They boys are at hunting camp again so it’s just the girls and me. So far today I haven’t even gotten out of bed yet except to let the dog out, tend to the wood stove and get some more coffee. This is my kind of morning. Reading my book, surfing some blogs, reading some email, all from the comfort of my bed. I have to get up soon as we need to go run a few errands but I am really just not motivated today.

We reached another milestone last night in the growing up of our children. We took the crib out of the girls room and my 2 year old now sleeps in a toddler bed. I purposely cut her nap short yesterday so she might go to sleep a bit easier and it worked. She was out almost as soon as her head hit the pillow and she slept until almost 8am today. It’s odd but it’s kind of sad to think we’ll never use a crib again.

Lauren - the same said 2 year old - was bitten by a tick on Wednesday. I was cleaning off her face after breakfast and saw what I thought was a dried blood spot on her neck. When I got closer I saw the legs and knew it was a tick. I freaked out and shouted for Jeff that she had a tick on her neck. He came running with the tweezers and attempted to remove it. She turned her head just as he was pulling it out and it broke off. This is very bad news if this tick has Lyme as the breakage alone could cause the disease to be released and transferred. Anyone that has read my blog for a long time knows that I have Lyme Disease and that is has wreaked havoc in my life for the last 2 years. If not treated properly it can do so much damage. So I called the doctor immediately and they got her right in.

The doctor first went to work on removing the embedded head of that nasty tick. He put a topical numbing agent on the spot and proceeded to dig and pull with a needle and tweezers. I got the distinct honor of holding her head still. She cried but she was good about keeping still. He put some Neosporin on it and started talking about potential risks. I cut him short and told him I was well aware because I have Lyme Disease. I also told him that I was bitten in my own yard. Therefore I knew there was a high level of risk for her and I wanted her treated as though we already knew that tick was carrying Lyme. The problem? She is only 2 and the antibiotic of choice for treating Lyme, Doxycycline, cannot be used in young children. There is very little study on antibiotic therapy for young children in relation to Lyme but he opted, based on studies we’ve both read, I’ve done tons of research myself since being diagnosed, to put her on Amoxicilian as it has been used in many other cases.

The good news is that the tick was not at all engorged, indicating that it had not been attached for long. Typically they need to be attached for 48-72 hours to transfer Lyme. The center of the bite was purple though, indicating that it had already released the enzyme into her skin that breaks down the tissue. I have been giving her the medicine faithfully and am trying to not completely lose it. She will have to have a blood test in 30 days to see if any antibodies have developed. Please cross your fingers that they don’t.

Well I suppose I should stop being lazy and take a shower and get going. It is noon after all. The later we get going, the later we will get back and it’s supposed to rain this afternoon. Perhaps I’ll need to get another book or two for all of this rainy weather. Any excuse…