A tooth story

We lost a tooth. First tooth. Its exciting stuff.

Everything went like clockwork, discovered loose tooth, softly wiggled it each day to check on its progress, fell out on its own causing no pain whatsoever, placed tooth under pillow, toothfairy came and delivered the goods. End of story. Everyone happy, especially Carson.

Wrong...that is not how this story played out. Turns out the tooth fairy that visits our house kinda sucks.

Here's the real story.

Carson has been patiently waiting for his first loose tooth. Seemed like everyone his age was passing him up. He is one of the oldest kids in his class and they were all losing teeth, his cousin Lance who is the exact same age had already lost 4. So imagine his joy when he finally discovered that he had a loose one.

He came to us the day after Christmas and said "mom, I think I might have a loose tooth, see look how much it can wiggle". Sure enough, loose tooth. We were so excited.

He started asking me all kinds of tooth fairy questions and I did my best to answer. I told him to make sure and hang on to the tooth if it falls out cause we needed it to put under his pillow.

Fast forward to this past Wednesday, I had been home all day potty training the Lincoln boy, so Thiago offered to pick up Cars from school. They arrive home and I can tell that something is wrong. Carson's cheeks are all red and tear stained and he is sniffling. I scoop him up and start to love him and ask Thiago what is wrong.

When Thiago got to his school, Carson was standing up by his teacher crying a little bit, the minute he saw Thiago he started to cry even harder. Appearantly his tooth fell out on the playground while he was at recess. Carson had spent the rest of the day worrying about not having his tooth for the tooth fairy. He remembered me telling him to make sure and not lose it. Poor kid, he was freaking.

On the way home, Thiago explained to him that the tooth fairy would understand. We just needed to write her a little note explaining what had happened and she wouldn't care at all. She would still leave some money. He started to perk back up and all was well.

Later that night, Thiago took some work guys out to the Jazz game so me and the kids were home by ourselves. I was a little bit off my schedule, cause usually he is there to help me out but that night I was on my own. I was majorly distracted by Lincoln and the potty training and kept forgetting about the whole tooth incident.

Finally I get the baby to sleep, and go in to lay by the boys. I am about ready to sneak out of their room, when all of the sudden Carson pops up and yells "mom, my note".


And we are up. We head back out to the kitchen and Carson writes his little note.


He took the phrase "little" note, quite literally. He seriously made the piece of paper and small as he possibly could.

We place his note under his pillow. And off to sleep we go. As I am laying there with them I keep saying to myself "don't forget the toothfairy, don't forget". Finally they are asleep and I get up.

I take a bath, pick up the house, read a few blogs, text Thiago, settle in my bed to watch Law and Order SVU, and I am sound asleep by the time Thiago gets home. Not once did I remember the toothfairy. Not once.

Next morning, Thiago has to be out of the house pretty early. He is already up and getting ready. Its 5:30 and all of the sudden a hysterical Carson comes running into our bedroom crying. Holding his note, tears streaming down his face "mama, she didn't come, the tooth fairy didn't come, she didn't like my note".

Crap. My heart sinks. Way to go, your first kid, and his first tooth and we totally forgot. Mother of the year, right here.

Thiago comes out of the bathroom to see what is going on. Carson tells him and our eyes meet and we both just feel like total losers.

I think fast, and say the first thing that comes to my mind. I say to Carson "oh honey, you know what probably happened. This happened to me once when I was little. The tooth fairy didn't come the first night I left my tooth cause there was just too many kids that lost their teeth that day and she just didn't have enough time to get to them all. But she came the next night and even left me an extra dollar for being so patient."

He wipes a few of his tears away and says in a trembling little voice, "that happened to you".

"Yes"

"Do you think that is what happened here"

"I am sure of it honey, I know she will come, lets just try again tonight"

"You don't think she is just mad that I don't have the tooth do you"

"Oh no, of course not. She's not mad"

"Did she just not like my note"

"Oh honey, I am sure she is going to like your note just fine"

Crisis averted. He soaks it up like a sponge and all is well.


Now the icing on the cake, just to make me feel a little more stupid about the whole thing...

later on that day, I am helping out in Carson's classroom. His teacher comes up to me and Carson and she says "how did everything turn out with the tooth, was Carson ok".

I am standing there thinking how in the heck does she know about last night. Then it clicks, oh she is talking about the playground incident. I quickly shrug it off and say "oh, he was just fine, he was just a little worried about not having his tooth to put under his pillow but we smoothed it over. No big deal".

"Oh good" she says.

I am just praying Carson will just leave it at that, and not bring up the tooth fairy.

She turns to Carson and says "were your mom and dad excited to see you had lost a tooth".

"Oh yes" he says...and then he adds "the toothfairy didn't come though".

Yep, there it is. Thanks Cars.

She looks at me in surprise and starts to stumble "oh well, ya know, sometimes"

Carson cuts her off "its okay though, my mom just explained that there was probably too many kids that lost their teeth that day and she just couldn't make it to all of us. Tonight though, right mom, we are going to try again tonight".

His teacher is trying not to laugh, she looks at me and smiles and says "yep, I think your mom is right, I am sure that is exactly what happened. Carson walks away. I say to his teacher "yep, the toothfairy really dropped the ball on that one". She laughs and pats me on the back and says "honey, I guarantee you that won't be the last time the tooth fairy drops the ball".

Oh, gotta love it.

Needless to say, the toothfairy did indeed show up the next night. She left a little note congratulating the boy on his first tooth, she explained that she had over 400 kids the day before and just ran out of time, but she left him an extra dollar because he was so patient.

Like I say, he soaked it up like a sponge. All is well in toothfairy world.

So our first experience was kinda rough, but hey..it makes for a good story, right?

Haha.