July 28

Isaac had his braces removed this morning.

Have a gander at his brand new pearly whites. (I have no idea why he makes this face as often as he does these days, but it actually works well for this purpose so there ya go.)

What was supposed to take 18 months or so wound up persisting for two years and nine months, and I think he was starting to think he'd just have them indefinitely. It's a silly thought, of course, but when I look back at myself at 17, it makes perfect sense. Time passed differently back then, or at least it did for me. And an extra year of wires and metal affixed to my teeth would probably have felt like an eternity.

Anyway, it's another milestone for this amazing kiddo of mine. Next week he'll hit yet another one when his senior year of high school begins. But I don't want to get too far ahead of myself, so tonight, I'm grateful that the braces did their job and pleased that Isaac waited patiently for them to come off, even though I know he wanted to rip them off last year. Patience and perseverance are, after all, important building blocks of good character.