On piercings and other metals in the head.......

When we had our daughter 10 years ago, many people asked when I was going to have her ears pierced.  What?!  Why would I pierce her ears???  She was just a baby!  Well, I know that this is common practice where we live, but I just couldn't stand the thought of doing it to her.  Not yet.  Not to my baby.

Well, fast-forward 6-8 years and I would occasionally ask her if she would like to get her ears pierced.  "NO. WAY.", she informed me.  She wasn't ready.  Fine by me.

When she turned 9, the dentist highly recommended an orthodontic exam for her, due to some pretty severe overcrowding and protrusion.  She got her braces on April 1st, last year. 

She was so proud.  She felt so grown up!

And she LOOKED so grown up!  Where did my little girl go?  I took in a 9 year old, and left with a 12 year old!!!

So, not long after she got her braces, she began to ask to have her ears pierced.  Finally!  Yay!  Special girl time!  We talked about it a bit, and we decided when she got her braces off, we would have her ears pierced.  I thought that would be long enough away that she could still change her mind if she wanted, and it woud be a sort of "rite of passage" after having the braces removed.  Also, I thought if she could take care of her teeth with braces (not easy), then she would do just fine taking care of her ears.

Last Friday was the big day!  She did not forget, and she did not change her mind (much to my delight). 

First the braces:

Before

During

After

Then came the ears:

Before (she's a little nervous)

After

Admiring her new look :)

She didn't even cry!  I was so proud! 

Then................... as we were walking around the store waiting to be checked out, I looked over at her and noticed she seemed pale.  I called her over to me and put my arm around her and asked her how she felt.  She told me she didn't feel quite right and she kind of sunk into me. 

Uh, oh. 

Not good.

She looked so pale, I thought she was either going to vomit or pass out.  She was very listless.  It made me very nervous.

I had her go right outside the store and sit on a bench with her BFC (Best Friend Cousin), Bethany (who came along with Aunt Susie and baby Colton for moral support).

We had planned to eat lunch inside the mall right after the ear piercing, but I was wondering if I shouldn't just take her home.

She wanted to go eat.  I had her lay down on the bench in the restaurant for a few minutes and she felt so much better!  When she sat up, Bethany said, "Hey, look Ava!  Your lips are pink again!"  Lol.  It wasn't very lol when it was happening, but as soon as I realized she was fine, it was a little humorous.  I think she was trying so hard not to cry, that she suppressed a little too much.  I'm pretty positive her blood pressure dropped significantly.  Scary.

Anyway, now she has pretty little earrings and she is proud of them.  She says she swapped one metal in her head for another!

I love having that little girl.