The start of summer

Very uneven start to our summer.

Picked up the kids from their last day of school (early dismissal), then headed straight to an orthodontist appointment. I thought it was one last consultation, so I thought it would be quick and we would be on with our day, which included a sleepover with Big Girl's best friend.

But I was wrong.

The brackets were glued onto Big Girl's teeth, to her horror.

She was completely taken by surprise, and her reaction? DEPRESSION. Many tears. She still wanted the sleepover, since she was feeling so sad and wanted her friend to comfort her. I felt bad for her friend, who really rose to the occasion but didn't have much fun. I hope we can make it up to her.

In Big Girl's mind, she was now hideous and a freak. She was terrified by the though of anyone seeing her. She went to dance class the next morning and refused to open her mouth. At her rehearsal that afternoon, I bribed her to smile. I told her we could make a $5 bet about whether the teacher would say anything about the braces. Big Girl chose the side that the teacher wouldn't even notice. So the bet was: if she smiled during the whole rehearsal, and the teacher didn't say anything, I had to pay her $5. If the teacher did say something, no one would pay anyone.

Good deal for the kiddo, huh? In the end, I had to pay her the $5!

Then we went to a Summer Kickoff party and all of her school friends saw her new metallic smile. She was worried they wouldn't like her anymore. Of course it was fine and none of her friends teased her at all.

Definite highs and lows. They continued.

After the fun party, we went to Disneyland to stay overnight there. It was Big Girl's birthday wish, and it was fun for everyone! I REALLY enjoyed getting to stay there.

During the rest of the first week off from school, there were some errands and playdates, and Big Girl had to have four teeth extracted.

That was a doozy.

The ortho and dentist planned for the dentist to do it. When I made the appointment, they asked if she would need nitrous. "At the very least," I said. "Yes," she said, "I see a note here that she has a lot of apprehension over procedures. Okay, see you Wednesday."

The Hubby and I wondered how the dentist was possibly going to remove four teeth from her head while she was conscious.

We took her in. She refused to sit in the chair. She cried, gnashed her teeth, and wailed.

The dentist didn't even come in. He sent for us to come back out to the front. He told us to go to an oral surgeon, because this kid would need a general anesthetic.

I was able to get an appt with the surgeon for that same afternoon.

No food for the girl.

Success at the surgeon. (Gasp) at the price tag.

Interestingly, she recovered quickly. She was back to normal the next day. Time for our summer to get better! Off to the library we went.

COMING SOON:
Well, barbra, that was a strange way to celebrate the start of summer. How are you marking the second week?