Wiggly

"Mommy, where does the Tooth fairy live?" Mo asks, her eyes focused on me waiting patiently for the answer.

"Um, I don't know babe. What do you think?" I respond.

The questions have been coming on and off the past few months.

"What does she do with the teeth?"
"How does she get the money?"
"Will I hear the poof when she comes in my room?"
"How did she get to be the tooth fairy?" 
"If I'm awake will she know?"
"How does she get in the house?"

Up until last Friday, when she would ask, "When am I going to lose a tooth?" I would confidently respond, "Not until you're probably six." 

Then it happened. Running into the dining room in a panic, she screams, "My tooth! My tooth is bleeding! I hurt it! I hurt it!" 

I put down the towels I am folding, anticipating the worst. I wonder how she hurt one of her teeth, as she is only eating an apple. Coming close, the panic is across her face.

"It's bleeding Mama. I was just eating an apple and now it's bleeding!"

"Open up Love." I ask, "Let me see what's happening."

Her teeth are all okay. Everyone except her bottom left center baby tooth.

Moira's first tooth as an infant, is now the first tooth she has loose as preschooler.

We both are panicked. She, because it feels weird and is a bloody. Me, because I worry that it is too early. She won't be five until April 1. Four is too young to lose a tooth.

I google and seek advice from various friends online and discover that four, nearly five, is on the younger side of normal.

My baby's got her first loose tooth!

Terrified that pizza, bagels, or anything else will hurt, she eats yogurt for dinner, breakfast, and lunch. Finally, dinner nearly twenty four hours later, she devours sweet and sour chicken. The tooth remains intact.

Day after day, the tooth gets looser and looser, but remains attached.

Until Tuesday evening, holding on by a thread, Bryan begins negotiations.

"I'll call the tooth fairy and let her know it's coming out tonight" he explains.

I offer to help, and my advances are shooed away.

"No mommy. Don't come any closer. Don't touch it!" she squeals. "Don't touch my tooth!"

For nearly an hour, Bryan, Moira, and I do si do around the living room, as we attempt to bribe, guilt, and persuade Mo to help her get the tooth out.

Finally, with the threat of a phone call to the Tooth Fairy informing her of the lack of progress, Mo grabs a piece of soft pretzel. Biting in with her front teeth, the tooth pops out, immediately she pulls it out, hands it over to Bryan, makes eye contact with me, and begins crying.




The anticipation must have been too much, as she wails for a good two minutes.

But then, it's pure, unadulterated excitement. She is giddy as she shares the good news with Maeve, and later both my mother in law and parents over the phone.

I still don't know where the Tooth Fairy lives, how she gets in our house or most of the answers to the other questions Moira asked. However, we did find out when she would lose that first tooth.

At four years, eleven months, two weeks and four days, Mo's first tooth came out.