V-girl Lost Her First Tooth

If you were looking closely at my pictures over the last week or two, you may have noticed that V-girl hit a milestone that she has been waiting and waiting and waiting for.

She finally lost her first tooth!

I have to tell you though that the night this happened, there were a lot of tears.  By her.  By me.  Perhaps even one of my teenagers.

One of the teenagers in my house was obsessed with "helping" V-girl lose her tooth.  Obsessed.  They were constantly scheming and planning ways to yank it out of her head.

Despite repeated admonitions from me, the plotting and trying continued.

On the night it finally came out, I had asked 3 times for this teen to just let the tooth fall out on its own.  V-girl was complaining that her tooth hurt and was getting sore from all the messing with it.  "It will come out when it is ready.  Everybody just leave it alone."

But, apparently that was teenspeak for....let's try one more time.

That last time, it worked....the little baby tooth was pulled from my baby's head....and....there was blood.

V-girl freaked out.

The teenager was gleefully laughing that they had succeeded.

V-girl was just starting to panic.

(Can you see the tears glistening in this one....?)

And me....well....first I was mad....then I was sad.

I had clearly asked them to just leave it alone.

I calmed myself enough initially to just sit with V-girl and comfort and reassure her.  She stepped into the bathroom to see her new gap and see if the bleeding had stopped.  While she was gone, I looked over at the teenager and very calmly said, "I just have to ask you a question.  I think I was pretty clear that I didn't want you messing with her tooth anymore.  Why didn't you listen?  Do you see what we have now?  Crying and losing a tooth being traumatic when it should be a cool, fun thing."

Seriously.  I was calm.  Honest.  I was seething...but, I was calm.

The teenager in question just looked at me all shocked because you could tell, they had really been having fun with all of this.  I am sure, in retrospect, that they thought they were making a memory and bonding with V-girl.  It was one of those moments where could literally see the smile melt off of someone's face.

V-girl returned from the bathroom and fresh tears - for her - started all over again because it wouldn't stop bleeding.

That is when I lost it too.

Not yelling....but, crying.

I hugged V-girl and started crying too.  She just looked up at me with tears in her eyes and she completely lost it.  We were both in each other's arms sobbing.

Teenager, in the meantime, slunk off to their room.  Honestly, I am not sure if they were crying or angry.  Again, with a little time behind me, I am sure they thought they were doing something fun with their little sister and they certainly didn't intend for it to turn into this weep fest.

I can sort of laugh about it now, but it was awful that night.

I was crying because this was my baby.

I don't have a lot of "firsts" left with my kids.

I wanted to be there.

I wanted it to be a fun/surprise/joyous occasion....without blood and tears.

Is that too much to ask for?  It was one of those moments that I truly realized....I will never get this moment back.

I am trying to take this as a reminder for me to just drink in all those moments...because some of them you really can't get back again.

Don't worry. V-girl....creepy tooth fairy lady will help you out.