The Tooth Fairy

"What are going to do about this Tooth Fairy business?"
"Well, I'm going to go home, and put on my special Tooth Fairy Leotard, and strap on my Fairy wings, and get to work."

I figured it would be many months before Isabella actually lost a tooth. She was adamant that a top tooth was loose, but it was one of those things where I didn't want to tell her that really, it was just her finger moving back and forth, not the tooth. It seems that losing teeth becomes some sort of contest between friends. They keep tabs on who lost a tooth, when, and how many times the Tooth Fairy has made a visit. I wasn't eager to join the "lost teeth club". I have dreams about losing my own teeth, so I'd just rather not deal with that while awake, it's bad enough when I'm sleeping.

And then, a week ago, during a friendly sibling wrestling match, Isaac knocked his head against her chin, and just like that, she had a very loose tooth. It was one of those cliche parenting moments, where you say, "guys, you'd better take a break before someone gets hurt." And then a minute later they come running to you because, guess what, you were right, big surprise.

The moment was not without drama. Isabella was a puddle of tears. Apparently she'd decided that losing teeth wasn't what she really wanted. Uh, I hate to break it to you, but you're going to lose them now, and then you'll probably lose them all over again when you're really hold. I'm a very comforting sort of mother. After she stopped crying long enough, we were able to assess the tooth and determined that it would not fall out that instant, hence the parting of the clouds and the drying of tears, all of a sudden, it was very cool to have a loose tooth. In other words, she was in the club, and her little brother paid her membership.

For the rest of the day, we heard about the tooth. I mean, non-stop. Who knew one person could talk about a loose tooth for so long, and who knew we could get any more excited about bed-time than we are on a daily basis.

And now, a week later, after extensive conversations related to the tooth, it fell out. As you can imagine, this event was not without drama. I really wish I'd video taped it. You see, my daughter, from a very young age, has enjoyed watching herself cry. It's like she's made for the stage and is inherently acting out some part she'll play in the future. I kid you not, she will run to her room and stand in front of her mirror watching herself cry. I've even seen her try on different facial expressions for size. This tooth display, was obviously practice for a horror film. Her hair was messed up, tears were streaming down her face, and she was holding her mouth open just right so that you could see the tooth hanging and the blood and drool collecting on her lip. I must say, it was impressive.

And then it was out, just as Walter returned home from work, and there was cheering, and she was instantly happy and excited. You guessed it, for the rest of day, we listened to her talk about her tooth.