A First!

Ever since Brandt lost his first tooth, Blythe has been desperate to lose one too. Every so often she'll say, "Mom! I think my tooth is loose!" only to feel it and realize it's not.

However, yesterday she felt real true live wiggling and excitedly showed us all the movement.  She must have had her finger inside her mouth all day long today, because by the time she got home from school, it was nearly out. She could bend it over at a right angle to her lip. 

As we were getting ready for bed and brushing teeth, I  suggested we use a bit of dental floss and get it out. Blythe was amenable to the suggestion, but nervous too. I assured her that if it hurt, and I didn't really think it would, it would be so quick the pain would be over almost instantly. With a bit of floss I lassoed the tooth, she began to protest, and the tooth popped out. All told, her tooth came out with 24 hours of her discovering it was loose.

As Blythe was staunching the bit of blood with a Kleenex, she said, "Mom, Brandt says there isn't really a tooth fairy. Are you and Dad the tooth fairy?" 

I asked her what she thought and she did, very maturely, "I just want to know the truth so I don't have to keep thinking and thinking about it."

"Alright then," I said, "yes, your dad and I are the tooth fairy. Does that disappoint you?"

"A little bit," she said, "but it's okay. What do you do with the teeth?"

So I told her thus far I have kept them in the top drawer of my dresser in a baggie.  She brushed and got in bed, but she left the tooth in a baggie on her dresser next to the bed. "I don't want it to get lost," she explained.

Tonight the "tooth fairy" will leave her one dollar, a new toothbrush, and a note telling Blythe how big she is and how wonderful it is to watch her grow. And her tooth will go in the top drawer of my dresser.

As a postscript, Blythe woke the next morning and was delighted with the money, brush, and note. She went into our room to retrieve her tooth because she wanted to show her class. I haven't seen it since.