Baby's Got Braces!

Jack got his braces yesterday. He was a little nervous about it. But in the end, he did great!

This morning I went into his class to tell them about his new braces, and why he has to wear them when he is so little. I explained about how he was born with a cleft lip, and showed them one of his baby pictures. One kid said, "That's gross!" I said, "No it's not! It's SO COOL!! Cuz see, they fixed it!" :) I could tell Jack felt really cool, and Rock Star ish. He showed them his "mask", and let them look at it, and pass it around. I think it went really well. I hope I spread a little awareness, even if they are 3. :)

So I have uploaded pictures, but they are in reverse order, and I'm too lazy to move them. :) So I'm making you do all the work- scroll to the bottom to see them in order! heehee

Sleeping like an angel... with a mask on. :)


The Crib. In.

Showing off his head gear. He calls it a Mask.


Showing off how it looks "On".



Checking it out still...

Seeing if he can get it out. :)

Getting it in.



Here's the Crib.


He's so big, and yet so little! They really should make little kid dentist chairs. Maybe I should, and make my millions. mwuahahaha

Can I get a WOO HOO???

Seriously... I need to stop freaking out so much. :)

Yesterday went SOOOO well! My LeAnn(the nurse over craniofacial) calmed me down quite a bit before our appointment. And then we met Parker.

I told you last post about how much I enjoy the camraderie. So as everyone was filing in, I was "looking" for it, but not in a stalker kind of way. ;) There were lots of people there, but noone stuck out to me, if that makes sence. And then Parker and his Mom came in.

Parker had the same kind of cleft Jack had, just on the other side. He had glasses just like Jack too. :) I started talking to his Mom. And then Parker. He was so cute. He's 9 and was telling us about his bone graft surgery a few years ago. He also has the same retainer/headgear Jack is getting. So he showed it to Jack and told him all about it. It was pretty cool, and exactly what I was "looking" for. And who amazing to be able to talk to a kid, and ask him questions. SO SO COOL!

So... here's the plan. The other day they took another mold for the retainer.

They are making it now, and it will be placed next week. From what I have been told, there will be 2 brackets cemented to his back molars, and then a wire around the back of his top teeth. In order to make room for the brackets, they put some spacers in to make room. Jack thinks they are pretty cool!! :)

When you are done admiring his cool green spacers. Take a moment to appreciate his palate.

This is how it looked after 2 years of wearing a prosthesis. Right before his hard palate repair.

Pretty amazing right?

So Jack seems excited about all this. He told Dad he was getting a mask! :)Here is a picture I found online of the headgear.

Jack's may be a little different. And he has requested blue, since that was the color of his new friend Parker's. ;)

So... I am feeling much more calm and prepared for this now. I have been told since it is a gradual process, he shouldn't have too much discomfort. For Jack... that means none!! Although, when she first put the spacers in, he got a little teary because it felt weird, and caused a little bit of pressure. But as soon as we got home he said, "My teeth feel better now, Mom."

Man I love this kid. :)

We're jumping back in...

Well, as of tomorrow, we are jumping back into the world of monthly appointments, and something to deal with Daily.

Jack is getting a retainer. He's 3. Ok... he'll be 4 soon enough. Crazy huh? Retainers are bad enough on a teenager. UGH

This retainer is to pull his midface out slowly. And by slowly... I mean 2 years. The thought process is to pull gently while he is still growing. Hopefully, this will help us avoid having to do it surgically when he is 8 or 9 years old.

I am feeling very anxious about this. I'm not really sure why. I feel very unprepared. I feel very overwhelmed with my life as it is, and now to add this. I know some of you are saying, add what? Well...

Making sure he is wearing it EVERY NIGHT.

Luckily... it is only an overnight, not an all day, retainer. This may not seem like a big deal, but I work most evenings, so this is out of my hands. I am not very good at giving up control, and having relying on someone else to do it. TO make sure he has it on before he goes to sleep. I can of course make sure it's on when I get home. But if he doesn't have it on, I can't really wake him up to put it on.

I am also worried he won't like it. That it will bother him, and it will be a fight. I'm so tired as it is, and to add fighting with a 4 yr old to improve his life does not sound appealing. Especially when there is daily fighting with others around me, to do things to impove their life. *sigh*

He has been wearing glasses since october-ish. And there are days, he doesn't wear them. Cuz they never got put on before we ran out the door to go to school. I haven't quite gotten the hang of the glasses yet. So to add another appliance to this kids life... ugh.

He will have monthly appointments to tighten it.

I think I will be able to coordinate his appointments with times I will be up there anyway, but not always. Up there, meaning the hospital, or in the area. For those who don't know, we live about 20 minutes from Primary Children's Medical Center. It is not far compared to some who go there, but I HATE to drive. And HATE to drive far even worse. I work a block and a half from my house, if that gives you any indication. :)

I will admit I like everyone in the ortho's office. I enjoyed when he was a baby, going there regularly. It will be fun to "hang out" with the girls regularly for awhile. :) Also, meeting other families going through stuff too. I enjoy the camaraderie of that whole aspect.

Also, I had braces. NOT FUN! I HATED getting them tightened. And this is his whole face, not just teeth. But then... this is Jack. This kid NEVER complains! It's weird. :) But... it is something I'm worried about.

Financially

Do you really need further explaination about this?

All that aside. This is something he REALLY REALLY needs. His sweet little face is soooo flat. It makes me kind of sad. It's always been flat, but the bigger he's gotten, the worse the flatness has gotten. The technical term is midface hypoplasia.

So whether I like it or not, we are in for the long haul. I can't wait to see the results! Should be interesting for sure!! :)

How bout some pictures?!

This is from the appointment where he was measured, xrayed and they took lots and lots of pictures. This one was taken at the end. So so sweet. They of course were highly impressed with his good nature. :)

Here is doing the mold. The nurse said she gets thrown-up on all the time. Of course Jack didn't even flinch. heehee

Here is Jack with his molds a few weeks later. He thought they were pretty cool.

These are just two pictures trying to show his sweet flat face. You can't really see it when he is looking at you:

But look at the difference between my face and his.

I'm going to try and track the growth of his face. So be watching for that too!

And... WISH ME LUCK! :)

My thoughts exactly!

There are days when I wonder if anyone else knows how I feel. And then something like this goes mainstream.



The part where her hands are shaking on the sink, makes me cry everytime I see it, or even think about it for that matter. It's a daily struggle, the balance of helping them, being their mom, and letting them learn it on their own. It's an emotional rollercoaster, being a Mom. Being a Mom of kids who are differently abled... Is like NEVER getting off said rollarcoaster!