I was puttering around in my pajamas this morning, feeling a little… well… punky, I guess, and being glad that I had another half an hour to drag myself into the shower before the sitter arrived…
… when the sitter arrived. Nothing will make you feel your (old and decrepit) age faster than opening the door, braless, for a gorgeous 16-year-old. Who is so taken aback by your dishevelled appearance that she begins apologizing immediately.
Good morning!
Well, it was a little mix-up, and no big deal. The sitter settled in to watch breakfast cartoons with the kids while I showered and got dressed, then I came downstairs and sent the kids up to get ready for the day. The sitter and I were chatting when a SHRIEK came from above, followed by the sound of a small child descending the staircase at warp speed.
“What is it? What happened?? I was on my feet and moving towards the sound before I’d even processed it. The sitter was hot on my heels. A blur streaked past us. And then again.
Monkey was running through the lower level in the house in circles, doing laps, pinwheeling his arms. “I… I… I…” he sputtered. He did not appear to be bleeding or on fire, so I relaxed a bit.
“You WHAT?” He lapped us again, and now I leaned against the wall, biding my time.
“I… I was…” he passed us AGAIN. I was getting dizzy. I reached out and grabbed his shoulders. “I WAS BRUSHING MY TEETH AND MY TOOTH FELL OUT!” This was punctuated at the end with a triumphant display of… bloody gums. I let him go.
“Wow! That’s AWESOME! Now please go rinse out your mouth, honey… you’re bleeding.”
“I am? COOL!” He ran off to the bathroom to inspect matters.
Six years and seven months, and we finally have the first baby tooth out. Praise the Lord. Not that I was worried or anything. I mean, it was sort of funny, at first, and I was mostly kidding when I said, later, that I was sure he was going to have two full rows of teeth forever.
But this way, this way is SO MUCH BETTER! It meant that we got to talk about the lost tooth ALL DAY LONG. How it FEELS and how it LOOKS and WHAT SHALL WE EAT THAT WON’T BOTHER THE TOOTH HOLE and so on. “I have to go admire myself,” he declared, the moment the sitter brought them home from the library.
“Did he just say…?” she asked me, certain she’d heard wrong.
“Yes. Yes he did. Go look.” And we peeked around the corner, and sure enough, there was Monkey in the bathroom, peering at himself in the mirror, practicing his new smile.
Mark your calendars. August 9th, National Monkey Tooth Day.
Anyway, I really wanted to bring the REST of the day up to a similar level of excitingness, if not to COMPETE with the thrill of the lost tooth, to at least MESH with it. But my efforts were futile, because yesterday I pretended to be All Better Now and today it bit me in the butt.
Today, I was tired. Soooooo tired. Unable to make decisions tired. Oh yeah, aren’t you recovering from the plague? tired. Not really entirely done with being sick tired. That kind of tired. And as a result, the tooth thing truly was the most exciting thing to happen here today. By 1:00 this afternoon I was brightly suggesting that we all take naps! And Chickadee walked up to my desk chair (where I sat, trying to work, but mostly trying to stay awake) and patted my cheeks and said that they were maybe going to read some books but that I should probably lay down for a bit because I was looking sleepy.
She’s smart, that kid.
So I did manage to rest a little—in spite of the excitement of the lost tooth—and the remainder of the day was uneventful. Really, what could compare to a nap? I mean, to losing your first tooth?
Nothing, that’s what.
You are so very funny.
I like the image of Monkay lapping you, but at least he was not on fire.
So what did he get from the tooth fairy?
OOh you sound wiped out Mir – you need lots of rest for longer than you think. Glad to hear ‘National Monkey Tooth Day’ has finally arrived! I thought my boy’s teeth would never come out either -i think he was around Monkey’s age when they finally started to.I told both of my children that real fairies love and only give silver in exchange for teeth -to build their little houses with. And they only choose the pearliest white ones so they’d better be clean -although they will use the odd chipped one. Its very scheming of me and its the same logic that lies behind telling the kids that Santa’s favourite drink is Barcardi and coke!
I wish I had known that yesterday was National Monkey Tooth Day so that I could have celebrated appropriately.
… and the messengers were sent throughout the land proclaiming National Monkey Tooth Day. Huzzahs rang out from the masses, church bells pealed and special masses were held to celebrate the occaision. And Mir slept a healing sleep, content in the knowledge that she hadn’t bore a shark-boy.
I still have a couple of the kid’s baby teeth wrapped in tissue in my dresser.
I hope the tooth fairy was especially good to Monkey. I’m sure that he’s running more laps this morning while planning how to spend his new fortune.
Hey, I’m glad you found me too. I thought I’d added my URL to the back of that card but I guess not. It was yet another shining example of a “duh” moment for me.
I realize it’s somewhat belated, but wanted to add that I was trying to send you good vibes for your walk, but apparently they could not break through that damn migraine. I am sorry you were disappointed.
Now my birthday is really special. What could be better than a Monkey Tooth Day.
Rest Mir, that stuff knocks the you know what out of you!
ah yes, my daughter just lost her first tooth only about 11 or so days ago herself. She had similar disappointments in their “delayed” losing of that first tooth, and similar elations. :)
Go Monkey! Go Monkey! It’s your tooth day! Yippee!!
Never a dull moment in your household. You are your family sound like so much fun! Can I come over and play?
Hooray Monkey! So when do we get a pic of the new tooth hole?!
Congrats, Monkey! For those of us who didn’t realize the magnitude of yesterday, today is hereby National Monkey Tooth Day (observed)
I’m not saying it, but you know I’m thinking it.
Here’s my question: What the hell do you do with the teeth? I have a few of Drama Queen’s in my jewelry box, but I frequently ask myself, “Why?” Still, it seems wrong to throw them away.
Now, I have always told my children Santa prefers a glass of pinot noir and a plate of crackers with garlic cheese. But Bacardi sounds good too…
My daughter pulls her own. At school. And then the permanent teeth take forever to grow in. She’s had holes in her mouth for two years.
My daughter lost her first tooth a few months ago and was convinced that water would get in the tooth hole and rot her brain! She ended up puking her guts out that night because she was so worried about it all. I am thinking this will be very difficult if it happens with every single tooth! Also, I think your son was in Kindergarten last year, and if he was, did they have that chart to mark who had lost a tooth? My daughter was really mad that she never got on the chart. Apparently they don’t have one in first grade because they assume everyone lost a tooth in Kindergarten. Luckily she was so upset about that tooth hole that she doesn’t really care about being on the chart any longer. Tell Monkey congratulatiosn from us!
Yaaaay! Congratulations Monkey!
(“I have to go admire myself.” Snork. Now there’s a child after my own heart.)
Congratulations Monkey! If I had know it was National Monkey Tooth Day, I would have… baked a cake or dressed like a tooth or something. Have fun Tooth Fairy!
I’m trying to figure out exactly what product we could put on Cool Mom Picks to commemorate Monkey Tooth Day. Congrats to the little guy.
Also, excellent excellent use of the word punky.
Hot babysitters, popping teeth, blood… the head reels from the excitement.
No wonder you’re tired.
Congratulations, Monkey!
I need a nap. Hmm. 7:12. Maybe I’ll just go to bed instead.