Baby Gap and the Thumb Bus.

Last week I took my Tink to a Pediatric Orthodontist to have her gap looked at. When she was first getting in her baby teeth, she had a HORRIBLE under bite (her and our boxers had matching smiles!

So we invested in a retainer like device that didn’t hurt, her teeth just grew along with it. She was only 3 1/2 when we got it. And this office was FLOORED at how much of a difference it made!

But now she’s got that gap… she needed to have a Frenectomy done. To cut the extra skin between her teeth. Within 40 minutes of walking through the door. She was examined. Goggles on, and lasered off! Now hoping when her baby teeth fall out, and her big teeth come in. A lesser of a gap. (braces are of coarse in her future) My baby is no longer a baby!

Now onto my baby boy… who like his big sister is growing too fast! While racking up a bill at the said dentist office, I had asked what to do about a 4 1/2 year olds thumb sucking issues. She said, it has to stop. It will be horrible for his teeth. Sigh, his regular dentist has told us this for YEARS. I asked if she had anything for it.
Sure. Mavala Stop, it’s about $14. We’ve got it up front.

Brought it home, and Blue and I thought we should try it out first. Painted our thumbs, let it dry, sucked away.
At first it was bitter. Like my coffee.
Then some sort of after taste hit me.
It was like bitter shit with sour eggs that wouldn’t go away.
I gagged, coughed, and tried to scrap the first layer off my tongue.
I was sad having to do this to my baby.
But I couldn’t hesitate, or I’d never do it. I painted it on that night. But had to take this picture first.

I feel as if I’m pushing away my baby. Making him a big boy. But at 4 1/2 he needs to stop sucking his thumb. This is the last time I saw him doing this.
He tried to do it once. And after a gag, cough, and sad face (that hurt me!) he said I don’t want it to taste bad.
Thankfully Tink chimed in with this. “You CAN NOT suck your thumb anymore. I mean when you go to Kindergarten, you will be riding the bus with ME. Sitting with ME. I will be a second grader. The boys on my bus DO NOT suck their thumbs. They are big boys”
With that said she stared at him. He replied “Oh… ok”

And magically, Tink’s speech has helped him understand why. I would have gone on about hurting his teeth, and struggling for some grown up speech. But her point was perfect. He understood that to ride the bus, and sit with his sister, no more thumb sucking.

He said to me a few days ago, that the special nail paint was helping.
It’s been 7 days and he has yet to put his thumb back into his mouth. We repaint his nails every other day. JUST to keep the thought away.

We are proud of both of our two. Taking these life issues, and dealing with them the best they can. As for me, I put on my brave Mommy face, and tell them it’s for the best. But the “This hurts me, more then it hurts you” couldn’t be more true right now.

Love you my babies,

Mom