It's gone! It has served its purpose and the dentist removed it.
It was like Christmas and free puppies all rolled in one. You have never seen a boy so happy. As soon as we walked in the dentist waiting room, all the receptionist could see was a little pair of hands clinging to her counter and a set of eyes peering at her . . .
"Are you going to take out my retainer today?!"
He has waited for this day for months. Every other week he'd ask me "When is Dr. Burt taking out my retainer?" After a while, he bonded with it. He learned to chew gum with it, eat sticky candy with it, and do pretty much anything else the dentist said not to do with it. They were bad boys together. It became his conversation piece. Girls thought it was cool. Adults would do double takes and ask him with wide eyes "WHAT is that in your mouth?!" Theirs was a love/hate relationship.
And, now it's gone. After a year and a half, Dr. Burt just popped it out and tossed it aside. Middle Child was thrilled. He kept licking his bottom teeth as he ran to the treasure box to collect his dentist visit prize.
Then, just the other day he told me . . .
I want my retainer back!!!
Slowly, day by day, he is moving on. His new thing is eating whole apples instead of having them cut up. I informed him that he could now try a caramel or candy apple. This thrilled him! He has yet to learn that you cannot eat the core.
Periodically, he reverts to baby talk and tells me he can't talk without his retainer. I remind him that after a year of speech therapy and a year and a half with a metal rake in his mouth he better talk like the five year old that he is.
He is getting used to his metal-free mouth. I am sure the day will come when he doesn't even remember that sharp, tinny taste of metal against his tongue.
I am positive this day will be followed immediately by the day Dr. Burt tells us he needs braces.
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