Monday, April 27, 2009

Genetic Traits

Family genetics have been pretty kind to our kids. They all have beautiful brown eyes, are good spellars, have healthy (large) appetites, can curl their tongues, have thick hair that never falls out, have long skinny toes, cute dimples, and are sure to be killer Scrabble players someday .

However I have to admit that there may be a few traits that they're probably not quite as happy about inheriting. For instance -- Glen + me = 100% probability of gazillions of freckles and no waistline. There's no way to escape it. Even when I was skinny (yes, there was a day) I still had no waist to speak of. Now I'm the poster child for the new Apple Shaped Middle Aged Women of America, but I digress here...

I had high hopes when I married Glen that perhaps my terrible teeth that had to have braces TWICE, would be balanced out by his perfectly straight teeth that have NEVER needed braces. All I wished was that a couple of the kids to inherit his pearly whites, instead of mine. But alas, it appears that my dental DNA is a little domineering, because my crowded, misaligned teeth seem to have won out on every single one of the kids! Dang it!
It's a good thing Cami is so charming, beautiful, intelligent, and loving, because she got the worst of the teeth genetics and inherited anomalies we didn't even know were possible...a peg tooth (kind of like a peg leg in her mouth) and a missing permanent tooth. All right up in plain sight next to her two front teeth.

We've spent the last couple of years in denial while we finished paying for our firstborn's newly straightened teeth. Finally after taking her to a few orthodontists to get second opinions, we've come squarely to the fact that her teeth are going to cost us approximately the tuition for a bachelor's degree to get them fixed up right. *YIKES*

After delaying the inevitable as long as possible and planning for a future of rice and beans for the next twenty years we finally unwrapped our fists from our life savings and took the plunge.

Today, in a mess of bright lights and cotton filled cheeks Cami singlehandedly ensured that the orthodontist can retire next year.
Thankfully she's got so much other good genetics going on (thanks Glen!) that she still looks gorgeous in her newfound sparkly metallic smile....certainly much cuter than I looked in my braces all those years ago.

Now if only I could talk Spencer into skipping high school to get his orthodontics degree....

6 comments:

K said...

You're cute Cami! I like your new braces!

alexandra said...

Hey, at least you refinanced your house to a killer low rate, right? Just funnel all of those savings into an orthodontic fund.

And just wondering, did you mean to say your kids were all good "spellars"? I'm assuming so, but if not, hahahahahahahahahahaha! Actually, if so, hahahahahahahahahahaha!

And great tinsel teeth, Cami!

Deanne said...

I love your clever posts! Enjoy the braces, Cami!

Denise said...

Cami looks great in her braces!

Mikayla actually needs hers...but we have been putting them off. big sigh...but I guess one of these days, we may need to actually bite the bullet and get them.

But then again, crooked teeth aren't that bad are they?

Charlene said...

She looks great! We too, will be getting ready for the orthodontic office with our oldest on his way, and our second is not that far behind him either! Both Roger and I had braces, so we knew going into this family business our kids would be cursed with our dental genetics!

annalisa said...

you look cute cami! i really like that top picture of you:) how long do you have to have them on?
p.s. lara you are hilarious!

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