Well, folks, … I have some really fantastic news to share with you!!

We had follow-up appointments yesterday for the kids with all their recent surgeries and such and WE DO NOT HAVE TO GO BACK UNTIL THE SPRING!!!!

Amazing, right??  How exciting!!

Yes, we are openly welcoming the BIG BREAK in our visits to the hospital … we are definitely in need of a break. 

But here’s the deal.  During this break, we will be doing some serious researching and educating.  But more on that in just a bit ….

We started our yesterday morning very early and headed to the orthodontic appointment that was scheduled for Jonah AND Brynn.  Jonah had gotten an orthodontic break for the last few months while he recovered from his quadruple tooth extraction and allowed more time for his top middle incisors to get closer together but after a few adjustments and new wires, he’s good for another two months. 

Our baby girl, on the other hand, is on the cusp of her new dental adventure ... which she is all TOO ANXIOUS and EXCITED to begin.  So, Brynn has really BIG teeth.  

I'm not kidding - THEY'RE HUGE!!!

Seriously, her teeth are the only BIG thing about her but I'm talking ... compared to full grown adult teeth, these are even bigger.  

You may not be able to fully appreciate the size of her teeth in the below photos but I guess you're just going to have to take my word for it. 

She is already missing one of her 3rd molars on the top due to it having to be removed when she was really little as it was abscessed but there is still a lack of space and the dentist wanted orthodontic approval to remove about four of her teeth.  

So, her appointment was basically to get the approval for extractions and to identify which teeth would be best for removal.  

However, the orthodontist wants to possibly hold off on extractions and, perhaps, attempt to expand her palates a bit to make room for her teeth.  And ... she wants her to be in full braces right away ... like next month.  

WHOA!!!  Not what we were expecting but I guess we'll consider it and gather our questions for the consultation appointment.

After the orthodontic appointment, we headed to the hospital for the surgery follow-ups for Brynn and Rees.  This was our first appointment with a new surgeon ... a surgeon other than the one we had been with for the last ten years.  We thought he had a nice personality and seemed very knowledgeable.  We could tell that he did actually take the time to look at the files of Brynn, Rees, and even Jonah (even though Jonah wasn't technically on the appointment list).  He explained a lot of things and gave a lot of opinions and plans, some of which seemed pretty reasonable.  However, it was very clear that his approach is very different from what we're used to.

This isn't necessarily bad; it's just different.  It's not necessarily wrong but it may not necessarily be right for us either.  We find ourselves in an unknown, unfamiliar, uncertain space where it seems that everything we knew, understood, and expected is no longer relevant.  Maybe it's just the way I perceive things to be, but I feel that we are starting over ... but this time it might be necessary to re-educate ourselves.  Maybe now's the time to be selective and particular.

We'll see ...

One really GREAT thing is the doc pulled up Rees' first CT and his most recent CT for comparison.  What an amazing difference!!  

Rees has clearly gone through LOTS of changes and he is in a good place at the moment that we can take a step back and just enjoy him while we let him enjoy life for a while.  

All the kids are on a medical hiatus now ... at least until spring.  We hope you won't mind.  Our posts will just have to be a little less ... well, medically-related. 

Maybe.