Lucky number 7

Look who's 7 months old...
There's a lot she can do now. She can sit up on her own...
Though we still have to watch her closely. Case in point: she fell and hit her head right after I took this picture. Good job, Mom.

She devours baby food...
She giggles...
And she makes a "Whatchu talkin' bout Willis?" face...

Just so you know that I do take pictures of my other 3 children still, here are a few from Labor Day at the lake...
The older three kids played so well together all weekend, which doesn't always happen...
Of course there had to be a little mischief...
Meet Fish Dog...
That's not our dog. He's a random dog that just comes to my mom's cabin. The kids adore him. We gave him this name because he catches fish with his bare paws. It is a sight to behold. If I had no moral compass, I think I'd just swipe him. I love to eat fish, but I hate fishing. With Fish Dog...problem solved!

I had planned on getting those cutie family pix of just our legs standing on the shore and our bare feet all together in the sand. We even trimmed everyone's toe nails which is saying a lot for this slacker mom. But some days you just have to live and not turn your life into a photo shoot. I mess that up a lot of times, but this was one of those days. So we just lived it.

Romance is in the air...or is it?

It's been two months since Bill and I had a date. But we finally had one last week. The kids were all in bed and we were in the living room. It involved lotion and a massage. But don't get the wrong idea...he was doing a lice treatment on me. Yes, you read correctly. Our "romantic evening" did involve lotion. And it did involve my husband running his hands through my hair for two hours. But it also involved nasty, God-forsaken bugs. While everyone else is worrying about H1N1, there is another bug that concerns me.

Though it's not sexy, there is a certain intimacy to having someone do something that you need, but you can't do for yourself. And the conversation was really sweet.The past month since we've been home has been very full and we haven't had a lot of time for deep conversation. He with the fine toothed comb and me with the scary head of hair...well, we were each others captive audience. Not that I'm recommending lice treatments to you and yours. I'm just saying we made lemonade with these lemons.

Please don't be misled by the above statement: I have NOT been handling the whole situation gracefully. It started with my child (who prefers anonymity in this) asking me, "Mom how's your stress level right now?". I answered, "I think it's fine. Why do you ask?"

"Because there's something I need to tell you."

"Go ahead, don't worry. I won't freak out." Famous last words.

When I heard the words "I think I might have lice" I started hyper-ventilating. And when I looked into the head of hair and saw it teeming with them, the tears started to flow. I think both of those things would qualify as freaking out. I never should have made the "I won't freak out" promise. I strongly believe the only sane response to a lice infestation is to freak out.

Bill found two on me and a handful of their eggs while doing the treatment. So mine is more of a visitation than an infestation. Not that that makes me okay with it. Visitations are nice when done by your pastor, not by creepy crawlers.

If you live near me, I understand if you avoid me like the plague. Though we are clear now, I do see how friendship with me could feel like a liability. And whether you live near me or not, I'm pretty sure you are starting to itch about now. I'm sorry for that.

I want to use this post let you know what I've learned about lice (in case you should need it someday) and what I've learned from lice. If you don't want to read on, that's okay. I'm not usually the girl who gives advice to others (because I usually have none) and I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I would suggest you bookmark this post just in case the wrath of lice ever comes knocking on your door like it did on mine.

First of all, everyone and their dog (they can't live off dogs, fyi) offers you various different remedies for fighting lice. Mayo (tried it), Olive oil (tried it), Listerine mixed with shampoo (tried it), etc. One thing you should know is that the common over-the-counter pesticides like Rid and Nix may not work very well. They are basically pesticides and the bugs are building up immunities to them. The products that dry on the hair and form a protective coat around it, suffocating the lice, seem to be the way to go. There's no immunity to suffocation. Lice Ice is one product. I think it's a good one, but the one I prefer is Nuvo Treatment for Head Lice. My doctor (who looks 16, but is very wise) recommended it and I am so thankful she did! The website was so informative and the treatment is the best I've found. I would recommend for it to be used in combination with the LiceMeister comb for getting out nits. I bought it on Amazon. Also helpful for removing nits is The Fairy Tales line Lice Good-Bye. It is all natural, as are the other three I mentioned, so you don't have to worry about putting insecticides on your kids heads. It dissolves the nit glue that sticks them to the hair, making them easier to remove. My sweet friend Emily researched all the products when we dealt with lice the first time this summer and found it for me on sale for one dollar! That is huge because having lice can be a very expensive venture. I could have flown to San Diego for with the money I've spent on lice treatments over the course of the two outbreaks. Anyway, The Lice Good-Bye marked the difference for us in losing the fight against lice to being able to get on top of it. And emotionally, I needed to feel like the lice weren't going to get the best of me.

For prevention (though I may not be the greatest one to talk on this subject since we've had a second infestation in our family) I would recommend shampoo with tea tree oil. Paul Mitchell has one and I think there are lots of others. I am enjoying the Tea Tree and mint one I found at Walmart. I am not holding it against the shampoo that I got lice on it's watch. You can only ask so much of a preventative shampoo when an infested child repetitively comes in to cuddle you in the morning and shares your pillow. Plus it smells really yummy, so I'm willing to be very forgiving. Also Lice Ice can be used as a gel or spray for prevention. And Fairy Tales Rosemary Repel Creme Conditioner is a leave-in conditioner that works as a repellent.

So we are pretty much back to normal life with a little extra vacuuming and laundry to be on the safe side. At the height of it, the laundry threatened to take over my very existence and succeeded at taking over my dining room...
In the midst of Round 2 with lice (are we the grossest people on the planet that this happened again?), I was nearing despair when I remembered...they are only bugs. I realize this shouldn't qualify as a major "aha" moment, but it was an important lesson for me. Sweet Christine referred me to Katie's blog which I have honestly been avoiding for months. Remember, I desperately want God to change me while fighting Him every step of the way. At the same time, friends are in the hospital with their sweet 6 week old baby fighting for her life. And a best friend is in the midst of chemo. I only have so much energy. I can spend it worrying about lice or I can spend it praying for these dear ones and living for what matters. I hope I make the right choice.

Just when you thought I was never going to blog about anything but Luci May again, I pull out another dreaded lice post. I'll leave you to go scratch your head with sympathy itching in peace and long for the days of the "feel good" Lulu posts. I assure you, they'll be back.

The anatomy of a smile...

Lulu style.

First you start with a serious face...
Then you break out into a slight grin. Bill calls this her "Harrison Ford smile"...

It's building...

Almost there...
And we've arrived at our destination: the total scrunched up smile, dimples and all...
Lulu, you make us smile too!

Team Spirit

Our friend Robrenna made sure our team was outfitted for our new season with the Rookie. She got us all shirts to show off our pride in the New-and-Improved Team Kollar...
Here's what they look like on the back...
Mindee and her family were kind (and patient) enough to take pictures of our family sportin' our new look. 144 pictures later we had some that I loved...

And plenty that show off the real Team Kollar...
We tried to get pictures in Mindee's tree house. After we'd taken several that were obviously not working out, I was harping a bit on the kids. At that point, Mindee said to me "You are the problem, sister." That totally cracked me up. Don't think she was being mean. Check out the evidence for yourself...
Remember how Lulu feels about her "I'm from Texas" bows? Mindee caught Luci using her Ancient Ethiopian Bow Removal Technique on camera...
Please zoom in for full effect. You won't regret it.

The bow was the tail that wagged the dog for most of the afternoon...

Oh, but it's so worth it...
Remember how Lulu is a stealth spitter-upper? Mindee caught her in the act of that too...
We may root for the Huskers, but this is my favorite team...

Michael W. Smith was right...

Friends are friends forever. And I feel like I have the best friends ever.

From decorating the house upon our return. To providing meals. To sewing crib bedding. To calls and visits and notes and gifts. Even a gift for the dog! We have been overwhelmed by how our friends have celebrated Luci May with us.

Last weekend, friends threw a shower for me and the Lulu. Thank you Mindee, Rachel, LeAnne, and Robrenna. It couldn't have been in a more beautiful setting, Mindee's back yard...
It was so delightful to be with friends from the neighborhood and my kid's school along with their daughters...
My mother-in-law, sister and niece were there too (Gunga was sick), but sadly, this is the only picture I have of them "lurking" in the background...
Luci was getting some love from another Ethiopian princess, Kate....
Her family is from Ethiopia, but live here in the States now. They have been such a blessing in our lives.

The food was incredible...
And everyone knows, I don't turn away gifts...
I loved all the gifts, but one had sentimental value. Robrenna gave me a Willowtree figurine that she had painted so it was me and Luci...
For those of you Ethiopia adoptive families reading this, her tip is DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME. Unless you are confident in your painting skills, that is.

If she was trying to make me cry, it totally worked...

This was the reaction when...
we dropped the beloved figurine. Thankfully, it didn't break. Then you would have really seen me cry!

Not to be outdone, Lulu left a little present of her own...
Stealth spitting up is a talent of hers.

We both had a great time...
While I was totally energized by the whole event, she was wiped out...
It can be tiring to be adored.

That weekend also brought a visit from Aunt Deb, as my kids call her. She's not really their aunt. But she's close enough. Deb came from Denver to meet Lulu and enter into this experience with us...
She came a long way to see Lulu, but didn't get to hold her until right before she was getting on the plane. I broke down and handed the baby over...for a brief minute. Judging by the above picture, I think Luci was glad Aunt Deb came too.

She and I, along with Le Anne, have been friends since college and were reunited yet again last weekend...
We have lived through college days, a streaking incident, 11 babies between us, Alzheimer's, MS, and breast cancer. Our friendship of 20 years has known lots of late night talks, many tears and even more laughter. It is a treasure indeed.

Bill and I have often said that while our salary may not reflect it, we are filthy rich due to the friendships that we have been blessed with. This post reflects some of that undeserved, yet much appreciated relational affluence in our lives.