Day #3 of Operation Lice-Removal has been an encouraging one. By yesterday afternoon, I felt increasingly confident that Gabriel and Bronwyn's heads are lice-free, and today I'm thinking the worst is behind us. My confidence is aided by three things:

1. I did a lot more research online during naptime yesterday about what exactly I should be looking for. I'd been nervous that I was completely "missing" the eggs because I couldn't find a thing on either of their scalps. It turns out that what I'd thought were nymphs ("baby" lice) were actually nits (eggs), and I'm pretty sure I've removed all of them, which is why I wasn't finding anything.

2. Knowing now what lice, nymphs and nits look like, I can draw the conclusion that Gabriel and Bronwyn had lice for 3 days maximum. There were only 5 lice total (3 on Gabriel's head and 2 on Bronwyn's), at most 2 dozen nits on Gabriel's head, and around 1 dozen nits on Bronwyn's. Since 1 louse lays anywhere from 4-10 eggs each day, it's safe to say neither had lice for long before Gabriel--in all his fussiness!--complained about itching and spiders. It's even possible that they didn't have lice while at church on Sunday morning.

3. Gabriel is virtually bald. If there was anything on his head, I'd see it. Bronwyn's hair is still very fine; after all, she's not even 2 years old yet.

So... that's our lice update. I am still going to "lay low" until Monday, when I will do another medicated treatment regardless of what I do or don't see. My rising hope is that by early next week I will no longer be housebound and might even have the indulgence of an adult conversation with someone!

For those who'd like a peek at my rock-star son, here's a picture I took this morning:

(Yes, Bronwyn is basically as big as him.)

And for those who are wondering how I'm planning on emotionally navigating a week of being pent up with three children ages three and under, these are the aiding forces behind any maintained sanity:

A whole lot of
,

one cup a day of

(Trust me, if I run out and can't get to the store, I will call someone for more of this!),

and sticking closely to
.

Unfortunately, I've had to let go of the following chart (one of my mainstays in life) due to the unexpected hoards of laundry, vacuuming, and mopping I'm having to do; but basically I'm just doing all the chores for the entire week everyday.