Alex just went back into braces and he currently has five different orthodontic devises in his mouth - all due to the ongoing reconstruction. The sweetie - I promised him a really, really big bag of salt water taffy when it is all done. He has no idea what that is since he has been braces and/or palate expanders since coming home. It is his beloved babushka's favorite sweet so I cannot wait for him to try it. It will be another thing they can share together.
Daria is due to be in braces too, but we have to wait until they repair her lip so she may not get into the braces until the summer. She needs to have some teeth straightened so that we can do the bone graft. She is one of the lucky ones - most of her upper front teeth came in so the braces will help preserve them.
My kids just know they have what they need when they need it. They also try to "compete" about who has braces. All the doctors just smile and laugh. The reconstructive surgeon commented that he had never seen kids vie for surgery. Then we all smile - me and the doctors. We are the cleft family and it is a good life.
Changing gears a bit, also awesome is Alex's healing from the horrific bullying at school. I cannot determine who is happier that we have our Alex back - is it me, the many, many, doctors, the friends, the family members, the nanny or is it the therapists? Actually, I think it is Alex himself. Alex came home with a trunk full of issues and he trusted all of us to help him which we did. And then Alex got over those issues and moved beyond them.
When the bullying happened last year and none of us outside of the school setting saw it, he thought we failed him and acted to protect himself. Once the institutionalized bullying system in the school system was discovered and removed from his life, Alex had his life back. The rest of us will always do what is needed for Alex of course, but the bigger issue is that Alex gained back his life for himself - on his own terms. And his terms are simple - he wants to be happy every day and no more darkness. He doesn't give it and he doesn't want it around him. Just like every other normal, well-adjusted human being.
So I am back to having a normal 10-year-old little boy. Is the school system and those who oversee it doing what they need to do? Not so much.
We are the happy family. We are also the normal family. They have age appropriate issues and, my personal joy, sibling conflict.
Good for Alex!
As a final note, my Mom survived the infection in her blood that less than 10 percent of people who contract it do. That has been the most difficult time. It took a couple of months, but she lived. While that is an issue outside of the parameters of this blog, it is worth noting it was a terribly difficult time for the family. We endured. We also had a lot of people help us and take care of what we needed, when we needed it. Mostly people stood by. My kids got so see what love looks like in the trenches. We are a happy family. And not just because I said so :)
