Life with braces has begun

It's a long and expensive process, but Emilyn is on her way to a perfect, healthy smile.

She made the big board at Dr. Mason's office, which lists all the kids with "back to school" braces. And she posed for one last photo with that smile we know and love...

Getting braces on is a long process! So long that Daddy and Allen couldn't make it there until the latter part of the fun. First, the anchors are sized for Emilyn's back molars and are cemented on. Then, the brackets are glued on, and finally a wire is threaded through all of the brackets. Emilyn had her choice of many colors of bands, and she can change the colors every time she goes back for an adjustment! (This time around, she picked peach and light blue.)


And here's the finished product! We'll have to learn a lot about taking care of the braces and her teeth, what to eat and what not to eat, but we're ready to get started on this journey.

Big first day of school !

Wow, this day seemed so far a way a few years ago... But, Allen has started kindergarten, for real. And Emilyn has moved into seventh grade. A big step for both of them!

Now they're both getting their pictures taken by the porch railing on the first day! They are so big! *sniff*

Spacers in - so far, so good

Emilyn's orthodontia update:

Four spacers went in the day before school started. They are little rubber bands that go between her back teeth to make a space for the metal bands that will anchor her braces.

This was also the visit where they took photos and molds to document where her teeth are now. This part didn't go so well... My poor girl. Believe it or not, it's not pleasant to have a huge metal tray full of goo in your mouth, especially when you're a gagger! But the brave girl got through it with some help from Daddy, and her friend Maya lent some encouraging words. Maya just got her braces on a few weeks ago, so she can help Emilyn know what to expect.


And, we saw the No No Board... and tried not to think about Halloween with braces.

The best thing to happen downtown - well, ever !

Our absolutely last hurrah before school starts came Sunday, at Citygarden. It's an amazing park and sculpture garden that's smack in the middle of downtown St. Louis. But what really makes it fun is -- the fountains!

Allen was a bit cowed by his first faceful of water, but he got back in the swing and was soon diving right in to whatever body of water he could find. Emilyn, who said she wasn't going to get wet, couldn't resist joining in the fun.


And when you want to take a break from the fountains, there are plenty of sculptures to climb on... and into!

A new addition this time was the chime pads you can dance on and make your own tune!



Daddy rode 25 miles down from our house to join us, then tacked on 50 more for good measure on his way home. The kids and I walked over to downtown's biggest grocery store, Culinaria, for snacks and drinks -- and saw a giant praying mantis along the way!

For the rest of our photos and videos from Citygarden, click here.

One of us is ready for kindergarten

Well, the fugue state I've been living in hasn't delayed the inevitable: Allen starts full-day kindergarten on Tuesday.

I know he will do great. Just like I knew Emilyn would do great. It's not about logic... it's about sending your baby to school all day, every day! Yikes. But I will make it.

Meanwhile, Meet and Greet day at Sorrento went off without a hitch. Allen saw his new classroom, and we got to see all the new doors and walls throughout the school! It's a bit hard to recognize in places!

Allen's classroom was Mrs. Barrow's when Emilyn was in kindergarten. It's pretty much the same as it was then. But Mrs. Kelley has it stocked with all kinds of cool stuff, which Allen has already gotten a taste of. Including his favorite geometric tiles! And a fabulous map rug! (Geography -- maps and flags -- is his second passion, after science.)


So, he's got a bin and a mailbox and a seat at the green table all ready for him to go on Tuesday. Not to mention his nifty shark backpack and lunch box. And he's been practicing on the playground. He's ready!

Another last hurrah

We celebrated the end to another awesome summer by going to the Incredible Pizza Company. We first went there in 2008... In my post then, I called it "kiddie Vegas, with pizza."

A lot has changed since Daddy and I went to the arcade in the olden days. No more quarters, no more tokens... and now -- no more tickets??! You swipe a card to play, and now the machine credits your card with the "tickets" you've won! So, no ticket-eating/counting machines... No wads of tickets in your pockets... And NO satisfaction watching those things spit out of the game! Harumph.


Sarah came along this time, which was cool... She and Emilyn had a swipe card of their own, and they racked up some pretty good ticket totals. Daddy and Allen got back on the track, this time in the Lowe's car... They had a spirited race against the Home Depot car, in which there was much jostling but neither won. I think the little girl in the Bud car took the race.

Our "virutal" tickets brought some very real booty... lots of candy for Emilyn, a blow gun for Allen, and some frinky light-up bumpy ball thing for Sarah, among other stuff. Mommy just concentrated on eating cookies from the buffet. Bad case of dieter's remorse! But, as usual, it was a nice way to wrap up another fun summer.

Taking tough news like a Champion

It was a bit of a rough day for my girl!

Last week, at the dentist, Dr. Dunagan had some concerns about Emilyn's X-rays and recommended we see an orthodontist. I made an appointment for a consultation today at West County Orthodontics.

We went in, and Dr. Mason made the diagnosis pretty quickly: Impacted cuspids. Emilyn's secondary top canines won't come in without orthodontic help. If they stay where they are, they could become abcessed. In the case of one, she'll have to have a bit of oral surgery to expose the tooth and add a small chain so it can be pulled down and into place.

Of course, all this means... braces! Honestly, I thought braces were for rich kids who wanted perfect teeth. But Emilyn has a true medical need for them, and she's going to get the side-effect of a perfect smile! Not bad.

After all that shocking stuff, we took our girl to the mall for some "retail therapy." She got to pick our lunch destination (food court), plus a spot for treats after (Auntie Anne's).

When we got home, we found that her seventh-grade schedule had come at last. She's a Champion! (As opposed to a Trailblazer. But we knew she was a "champion" already.) A few tough moments there, too, as word rolled in across the 12-year-old texting superhighway that most of her friends will be Trailblazers. She's feeling better about that, though, because four of her classes (choir, Spanish, math and science) go across teams, so she'll have friends from both in those. Including her all-important "bestie," Sarah!

So, considering how many blows her world took today, I'm pretty darn proud of how she handled herself. We'll take each tough thing as it comes and, no matter what, her special beauty will shine through! Love you, my girl!

Getting ready for school

On Monday, Allen met his kindergarten teacher when she came to our house for a quick visit... Mrs. Kelley, who Emilyn never had but has taught all the way from kindergarten up to eighth grade. Perhaps she'll need all of that experience to deal with Allen!

Emilyn is burning up the Web and wearing a path to the mailbox waiting for her schedule... Soon we will know whether she is a Trailblazer or a Champion! Another one of those famous Crabbe Coincidences came yesterday when we were shopping for school supplies during Missouri's tax-free weekend. As we were waiting in line to check out, talking about Mr. Bradley, last year's math teacher, the woman in front of us asked: "Where did you have Mr. Bradley?" Turns out, she's a teacher at Southwest Middle, seventh-grade world history! So, if Emilyn is in fact a Trailblazer, she has already met her social studies teacher! How convenient!

Allen has his very own binder now... and of course a shark backpack, with matching lunch box. And we've got lots of lunch foods to load it up with -- we just have to keep Allen from eating them all before school even starts! Which is now just 10 days!

Steve and the bombers

When Steve heard that the last flying B-29 bomber, Fifi, was going to be at the Spirit of St. Louis airport, he knew he had to be there! And, bonus! The Commemorative Air Force's B-25 Show Me was there, too!

The first day, he and Allen went, but it was too darn hot for the boy. The next day, Daddy went by himself, and that was better. He didn't take a ride this time (whoa, those prices!) but he got a wonderful shot of himself in the cockpit of Show Me. I think he looks right at home!

I like the fact that Allen gets to see something that few people get to see and won't be around much longer... history in the air!


For the rest of Steve's photos, and videos, and captions, click here.