Thursday, November 01, 2007

Guess who lost a tooth last night?


Her very first one!

I know, you don't see a big gap. That's because there's been a tooth behind the baby tooth since, uh, August.

We've waited and waited. And another sprouted beside it, but still, the little tooth held on for dear life.

Last night, it met its comeuppance. Or, should I say, comeoutance?

We knew the time was drawing near. It was getting looser with each passing day, and starting to cause a bit of pain when she ate. Jason told her that it would probably be out by the end of this week.

And then last night, she came home from the fall festival with a popcorn ball. And she was in her room trying to eat it, and said that a piece of popcorn was stuck in her teeth. When I looked, I could see the blood around the tooth as it sat in the gum, and I knew.

It was time.

I called Jason in and asked him to get the "popcorn" out. He knew just what I was thinking - especially since there was no popcorn in there to begin with, she was just feeling the shifting tooth.

We three sat on her bed, Jason on one side and me on the other. (No, I didn't take pictures! We were leading her to believe that we were removing POPCORN, and what's the big deal in that?) I held her, stroked her head, and prayed quietly that she'd be calm.

After a bit of difficulty getting a grip, the tiny tooth was in her mouth no longer.

She was scared at the bleeding, and relieved that it was out, and excited about the prospect of cash from the Tooth Fairy all at the same time.

(Don't ask me why I care less about my child believing in the Tooth Fairy than I do Santa Claus.)

I got her some water to rinse out with, and Jason put the tooth in a ziploc bag. Man, is he ever smart - I'd have never found that thing under her pillow otherwise!

After some debate amongst the parents as to the TF's going rate these days, one dollar was settled upon. I snuck into her room, and retrieved the bag (I'd asked her to show it to me, and then slid it to the edge of the pillow as she lay it back down.) I slid the dollar bill into its place.

(Jason's not the only one with a brain around here, you know.)

I felt such a sense of completeness as I lay in bed - I was there when that tooth appeared, and I was there when it left.

I was there when she took her first steps, and I was there when she stepped away from me and into the school building.

And one day, whether she knows it or not, I'll be there when she steps into adulthood, and a life of her own.

6 comments:

Steff said...

How excited was she when she got the dollar this morning?! My kids love to come and show me the holes in their mouths when they loose a tooth. We have a button they can wear and everything! Oh, those were the days.

Heather {Desperately Seeking Sanity} said...

oh you brought tears to my eyes...

after the long fight with my daughter tonight, and wondering what purpose i serve in her life, i needed this... :)

and $1 is what the TF leaves here... if she remembers to come.... lol

Valerie said...

what a fun Halloween for our girl!! good going, Mom - you did a great job!!

and you made me cry a little...

Anonymous said...

She sounded so tearful when I talked to her on the phone afterwards!

Melissa said...

She was totally tearful on Wednesday night. I think she wasn't expecting it to come out, and then it did, and there was blood. And Jason says I'm crazy, but one part of that tooth's root looked entirely too long to me. He was all, "How many teeth have you seen?" and I was all "All the ones I've lost!"

Smarty pants.

Sheila said...

It's always an exciting time when they lose their first tooth. I remember both of my kids were 5 when they lost their first one, and it was the same one.. bottom front tooth. The the other bottom front tooth followed shortly after... then the top front tooth, then the other. I miss those tooth fairy days.