I have promised to have all manner of sticky food available for the freshly un-braced boy, this evening. Sour Patch Kids and gum and whatever else he’d like. Nevermind that Halloween is in a little over a week; he’s spent two years unable to eat “anything delicious,” and he has a lot of catching up to do.
As he skipped out of the orthodontist this morning, still running his tongue endlessly over the unfamiliar, smooth surface of his teeth, I asked him how he felt.
“GREAT!” he answered. “I feel like today is the first day of the REST OF MY LIFE!”
I do, too.
Thanks to everyone for your kind words and support, yesterday. Monkey may not understand that he has a fan club, but I appreciate each and every one of you more than I can say.
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I remember getting my braces removed… HEAVEN! Enjoy your gummy bears!
Yay for Monkey! If I were closer, I’d share my gummy bears!
What a gorgeous smile to go along with all that charm! You are sumthin’special,Monkey! Congrats! Don’t get a bellyache.
What a lovely smile. I hope the first day of the rest of his life goes great!
Give him a Heath Bar and my best wishes!
YEAH Monkey!! My son’s best friend had his expander out last week and we had a bag of tootsie rolls waiting on his desk when he got to school ;-) Tell Monkey to enjoy that candy!
I remember that feeling! My teeth felt so weird, and huge without the braces. Rest of life= lookin’ good!
Given the season, shouldn’t we make candy caramel apples?
Not that I’d be interested in having one of those …
-otto
Hooray for Monkey! Getting those braces off is a fabulous feeling. Here’s to the rest of your life!
His smile looks BEAUTIFUL!! Hopefully this is another small step to making everything else a little bit better for him.
WOOOHOOOO!!!! So glad he got them off. Maybe this will help him feel better about himself too :)
OOh, be careful with the sticky stuff for a couple of days!
Granted, he didn’t have his braces on anywhere near as long as I did (3 years), but my teeth felt great when they first came off, but by the end of the day, the steak dinner that my parents took me out for wound up being just eating the mashed potatoes. My mouth just ached for about 24 hours.
So maybe he needs his gummi bears NOW while he still feels good :)
Don’t forget the popcorn and other hard foods that are forbidden!
It’s been two years already?! I’m sure you’re not saying that, lol. I remember the first thing I wanted when I got my braces off was a caramel apple. My best friend’s mom, who was the stingiest, strictest mom EVER, took me down to the mall and got me a caramel apple.
Congrats Monkey!
Our ortho actually has a wall display of filled gumball machines that she presents to each patient as they “graduate.” Mir- cool parenting to make this a celebration for Monkey. Oh, and I want carmel apples in the worst way, now. Too bad my little one is still braced!
So, just as you’re finishing braces with Monkey, Keenan’s about to start. Sounds right.
Post brace diet: carmel corn, candied apples,and bubblicious. (At least, that’s what I’d want…)
Enjoy, Monkey!
:) I JUST got my braces off (at 41 years old) and just polished off a bag of candy corn…ahhh…sweet relief!
As a woman entering her 52nd year, I just got braces a few months ago and am tired of them already. I may have to go the full two years. This story was inspiring, because even though gummy bears are probably not going to be on my list of first things to eat, it is a message of hope so that I don’t go absolutely batty crazy before mine are removed.
Congrats, Monkey! If you can do, surely I can do it!
New teeth for a new life! Ahhhh… and Otto totally has it nailed – ooey gooey, possibly nut-covered caramel apples are absolutely required.
Oh yay, no more pokey wires in his extra-sensitive Monkey mouth!
I remember getting my braces removed and how HUGE my teeth felt for a while. This is a momentous occasion, tell Monkey to have a sour patch kid for me. Hmmm….now I am craving sour patch kids…
My son just got braces on Monday, so for the next two years I have to listen to the moaning about all the things he CAN’T eat. Unless I duct tape his mouth shut. Wonder what effect that would have on the condition of his teeth…
Wow! That two years went by fast for ME!!! Yay for Monkey!
Perhaps proof that the “This too shall pass” mantra is actually true?
When I got mine off (after three years) I ate corn on the cob until I felt ill.
It was fantastic. :)
Otto made me laugh, again! We have one in braces & my husband just asked “Isn’t it Carmel Apple Time?” We have a candy store in town that makes the best carmel apples, and that is the line used in their advertising. Usually we get apples from there in the fall, but I was ignoring it because I know my girl with expander & braces can’t eat them. I am much better about also giving up my favs that she can’t eat until she gets her braces off than hubby is (not buttery delicious movie popcorn though, I’m not giving that up!)
And, has it really been two years? Seems like yesterday to me. = )
My getting my braces off treat was a candy apple. It was so incredibly sickeningly sweet after so long not having sticky sweet stuff. Hope Monkey enjoys his sticky splurge. Yay for no more braces!
Oh how I remember that day well – i kept “swishing” my lips across my teeth – it felt so weird/strange/cool all at the same time!! Corn on the cob, gummy EVERYTHING, caramel, taffy….eat ’til you puke – you’ll know it’s from food and not the H1N1!!!
When I had my braces removed my mother made me corn on the cobb and candy apples for supper with sticky fudge for dessert.
It was the best meal I have ever had.
So… am I the only one here who thought to himself the day he got his braces: ‘hell with this.. I going to eat what I want!’.. then spent an hour with floss, toothbrush, toothpick, and other implements of destruction cleaning out the popcorn? (couldn’t let mom know I had it). I ended up giving up the hard stuff, but learned how to ‘chew carefully’ with the soft gooey stuff (Swedish fish!!). My congrats to both you and Monkey for getting through it!
Wow, that is SOME SMILE! A smile like that deserves many sticky things. And I’m with Otto — given the time of year and all, caramel apples sound like an excellent idea!
ohhh, caramel apples….Otto, totally just ruined my two day old diet.
corn on the cobb!!!
I’m coming to your house for dinner tonight!
Too funny–I’m sitting in the orthodontist’s office as I type, waiting for my son to get his braces off. Gummy bears all around!
Oh, good for Monkey! We are counting the days until braces off in our house…
awwww, I remember that day, it really WAS the first day of the rest of my life–bring on the gummy bears!
Yay for Monkey for sticking with his braces for so long!! And right before Halloween – he’s got an awesome ortho for taking it off during such a great time!
I just came over here from WantNot, and I swear I did not see this before I responded there. Gummy Bears (or worms) or my FAVORITEST candy in the entire world. Yum. I love sticky foods: gum drops (Dots), gummy worms/bears, those delicious orange slices. Mmmmmmmm….
Okay, I suppose I should actually read the rest of the post, eh, instead of just the title. :D I do swear that I didn’t see this before, but I found it funny that I said Gummy Bears on my response there and came over here only to see that they are what’s for dinner. ;)
jess
When I got my braces off (I was *almost* 18 – horrifying!) I yearned for whole apples. Carrot sticks. Actual bubble gum instead of the sugarfree, not-so-sticky chewing gum that I’d chewed without my orthodontist’s knowledge. OREO COOKIES, because there’s NO way to eat those without needing to immediately brush your teeth afterward.
Congrats, Monkey! Although I got mine off over a decade ago, I still remember the wondrous sensation of being free from braces. Until I realized that now I’d have to wear retainers. *sigh* (Which I still do, once a week.)
That right there is the very definition of a winning smile.
Oh, that slippery, slimy feeling! It is an awesome one. I hope Monkey enjoys his previously forbidden treats! And you get to enjoy orthodontist bill free days!
What perfect teeth!!! I remember all those years of braces desperately wanting to eat a candy-apple or carmel-apple at Halloween – what perfect timing Monkey has!!! =)