Getting Braces

After lots of worrying, wondering, praying, encouraging...Sylvia had her braces put on today!  

When I picked her up at school at 9:10, she was in the office ready to go, with a little bit of a nervous look on her face.  She told me her class gave her a nice wish...Her teacher said, "1-2-3..." and everyone cheered, "Good luck, Sylvia!"  She thought it was very sweet.

Although she already knew she wanted red and green on her braces, she liked the little colored tags she got to choose from.

Even though we aren't turning the key anymore, she does still have her expander in.  It has made a very deep cut all the way across her tongue.  It is scary to look at, and quite painful for her at times!  Since she doesn't need to widen the expander any further, Dr. B. put some smooth acrylic over the bridge part of it to help it not be so sharp.  She now has to gargle with peroxide and warm water twice a day to heal the cut.

She was very glad her Daddy was there to hold her hand the whole time today.

Sylvia thinks Dr. B. is very nice and very funny "like Daddy."  He is also very precise and quick.  And, he has this cool blue light that dries the glue.

Once everything was on, her first reaction was a smile...

They do look pretty cool!

Sylvia loves her Daddy so much.  As soon as he heard the date of her appointment, he put it on his calendar without her even asking if he could be there.  I am grateful he knows what moments are important to her, and that he has a job that allows him to be there for her!  What blessings!

I'm also thankful that I can be there for appointments and activities too, and the fact that my kids just expect and know that I will because I'm a stay-at-home mommy.  Another blessing.

Cutie face.

We had been warned that pain would kick in pretty quickly.  I had given her acetaminophen before we went into the orthodontist's office.  We ran a couple quick errands until it was lunchtime, and then went to Chili's.  Everyone suggested mashed potatoes for a couple days, but that is one of the few foods Sylvia really doesn't like!  She ordered macaroni and cheese.  She was able to eat about half of it before  the pain started kicking in pretty badly.  I kept her with me, running Christmas shopping errands, until I could give her another dose of pain killer, and then she went back to school.  

She likes hearing about other kids with braces, and from people she knows who have gone through different orthodontic processes.  It helps her a lot.  And, as we keep telling her, she is actually very fortunate to need minimal work for only a short time!  

I made her a little video so she could see what we saw.