Two trips to Tooth Town

Being the 6 year old that she is, Aria has started to lose her baby teeth. Three so far by my count. Recent trips to the dentist's office have let us know that she has some crowding in her mouth and will eventually need to have braces. Super. Orhodontist's office, here we come!

I was so proud of her yesterday! She was so brave at the orthodontist, not shedding a tear, just being the little chatterbox that she always is! Doctor tooth tells us that due to the crowding, her permenate teeth are coming in crooked. Plan? Remove a couple baby teeth to make room for the big boys. Simple enough. Doc even commented on one of Aria's loose teeth, a wibbly wobbly guy on the top of her little mouth. It will come out soon indeed! They had this cool little play area called Tooth Town, there was a molar coaster! Clever indeed.

Next, a trip to Fred Meyer to buy spaghetti sauce, ranch, bread and nail polish, just the necessities ... and a back to school outfit or two. We're done here, let's blow this popcicle stand! Aria wants to stand on the front of the cart. Not the front like facing me while I push the cart front, like standing in between my arms while I push the cart front. That's not really safe my dear . . . "But Mooooommmm, I am too tired to walk!" Moms, you know what I am talking about. You pick your battles. Fine, let's just get out of here.

The cart squeaks throught the narrow aisles of the apparell department, then CRASH! Where the hell did that damn support beam come from?! It jumped out from behind that clothing rack! Aria's now covered her face with her hands, and I pause, afraid to react, fearing the worst. Sure enough, underneath her little hands I see the liquid crimson that means she did indeed hit her face on the handle bar of the cart. Can't get any worse, right? WRONG! She pulls her hand away and extends it toward me, her eyes wide with fear. There it was, the little tooth, bloody and small. Oh my God, I knocked out one of my daughter's teeth.

So there I am, in the middle of a busy store with crying, bleeding child next to me. Ya, people looked at me like I was one of those stupid people I read about everyday who beat their kids in department stores. Never have I ever wanted to know the intercom code more than that moment: "Attention Fred Meyer shoppers, the child in the girl's apparell department has lost a tooth, she is not being smacked around by her panicked mother. Check out the specials in our meat department!"

The blood is really starting to flow now. What to do? I have no tissues, people are starring, she is bleeding and screaming, wait, there is a Starbucks in here! No, I was not craving an iced mocha. Where there is food service there is paper towels. The young man at Starbucks was so helpful, he deserves an award of some sort. Not only did he give us paper towels, he gave us a cup of ice, even though there were several people waiting in line. I need to go back and thank him!

The cart got left behind . . . (I always wondered why there were always carts full of merchandise left sitting around when I worked in retail. It's not gnomes, it's KIDS!)

The crisis was over after a few hours. Knowing that the Tooth Fairy would soon be making a pit stop at our house helped soothe her nerves. She was pretty mad at mommy though. I have been involved with more accidents in shopping carts than cars, thank God! But there was the, "mommy, why did you do that?" Well, kiddo, how do I explain that I love you more than life itself and just the sight of your blood pushes me to near fainting? I would never hurt you on purpose!

"Ya know how sometimes you get really excited and run up to me and step on my toes and it hurts me?"

"Ya...."

"You do not mean to hurt me, right? It is an accident."

"Ya..."

"It is like that, kiddo, me crashing into the pole at the store was an accident. I would never hurt you."

"But mommy, you need to watch where you are going, OK?'

"Ok, deal."

The ultimate proof of a promise follows: pinky swear.

The Tooth Fairy must have known how that little tooth under the pillow came to be out of that cute little mouth, because she left two dollars instead of the standard four shiny quarters. Her note to Aria told her to keep up the good work and not be mad at her mommy. :)

Move on to today . . .

We get home for the day and she quickly dashes to her room and shuts the door. Odd . . . but maybe she is just changing her clothes.
Moments later, she emerges, clutching her tiny treasure in her hands. Not a penny found on the sidewalk . . . ANOTHER TOOTH! This one came out the right way though . . . coaxed out with an eager pincer grasp from it's creator.

"The Tooth Fairy gets to come back tonight!"
She does indeed. And she is happy to do so.