Toothless

A couple of weeks ago, Sawyer came bouncing into the kitchen, where I was preparing dinner. He wore a grin from ear to ear, and I kid you not - he had a little twinkle in his eye. "I think I have a loose tooth!" he said. At seven-and-a-half years old, he has been feeling his teeth for months, hoping to find a loose tooth. Often when we go to floss and brush his teeth in the evening, we even check for him. But this time - it was true! I felt his bottom right tooth, and sure enough, it was wiggly! Quite wiggly, in fact! 

He kept bouncing around the house, doing nothing in particular. I asked him if he was bored. "No, I'm just excited!" And then, he asked me, "Mom - will you take a picture of me before my tooth falls out? Once it falls out my smile will change forever, you know." Okay, so I had been bouncing around all excited for him, too - and then he pulls that one out and yanks right on all the mama-strings in my heart. "Of course!" I tell him - partly super excited for him, and partly sad that this little milestone seemed to suddenly sneak up so fast. 

I told him I wouldn't be surprised if he lost his tooth in a day or two at most, so perhaps we should do it right then? And so, we did. Seven year old Sawyer, first grade. First loose tooth. He is such a handsome, smart, and fun little boy. I love him SO much. My firstborn. Just look at his gorgeous eyes. Still such an innocent soul. His world is made up of legos and outdoor adventures. Of wearing shorts every.single.day because he can't stand "long sleeves" of any sort. Of wearing pajamas whenever possible. Of dashing around the house either dressed up as a werewolf, or with his light saber. Of star wars and dragons. Of detailed pencil drawings and nature journaling. Of little treasures hidden in secret places, and piles of books on his dresser (he's a big reader, and an amazing one for his age). Oh, this boy. This BOY. 

Sure enough, his tooth fell out that very night. In the middle of the night. When I woke up I went to check on him and he was about to burst into tears. He was making his bed (he amazingly makes his bed every morning before he gets dressed, without even a single prod from me - mind blown!) and I said "did you lose your tooth?" to which he relied "I LOST my tooth!" He then told me that it came out during the night, and he held it tight in his hand the rest of the night, but when he woke up to use the bathroom, he accidentally flushed it down the toilet. He was so upset. "How will the tooth fairy find me if I don't have my tooth?"

We had a little chat and I assured him that the tooth fairy would find him - and that children lost their lost teeth (sometimes they even swallow them!) quite often. I told him the tooth fairy would know when to come when he wrote a little note and left it out for her (at least he thinks it's a her). Two nights later, he was ready to write that note. And so, he did. And to his amazement, she even wrote him back! She left him a tiny little wooden treasure box on his dresser. It was filled with chocolate gold coins (he still hasn't eaten them all, two weeks later!), 2 quarters, and a tiny little note rolled up in a scroll (as you would expect in a treasure box ;) tied with a tiny piece of what looked to be embroidery floss. Her note said that it was okay that he couldn't find his lost tooth, and that (just as I thought) it was a pretty common occurrence. To avoid misplacing it in the future, she left him the treasure box, and told him that next time he loses a tooth he can keep it safe in the box. She said that she usually brings coins but it depends on her mood - sometime she might even bring something fun like stickers or tiny tattoos. To say he was excited about the tooth fairy assigned to his teeth - well, I'm sure you can imagine.

Pure Magic.

I told him we should call him "toothless" (he loves the books/movies "How to Train your Dragon" so it seemed fitting). 


So - his smile has changed, forever. And I think I'm okay with it (he sure looks cute with a missing tooth!)