Today I’m a Proud Mama

A trip to the dentist with my daughter is a challenge. Not in the same way many parents face experience with school-aged children. There are no temper tantrums. No belligerent responses. No screaming or crying. Actually, quite the opposite.

My daughter was born with a genetic condition called Rett Syndrome (RTT). It’s a chromosome disorder that has affected her mobility (she uses a wheelchair), her speech (she does not have verbal language skills) and other physical and cognitive functions. Because of a number of typical RTT characteristics — teeth grinding, mouth breathing, etc — she has always been more susceptible to cavities and decay.

Today was her 6-month check up. I went in this morning with hopes of a good exam, but fully expected to hear about “a surface cavity” or “replacing a crown.” To my great surprise, the dentist reported — for the first time in all her 9 years — that my beautiful daughter does not need any dental work at this time!

Hats off to my favorite 9-year-old and a stellar dental appointment.

Today I’m a Mom

A couple of things have me really basking in my role as a mom.

First, I have been home with my daughter today. About a week ago, she managed to knock out a crown from her front tooth. Fortunately, we found the crown and she hadn’t swallowed it. Unfortunately, we had to schedule a visit to the dentist to have it replaced. On top of it all, it was likely she would need sedation in order to get it done. So we arrived an hour early for her appointment and talked about the procedure. Surprise! No sedation needed. They were able to numb the area and replace it in no time. Best of all, there was no charge!

The second thing marks the end of an era. I just wrote my last check to daycare. Yep. For nine and half years I have written a check to the same daycare. And I just dropped my last one in the box. Since both kids will be in school all day this fall, we won’t need daycare. It’s a very strange feeling, as the daycare has always made me feel like I was part of a family. They took excellent care of my kids and even made special accommodations when my daughter required extra care. I’ll miss them. And I think they’ll miss us… well, the kids anyway. And maybe my checks!