Sammy lost his first tooth on Thursday. And I cried. Just a little, because it’s such a major milestone. His whole smile is different now, and I can’t get used to it. His tooth had been loose for a while, so we knew it was coming, and as luck would have it, he swallowed it while eating an apple. It was an occasion of great joy, he was ecstatic, so proud of himself, and only a little freaked out about accidentally swallowing the tooth.
When Jessie lost her first two teeth, it was fairly traumatic. She had broken her wrist the week before, and had gotten very used to using her mouth as a tool. She was getting ready for bed, and her shirt got stuck on her wrist, so she grabbed it with her teeth and ripped both her bottom two teeth out. She came tearing out of her room, hysterically screaming, half naked and dripping blood. There wasn’t time to get misty. But this time, I was very aware of what a milestone it was, losing the first tooth. He’s not a baby anymore, he hasn’t been for a while, and sometimes I still get wistful. It’s not any easier, watching your second baby grow up. I thought it would be, for some reason. I don’t know why it surprises me. But I find myself watching him more and more, marveling at how very fast he’s grown up. He still seems so little to me, at times. But then he’ll do something or say something and I’ll realize that he’s actually so much bigger than he was, and it makes me a little… not sad, just…wistful.
Moving on… Our tooth fairies work a little differently than most families. Because we’re a step family as well, my daughter was very familiar with the workings of the tooth fairy. And one of my stepdaughters had benefitted hugely by a dark room, and mother and a grandmother who both slipped what they thought was a dollar under her pillow. When she woke up and found $40, she was delighted – and the expectation was set for Jessie to profit hugely when she lost TWO teeth at once. Not having $80 to spare – and being honestly a bit thrown off at having to follow someone else’s guidance, I quickly made up a story about Marigold. She was OUR tooth fairy, and she was very smart, and knew that Jessie was very smart as well. So she only gives out one dollar per tooth, but she also writes a detailed note, and gives a new book with each tooth. A book, a buck, and a note.
But Marigold was clearly a tooth fairy tailored to Jessica. Sam was a different child, and required a different tooth fairy. So now we’ve got a family of tooth fairies. Marigold is Jessica’s and Sam’s is Marigold’s younger brother Eaglefeather. He’s not as touchy feely as Marigold, more wise, and all knowing. It’s a different tone in his notes, because Marc writes his notes. I don’t really like giving up the note writing, but (reluctantly) acknowledge that Marc should be able to be a tooth fairy too. And I can always console myself with trying to come up with a name for Eaglefeather’s little sister, because I’ve got a soon to be two year old who will one day lose her first tooth. And I just hope that it’s as happy an occasion as her older brother’s was, and not nearly as bloody and hysteric-inducing as her older sister’s.
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