Now that baby boy is six-and-a-half, and his adult teeth are coming up fast and furious behind his baby teeth. That first little tooth has been wiggled and twisted, pushed and prodded for what feels like ages. Jude is a bit of a baby when it comes to even the mildest pain (this past summer, when we had to remove some prickles from his foot, he cried, "DON'T CUT MY FOOT OFF!!!" as I approached with...tweezers), so we waited until it was absolutely hanging by a thread.
Tonight, I cajoled him into letting me have a pull. And then there it was in my hand, that tiny little pearl of a tooth. His little freckled face was astounded; he didn't realise what had happened until he looked in the mirror, poked his tongue into the space where his tooth had been, and admired the new grown-up tooth behind it.
The girls were just as excited as he was. We placed the tooth in a little cloth bag, and tucked it carefully under his pillow. I sang them to sleep, as always, but Jude seemed...older somehow, like this new milestone has set him on the path to being a big kid. He reached for my hand as I sang "his song" (I Will, by the Beatles), and I held back a tear.
Tonight I will creep into this room to place this little note under his pillow, written in the tiniest of print:
Dear Jude,
You lost your first tooth! I will take it with me,
and will turn it into a star. Maybe one day you'll
make a wish on it! Take good care of your new
grown-up tooth!
See you again soon,
Love, the Tooth Fairy
This is a first for me, too, and I'm reminded of how much I love this mothering gig.
Yes, momentous indeed... (and I love what your tooth fairy does with teeth -- turns them into stars...)
ReplyDeletexo
This Tooth Fairy has carefully collected every tooth and placed it in a small box....plan to make a rattle with them some day :-) Loved the reflection on that first baby tooth cutting. Everything comes full circle eventually. Please write a tooth fairy part 2 and tell us what happened this morning when he discovered the note and his coin!
ReplyDeleteMy babies' teeth are in my jewelry box. I just couldn't bear to throw them away, but what to do with them? A rattle is an interesting idea...
ReplyDeleteOn a similar note, I went to the dentist yesterday and I STILL have a baby tooth under which no permanent tooth ever grew. It is healthy and secure so I guess it will stay there a little longer. When every cell in my body has regenerated by now, I guess this part of me is an original!
(CUTE FRECKLES, btw)
Woohoo!
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I am in love with the freckles! He is a cutie pie!!
Jennifer
I kept my girls teeth in a tin for many years. They start to deteriorate after awhile.
ReplyDeleteSuch a sweet story.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you and your family!