This past Memorial Day weekend, we discovered that the dudes’ heads were once again infested with lice. We had treated them several weeks ago, and done mountains of laundry, and tried to be as vigilant as possible to prevent their return, but those little buggers are tenacious! Sadly, we had to cancel our big Memorial Day BBQ because we didn’t want to spread it around to any of the families who’d be coming over.
Finny helpfully told us that the Spanish word for lice is “piojos” (pronounced pee-oh’-hoes), which sounds a little more lighthearted than “lice.” So, we spent Sunday evening and Monday combing out piojos, washing them out of all the bedding (again), and quarantining stuffed animals. On Tuesday I decided to call in the professionals – of which there are suprisingly many! – to come in and do a far more thorough job of nitpicking than I could do. They checked all of us for piojos, and luckily John, the nanny and I were clean. The boys, however, still had a ton of nits in their hair, which the “lice ladies” calmly and gently picked their way through (while Yvonne and I did yet more laundry).
They came back yesterday for another double-check and comb through, and happily the guys were piojos-free. Of course, in the meantime, I purchased lice-repellant shampoo and conditioner and better nit combs because I’m sure we’ll be dealing with this for the next few years as the guys go through school.
Update: Here’s Finn’s homegrown solution for depriving one of lice (and limb!):