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!