The Young and the Restless

The last of the firsts

Most kids lose their first tooth around kindergarten. Ryder is in second grade. He has been so anxious to lose his first tooth, but for selfish reasons I was not. I was holding on to those last lingering signs of my last baby. Not ready to see that perfect little smile and those perfect little tiny teeth be replaced by big jagged monstrosities. Not ready to admit that my baby is finally growing up. The dentist had said that he was on track to lose his first tooth around Valentine's day. That was 6 months ago and every day since he has been wiggling his teeth and checking for any progress. He finally got his first loose tooth and as anxious as he was to lose it, he got cold feet when the moment of reckoning came and it was time to pull it out. It was hanging by a thread, but he was hysterical whenever Jason got close to his mouth. I was sure he was going to swallow it in his sleep if it didn't come out. He finally agreed to let Dad pull it. At this point everyone had gathered up in our room to cheer him on, but the attention was too much to handle and he made them leave. They all stood outside the door giving words of encouragement until the moment it was out and then they all came barging in ready to give him a hug. Some days I swear these kids will never learn to like each other, but moments like this reminded me that I don't need to worry. They really do love each other after all. And that was our last first lost tooth and now I'm going to go smother my face in his baby blankie and cry.