around that time). He didn't see either, so we thought it was an allergic reaction or eczema. I also asked the office manager at school to check me, as she's the one who diagnosed my students. Nothing. On Wednesday, I saw an internist to get a referral, and she also missed it. Seriously?!

When the dermatologist told me yesterday, I couldn't believe it. 27 years lice-free, through the infestations that are so common in elementary and middle schools (I remember getting checked regularly--did that happen at all schools?), as well as 6 years of teaching. I immediately told Adam, who also couldn't believe it. How could I have had LICE without passing it along to him? Lucky guy :)

So I immediately went to Walgreens, picked up lice shampoo (ew), vinegar (home remedy), new hair ties, barrettes, combs, etc. I went home, threw out all of the old stuff, and did the shampoo treatment. That was no big deal, but then came the big guns--the nitpicker. EW. (Actually, Adam didn't find it gross at all, but it's all relative I guess. I spent the day writing personal narratives, while he spent the day on a gynecology rotation!) We didn't start until 9:30, when Adam got home, because he needed to be the one to actually use the comb to go through my hair. He slapped on gloves (ah, the benefits of being a doctor) and got to it...

...at 11:30, with my neck aching from hanging over the bathtub, and his shoulder aching from the back and forth motion, we could clearly see that we had been successful. And that's all I'm gonna say about that. (the bright side: there weren't like actual bugs, but just the eggs. Again, makes me shudder to think about it.)

I cannot go back to work until I've been checked by the doctor on Monday, so that's a plus! However, it's report card time, so I went in today--sadly, a teacher work day--to gather paperwork and lots of student projects to grade. I can't complain about 2 extra days of sleeping in!

Tonight, I tried a home remedy involving copious amounts of vinegar soaking into my head under a shower cap. Needless to say, I think salt-and-vinegar flavored chips are out of the picture for the foreseeable future. Then Adam got down to nitpicking round 2, but this time, we had it down to a science--it only took 1 hour! Go team!

Adam has been super helpful and adorable, and I'm so glad we got to spend this 11-month anniversary together [with a nitpicker].