Ticks ticks ticks ticks ticks

Today Emma put on her new camouflage pants and socks and one of Chucky’s camouflage hats, her Dale junior t-shirt and went out with Chucky to hang a camera in the woods. She looked like a little redneck and Chucky loved it. He is very excited about this camera that is supposed to take pictures of deer using heat-sensors. He and Emma returned and were headed to the bathtub because Chucky had seen some poison ivy in the woods.

Emma was scratching herself and complained that she was itchy. Chucky thought it was all her in head because he had said something about poison ivy. As soon as Emma got out of the tub, Chucky called me upstairs. Emma’s upper body and head were covered in teeny tiny “seed” ticks. After seeing what looked like hundreds and what Chucky said were thousands I called the doctor. She said the only way to get them out was to pick them all out. “No lice treatment? No rubbing alcohol?”, I asked. No, she said. That might kill them but they will stay attached if they have bitten her. I told the doctor I would need to sedate her for us to let her pick all those ticks off, just joking. And she actually said, “well you could dose her up good with some Benadryl.”

Emma was really itchy so I told her the medicine would help with the itching. She actually willingly drank the medicine (and I can’t believe I really did give her more than the recommended dose). We picked some ticks off, took a break, picked some more ticks, ate a little snack for lunch and she fell asleep in my arms in her bed for a nap. When she woke up, Chucky and I were out on the front porch with Libby. Chucky and I were talking, then he says “Hi, punkin!” She came out the back door looking for us, walked all the way around the house, and wasn’t even crying. I am ashamed that I had been outside without the monitor and that our child actually left the house and wandered around outside and I didn’t know it. I figured she was down for a good long nap. Wrong.

BUT the good news is we had a little angel with us the rest of the day. A normal day lately for Emma has been full of tantrums, whining and tears. An absolute struggle for us all. Today she let us pick ticks off of her on and off all afternoon and evening like we were monkeys, didn’t cry once and even told me she was sorry when all she did was brush by me when she was trying to reach something. Chucky and I often looked at each other and smiled as if to say, we have to cutest best kid ever, and to make sure the other one saw how great she just reacted to something that would normally set her off. Was it the Benadryl? I might be ordering it by the case! After our dinner out on the back deck, she ventured back into the woods behind our house to hang another camera with Chucky. Atta girl!