Am I ready yet?

We have eight more days, and I am really excited and really nervous about that. We have eight days until Will gets his braces off, and he has no idea what that means. I mean, he is nine so he knows what the braces coming off means but he really has no idea. He's happy about it but happy about it because he is in the third grade and few other kiddos in the third grade, if any, have braces. So, he is not in the norm and sort of views himself as a "nerd" because of the braces. (I am not even going to tell him that one day, not too long from now, glasses will be in his future too;)) I do try to tell him though that, years ago, braces were less common so yes, they fell victim to the stereotype of "nerdiness" but that has changed. And that although he is one of the few kids his age to have them, that will soon change too. So for Will, getting the braces off means the freedom to eat all the chewy, deliciousness the packaged goods world has to offer, and it also means that he might at least get one foot out of "Nerdville".
I, on the other hand, think that next Wednesday means so much more. I see my son as amazing. (I am his mother. I should see him that way.) I see his humor, his brilliant creativity, his sweet heart. I see the man that he will be, and that is why I am filled with excitement and nervousness for next week. Because getting his braces off, for me, will just reveal more of the beautiful man he will one day be, and that is wonderful, exciting. But it also means a reminder that he is already nine years-old. Last time I checked, he was nine months and taking his first few steps, and then practically running the next day. He was five and walking into his first day of Kindergarten, smiling and certain. He is now nine, and taking another step toward becoming an awesome young man. So I am nervous.
I am quite certain that Dr. Landers, his orthodontist, has no idea what emotional bomb he will have on his hands next week. Has he ever had a mom cry about such a non-event for most people? His office has been so very kind and done such an amazing job with Will and his overbite, underbite, and tongue thrusting. They have been so patient and welcoming when we arrive and that is saying something. I have three other boys ranging from ages six years-old down to nine months. So when we enter the building, we make a scene;) I can only imagine how they must prepare for our appointments. They probably built the new building and loaded it with video games, televisions, and all the fun a kid could ask for outside of Disney World just to keep my kids from climbing the walls and their mother out of therapy! (Sidenote: The last visit, my three year-old walked in the door and exclaimed, "This is paradise!" Yep, he said that at the dentist's office. Hard to believe, I know.)
So is Dr. Landers prepared? Yes for Will, maybe for me. Am I ready for it? Most of me, the big girl in me says, "Yes". But that other part of me, that one that can still see and hear my two year-old look up at me and say, "Well yook (look) at you Mommy, I yove (love) your belt." says, "Nah."