And...we're back. :)

Hmm...some how "next week" from my last post turned into two months! I told myself I wouldn't be like other bloggers I had followed who completely ditched their blogs after about 2 months...but now I understand why they did. Once you start feeling pretty much back to normal, you want to do normal things, and constantly blogging and thinking about your surgery is the farthest thing from normal. Don't get me wrong- I still think about having the surgery every day. So the day that Dr. F refers to of when I'll forget about all this hasn't happened, yet. Of course, braces are a constant reminder to me since they are unfortunately still on.

So, since my last update, I've been on vacation, started up a new semester, including a new class, and I'm planning my own course to teach next semester while also finishing up data collection for my dissertation and searching and preparing materials for getting a job! Crazy, stressful, and oh-so-exciting times. While I haven't had any photos taken too recently, I did snap a few about a month ago that I'll post below. Gosh, so they would be about 3 months post-op. It is AMAZING that over 4 months have passed now...life went so slowly leading up to this surgery and now life is flying by.

To speak to how I feel about everything...I'm still adjusting to the new "me" that I see in the mirror. Most of the time, I look and it's me I see back. Then I have those days where I look back at old photos and think, why did I do this? Of course, that's from a purely cosmetic perspective. My bite is AMAZING and I love my new smile. Scratch that, I can't wait to see my real new smile (sans braces)! And the good news about that...at the next orthodontist appointment (in a couple of weeks), we are probably going to set the removal date....WHOOO HOOOOOOO!! I didn't think I'd care this much, but I really am ready to get on with all of this. You know, life. Once the braces come off, I'll go back to see Dr. F and get official "after" photos. Can't wait!!

Oh, back to how I'm doing/feeling. Confidence level...surprisingly much higher than I expected. It's so nice to not worry about having to push my lower jaw forward or try desperately to close my mouth when relaxing. My speech is clearer and I feel so much better about myself up in front of the classroom. Not because I think I look better or anything, but because things feel like they should. Comfortable. Everything fits and rests where it should. This surgery is not a self-esteem booster in and of itself (well, maybe if you are an extreme case), but again, I just feel more comfortable in my own skin, and that feels great.

I still have some issues with my nose, and Dr. F took a look at it a couple of weeks ago. That stupid stitch used to keep my nose from widening is just irritating my nose to the point where it's so inflamed on one side I can barely get any air in or out. I checked last night and I don't see the stitch anymore...so maybe once all the pollen levels decrease I'll get some relief. :)

I'm sure I'm leaving out all kinds of information, but I really need to get back to school work. Here are some pictures from August 5th, 2010:







I promise to update again soon with more recent photos!