Each tooth has been an event, each tooth has its own story.This is the first one she grew, and the first one she lost. It surfaced when she was just 4 months old, and left for the land of baby teeth when she was just 4 1/2.
She had been complaining towards the end of last summer that her tooth hurt and that she couldn't bite on it. Great, I thought, bad parents - she has a hole in her tooth.
When she told me that it was loose I was so shocked that she burst into tears and got scared. I was worried and I can tell you, I am not a worrier. I rang the advice line and they said, much to my disbelief - nope it's ok, she is in the right age range to be losing teeth. I am still in shock - you lose teeth when you are 7 - not 4 1/2!! They said it could take a couple of weeks.
A couple of days later T went away over night and M was sitting on her little bike when she kind of froze and then burst in to tears. She was quite distressed and held her hand at her mouth. She pulled it away and it had a tooth in it.
Her reaction was so, so sweet, so innocent that I had to stifle a chuckle. I reassured and comforted her. Actually I tell a lie - I did all of that and in the end she was laughing her head off - and was in shock at the same time. She was proud too. A few days later the tooth fairy brought her a bike (what can you do when your birthday is in winter??)
The next tooth brought with it a little anxiety and anticipation. It was the other of the two front ones. It was also an event and in some ways more traumatic than the first. It started with the taste of blood in her mouth. She ran in to the bathroom and spat in the basin. I remember the tears. The four of us ended up sitting on the couch trying to reassure and comfort her, but it didn't help. It was hanging by a mere thread....
Remember those ones? Everyone has a story to tell about those teeth.
So we just sat on the couch waiting for it to miraculously fall out on its own. Of course it didn't.
She wouldn't pull it out and she wouldn't let us touch it. I finally took Kieran and went to bed about 10.30. With M being so upset he hadn't been able to sleep. M and T got in to our bed and fell asleep about 11.30. She was so worried about swallowing it in her sleep.
The next morning I awoke to their chattering in the shower and heard that she had been awake on and off during the night worrying about it. When I asked her about it she realised it wasn't in her mouth and wondered where it was. I found it under her pillow. She was relieved, and proud. She had just turned 5 and lost a second tooth.
We've been guessing for a while now which one will be next. She reported a couple of days ago that she bit in to a carrot at daycare and suddenly the one on the other side of her first lost tooth was loose and got looser and looser as the day progressed (wonder how that happened??).
She showed her teacher the next morning along with my prediction that it would be that day or the next.
When I picked her up that afternoon (Tuesday) she had a surprise for me - a little tooth wrapped up in a package. She had taken a bite of an apple and felt something hard in her mouth so she spat it out - it was a tooth.
This third tooth was not nearly as traumatic as the first two, but the fear and anticipation was there. She didn't sleep well Monday night, worrying again about swallowing it, and I could see that it filled her with tension - the not knowing how it would end.
When I picked her up she burst in to tears. The tooth was out, the anxiety had come to an end and she was proud again - and excited about the tooth fairy's visit (just doll house furniture this time).
No comments:
Post a Comment