The Tooth Fairy has been busy . . .

Can you believe the tooth fairy gives out gold dollar coins?  Or silver dollars, as Gracie likes to call them.  She's got a total of seven so far - one from her kindergarten teacher at graduation, two for the first tooth she lost (bottom front), two for the first top tooth and one for each of the other teeth. 

She's had quite the adventure with her teeth.  The first one she lost was actually the least dramatic - just a normal wiggly tooth that she kept wiggling and wiggling.  The only drama came from me when I saw it leaning over at a ninety degree angle in her mouth - I had to send her off to Daddy to help her with that.  Apparently, I'm not made for teeth pulling or looking or anything.  Then, I guess (Mike is actually having to tell me because I already don't remember! acck!) she lost her other bottom tooth, and that was just your average wiggle, wiggle and then (I'm just finding this out as I'm writing this and consulting with Mikey) pulled out by Daddy.


The next tooth out was definitely more exciting - and unexpected.  We knew she had a couple of teeth that were starting to wiggle, but they weren't what you would call loose.  I knew she didn't like to crunch into anything and I had to cut up her apples for her, but that was about all.  So, we were at the reception for her Art Camp (more on that later), and Mike, Clara and John Michael had already left.  We were milling around looking at the kid's artwork that was displayed on the walls, window sills, stairways, and ceilings and Gracie decided she would have an apple from the refreshment table.  Next thing I know, she's looking concerned, holding out her apple to me and mumbling something.  I finally grasp that she's asking me if her tooth came out.  What??? Sure enough, I look in her mouth (wishing Mike hadn't already left) and there is only one upper front tooth left.  Wow - that was one crunchy apple, I guess.  So I look down at the apple, assuming the tooth will be there.  No tooth.  Hmmmmm. . . so I ask her, "is it in your mouth?  Did you swallow it?"  Okay, so I asked that second question several times before I realized a) I was going to freak her out by asking that and b) she probably would have noticed swallowing something as big as her tooth.  Once the rational part of my brain kicked in, I finally located the tooth on the floor under the refreshment table (luckily, no one else was paying attention to me and my frantic tooth search).  I was thrilled we had found it and Gracie was happy to have another visit from the tooth fairy.


Or so she thought.  For some reason, the tooth fairy didn't show up that night.  I thought it might have been because Gracie went to bed so late (10pm), but Gracie decided the tooth fairy wanted her to be able to show her tooth to Aunt Carolyn who was coming for a visit the next day (and who was thrilled at the sight, I might add).  Luckily, the tooth fairy did come that second night, and even brought her 2 gold dollars since it was her first top tooth.


And the other top tooth had an exciting finish as well.  It was actually wiggling, but not ready to come out yet.  In the midst of Gracie and Clara having a grand time playing with one of Gracie's school buddies (Alex), Gracie got bumped in the mouth and her tooth started bleeding.  It didn't come out, but I guess if I had been brave enough, I might have pulled it out.  But ... I didn't.  So we headed home and she said it was fine, but she wouldn't touch it either.  Fast forward to 5am... Gracie: "Mommy, I woke up and there was a tooth in my mouth."  So Gracie got to take her tooth on her first ever camping trip with Daddy and Clara.  And the tooth fairy managed to make it into their tent that night and leave her another gold dollar. 


I'm kind of hoping the rest of the teeth will be more of the wiggle, wiggle, and then Daddy pull variety.  I think I've reached my handling loose teeth quota for the year.  

And as a final note, of course Clara has been checking in with us every few weeks or so, sure that some of her teeth must be loose, too.