That middle child

This kid, in his new glasses, and attitude. 

 

He announced to me that he'd broken his retainer. Parents of kids who've endured orthodontia just got a cramp in their wallets. So we did what one does; we headed to the orthodontist. The technician examined it and thoughtfully suggested we contact the dentist as she saw evidence of Liam grinding/clenching his teeth in his sleep and intuited that he could use a night guard. I thought it was both professional and sweet of her as she could easily have said, "sure, we'll just make him a new one and charge you the $185." However, this route means that while we will pay for the night guard, he only has to get an impression (everyone's favorite thing, right?) taken once instead of twice and we're not paying for two appliances that will essentially do the same thing. In May he would have transitioned to only nighttime wear anyway, so her suggestion was very much appreciated. 

I contacted our dentists' office and he now has an appointment with them on Monday to get set up for his night guard. In the meantime, he's wearing a sports mouth guard while he sleeps, which isn't ideal, but will protect from the grinding/clenching that he's apparently inherited. (Innocent whistling around my night guard over here, haha.)

I would like to know where this man-child came from and what he did with my pudgy, smiley baby, though...