The Tooth Fairy

About a week ago, MadHatter was playing with her friend A.  The game involved a rubber snake, a light saber and some dress up clothes.  Don't worry, I don't understand either and it was all explained to me, at length.  Anyway, the rubber snake somehow ended up in MadHatter's mouth and A was trying to pull it out when they noticed that one of MadHatter's teeth was loose.   And then all mayhem broke loose.  We were told the story of how they discovered the loose tooth and who thought it was wiggly first and how long they thought it would take to fall out, ad nauseum .

Since then we have watched MadHatter wiggle it with her fingers, jiggle it with her tongue and stare at in the mirror.  She has refused to eat foods because of the tooth.  She has told us she had trouble skiing, because of the tooth.  She has said that she couldn't go to sleep because she might swallow the tooth.  The Tooth had taken on a life of its own.  And then, yesterday, out of the blue, it just fell out.  Couldn't have asked for it to happen any other way because without tears, without yanking, without blood, she is now super excited for the next one to come out.  Good thing because she has 19 more to go...

As for me, as her Mama, I am OK with her losing the first one but only the first one.  Because it was just as much a milestone for me as it was for her and I love the milestones.  But I don't think I will like her losing the second...  No milestone to that just another reminder that she is growing up.  Something she seems to be doing too fast these days.  First it was Kindergarten, then learning to read, and learning to spell/write, and now she is losing teeth. I'm not sure we have seen this many "firsts" since her very first year and I don't think I like how fast she is blowing though them again.  But I also know I cannot stop it.  And that is what I have a problem with.  I like being in control and now she is the one in charge.  Who do I talk to about changing that?

I digress -

Today we have spent our day staring in the mirror, at an empty space where that tooth once was, and asking when the permanent "big girl" tooth will fill it.  I answer the same thing every time, "I just don't know.  It will come in when it is ready."  And as much as I am not ready for her to be a big girl, I am also finding I am not ready to fill in that gap just yet.  Because I think I have fallen in love with her new toothless smile.