Friday, July 17, 2009

Introducing my "tween" girls

It's official. We have entered the tween stage. This was a big week here in the peapod. My little sweet peas are growing up. No longer little girls. They now understand what it means to suffer for beauty (well not just for beauty for the betterment of their mouth's health).

Tally got braces and Tissy got a retainer. We knew this was coming. It wasn't a surprise, but yet I am not sure I was ready for this. Not just financially, but emotionally. My girls look so mature and grown up. I am not ready for them to grow up. I have enjoyed every stage and I am determined to enjoy this tween stage too. I think if I embrace it with positivity, it will help them adjust to all the changes that are going on.
Here is Tally's sweet little mouth. Not only are we dealing with an "over jet" but lots of crazy positioning of teeth. Most of that is from a mouth injury from when she fell as a 3 year old. Talk about consequences.
One of the things for me that has been hard to accept, is her smile will never bee the same. I have loved that front tooth that has it's own special way of presenting itself. I love her just how she is. She has been so excited about getting braces. She understands it is a big deal and costs a lot of money and that she must be very responsible. She will get the head gear to go with it in a few weeks. I bet that will be another adjustment for her. =(Here she is afterward. She got a free ice cream from Baskin Robins as a special treat from the orthodontist. Only soft foods for a few days. That and lots of pain meds. Click on the picture to see it larger to see those beautiful teeth. Her bands are orange and pink.
Here is Tissy with her new retainer. She recently had a baby tooth removed (the filling fell out and it wasn't worth replacing) and in order to maintain the open space for the adult tooth we decided to go with the retainer. It will not only hold that space open (her mouth is tiny and has significant crowding) it will also prevent her from digging her teeth up into the roof of her mouth. She too has the over jet that Tally has. She sounds just adorable with her retainer. All lispy and cute. Not to mention she looks as cute as can be.

So there you have it. My two tween girls. And I guess that means I am not the young mom anymore with little kids. We are all learning to cope with this in our own ways. And I am learning to let them grow up.

14 comments:

Elle J said...

All I can say is that your girls look beautiful and cute and happy ... and OUCH!! for the orthodontic appliances now and in the future.

K-Sue said...

They look very Jr-High-ish. Sigh. We loved the little toothless grin baby smile, and were kinda sad to see baby teeth grow in. Now we are well along toward adult teeth, and orthondontia looms in our future, too. I always wish each stage could last about twice as long as it does.

Anonymous said...

They look darling. Glad to know Tally wasn't dreading her braces the way JD is. Hope the pain isn't too bad for her. I remember getting my braces and it was a rough couple of days.

It is so hard to watch our babies grow up. I've noticed JD is getting a lot more hairy and has had to start using deodorant. I'm not ready for this!!! But these will be enjoyable years, filled with their own treasures.

Ginny said...

Wow-they are growing up! They both look adorable.

Julie said...

It's hard to let them grow up isn't it? They look great though!

Randi Sue said...

Grace will be getting braces soon, too.

Rachael said...

They look really cute with their new gear.

My oldest daughter was blessed with perfectly straight teeth. Poor Katya though is not going to be as lucky. We'll be there in your shoes in a year or two too, I think.

oneblessedmamma said...

Wow, what a big day for your girls!

Anonymous said...

Aww. It is a big deal. It is hard to see them grow up. I love your tender heart.

Tim and Susan said...

Great to see the pictures! They look cute. I hope Tally isn't too uncomfortable..JT was hurting for a few days...but I think the headgear is worse for him that just the brackets on his teeth. We've been thinking about you all lately. Our kids are growing up to fast!!

Cristy said...

Braces and headgear, bless her heart. I had both, too. Ugh! That's going to happen in my house before too long.

Melissa said...

Mad has just had the lispy lisp stage with a palate expander. I'm amazed that after a few weeks, she talks completely normally. We were told she will have to learn to talk normally again when the expander is removed. Thanks for the pics of your sweet girls and their new facewear.

Christy said...

We are still in a holding pattern for Joseph...too many baby teeth that need to come out. It's been a year and he still has 6 more to go!

Karen said...

They look great ! I hope Tally's mouth is better. I am not looking forward to it... She looks older with her braces... I am sure that is not what you want to hear :)