Losing her First Tooth

Bridget has had a wiggly bottom front tooth for a few weeks and this week decided to make an effort to get it out. Throughout the week she pushed on it with her tongue and wrapped it in a tissue so she could twist it. Last night before bed the little tooth was hanging completely forward but she was too tentative to give it that last yank it needed. We talked about what happens if you lose a tooth at school and Bridget was excited to go to the nurses office to get a tiny plastic treasure chest designed especially for tooth holding. Bridget decided she would pick out a purple treasure chest.


At 4 AM, Bridget's worried little face appeared by my bedside. She said her tooth fell out and now she couldn't find it. I was glad to hear that she had been holding it so at least I knew it wasn't swallowed. We got flashlights and quickly located her tiny white tooth laying on her bed. She wanted to hold it again but instead I got a plastic baggie and labeled it with her name and date. She fell asleep grinning with her hand resting on the baggie under pillow.

This morning Bridget bounded out of bed, with the baggie in hand, and tried to explain to Papa her news. Her grogginess made the story a little hard to follow but Jim knew what she was trying to say and shared her joy. She wanted to bring the tooth in to school to get the treasure chest but we explained you have to lose the tooth in school for that and I had her feel all of the other teeth in her mouth that might come out while in school. Plenty of chances. Papa then explained his job in our family as the tooth fairy and let her pick out a foreign coin from the special stash.

The baby tooth is tiny and will soon be replaced by the adult tooth that is ready to come up. Little by little she will lose more of the baby things and traits. I hope each transition is graced with the same enthusiasm and smile.