saw a G U M expert

I started substitute teaching again last week.
I really enjoy teaching- the kids are great, our school is the best and the flexibility is perfect.

As a sub, sometimes you know in advance when you are needed to fill in for a teacher.

From February until the end of school last year, I didn't have to wait for that call since I was a permanent sub in the same classroom.

Most of the time, that phone rings somewhere between 5:30 and 7:00am asking if I'm are available.

This morning, I did not get a call to teach.
After working the last four days, I was excited for a catch-up day.

I immediately started planning my tasks and figuring out all of the {million} things I was going to accomplish.

Blogging was where I planned to begin, just to help me wake up and get going.

Then, ten minutes after sending Coleman to the train station {with friends} for a field trip and Caden to the bus the phone rang.
It was the dental clinic and I had completely blown off an appointment that took two months to get Caden in with the pediatric dentist.

YIKES! {Not the first word that came to my mind on the phone to the tech who called...}

I told them I would be there in thirty minutes- could I please, please, please get him in. He agreed. I dressed in five minutes and raced out the door to fight the 58 school busses and 1000 kids to get to Caden before school started.

The appointment today was to fix his broken tooth and to x-ray/examine the tooth he pushed up from the slide back in July.

Instead, it was a variety of doctors pushing, tapping and poking on our sweet, brave boy.

The pediatric dentist pulled in a gum specialist {who knew there was such thing as a gum specialist?}, orthodontist and consulted with a root/endo specialist who we will see tomorrow.

Unfortunately, it is not moving down as the dentist/oral surgeon initially thought.
He might be writing a new text book for the pediatric dental profession.

The ideas of gum or bone graphs, pulling the tooth, braces, root canals and other more technical terms and procedures were mentioned from worst-case scenario to simple possibilities.
They took lots of pictures and impressions {gag} in which Caden sat like an angel not moving a muscle.

Dr. Kersey said as we left, "Caden- you're my hero. I want to be just like you when I grow up."

He is the same doctor who saw Caden straight from the pool the day he hurt it and the same doctor who consulted us when Caden fractured his jaw. He knows our little guy is tough.

For now, we'll wait to see what they want to do.
Root regeneration is a good possibility as well- before or after orthodontics, we will find out.

It's sometimes frustrating being seen on base by military doctors. I feel so grateful for this crew of doctors who have taken care and continue to take care of our little tough guy.

 As I left the clinic today {a bit rattled not knowing what is ahead}, I was more overcome with a gratitude for the competence and compassion we experienced in Dr. Kersey, Dr. Speier, the techs and others in the dental clinic here who have also given great care to our big guys.

All that after showing up late.
It was a good day to skip school, so we did.