On his cheek. We had Brown Cow. Then, Rollie said his tooth was wiggly and he wanted me to pull it. We pretend to go get the pliers and pull his tooth. We threaten to tie a string around his tooth, tie the other to the doorknob, and then slam the door shut.
Then we do the delicate dance, the one that parents and children have done for thousands of years – Indeed, I am sure that some Kid in a cave had the same exact experience a millennia ago.
“Okay, Mom. Pull it.”
“You want me to pull it? Are you sure?”
“Yes. Just pull it.”
“Okay, tell me if it hurts, okay? Come over here into the light where I can see it.”
I wiggle the tooth with two fingers. I am scared to pull hard.
“Mom! I can do it. Stop! I don’t want you to pull it.”
“Okay, it’s bleeding a little, so take this paper towel. I don’t want you bleeding on my couch, you hear me?”
“I KNOW, Mama!”
I start unloading the dishwasher. Rollie comes back in.
“Mama, I think it is really loose. It is ready to come out. It is coming out now. Mama, pull it.”
“Okay, give me that paper towel.”
Todd and Uncle Wade come into the kitchen to watch with interest. We all stand under the light of the Kitchen. I fold over the paper towel and grip Rollie’s tooth between my two fingers, covered in paper towel to cut down on slippage. I tilt his head back so i can see his mouth in the light.
I wiggle the tooth, back and forth, front to back.
Rollie screams and bats my hands away.
He goes back into the den to watch Harry Potter. Todd and Wade follow him. I continue to do dishes.
I hear Todd say, “ugh.” Rollie comes back in. He just bares his teeth to me, then says, “See?” His tooth is bent forward perpendicular to his gums.
Ewww.
Then I think, that bitch is ready to come out.
I grab the paper towel again. I wiggle front and back. I wiggle side to side. Todd and Wade come in and are looking over my shoulder, and they are cringing as I wiggle, and grab again, and I ask Rollie if I’m hurting.
Nothing.
I think for a minute.
I twist the tooth.
A crack.
A small bloody tooth between my two fingers, white and red in the bright light of the kitchen. I lay it in my other palm, so small. My baby’s tooth – much different than the two that came home from school in plastic bags. My baby’s tooth.
“I lost my tooth! My tooth. Tiller! My tooth came out! The Tooth Fairy’s coming tonight!”
Truth be told? I have an iron stomach, and blood doesn’t bother me. But that little crack of my baby boy’s tooth coming out of the socket? I felt that one in my bones.
Sure, he lost two bottom baby teeth already. He lost them both at school, though. Not here in my kitchen. So, this is kinda a first.
And my baby? Now he really looks like a little boy, with a gap-toothed smile and the inability to say his esses without sounding like Voldemort when he gets all snaky.
Tags: Baby Teeth, Tooth Fairy
Love it Anne, and you are braver than I. Terry is the tooth puller in our house and the dance you speak of has happened here so many times. They want it to come out, but don’t want it to at the same time. The perpendicular thing so grosses me out.
Is his other front tooth loose, usually they lost then fairly close together. It took Sophie’s front teeth about 3-6 months to come fully down, and another 6 months to straighten out. When they first came in they looked awful, but once she lost the two on either side, the big ones had more room. Just wait till you see the size of them compared to those little baby teeth, so bitter sweet!
Omg! So cute! Wish I could have been there.
Lisa, you would have gotten all nursey on us and stole my thunder.
Dorothy, the other one is really loose, too. Only a matter of time. He completely looks like a different kid.
OMG! We have to pull them?!!! No one told me that. Diapers, vomit, stitches – check. Pulling teeth? No f-ing way. You are a MUCH better woman than I. Good for Rollie, though. He looks super cute with his gap. I’m sure Scarlett will think he’s even cuter now.
Yeah, you don’t get that in job description. Just one more example of how they pull the wool over your eyes about this whole parenting thing. . .
I flinched when I read “crack”! We have a couple of wiggly teeth right now. Elle hasn’t lost any yet.
Jason, definitely threaten pliers or the door slam. Very fun!
[…] tooth. I think it’s his . . .fourth? They are becoming a blur. Interestingly, only one was pulled at home – the rest were at school. I guess maybe he gets bored in class and decides to wiggle it […]