just in time for halloween

Paige has finally lost her first tooth! As each of her friends began losing their teeth last year, she feared it would never happen to her. She doesn't realize that she was nearly a year old when she got her first tooth or that she's the youngest of all of her friends. She only knows that it's unjust.

She's been working on this tooth for almost a month now. The day she lost it, she went after it by painfully eating an apple. I finally stepped in and did the honors. As a kid, I remember my mom yanking on our loose teeth, and cracking those babies right out. I thought I might have some of the same gumption, but it seems I'm a wuss. If it's not dangling by it's last chance, I flinch and say, "Maybe tomorrow it'll be ready."

As Paige prepared her tooth for the tooth fairy, she kissed it, and said...

"Goodbye"

"I'll miss you"

"You were my special tooth"

(No drama here.)

...and penned a note for the tooth fairy on a scratch piece of paper.

[translation (with correct spelling): Are you a boy or girl? Why do you collect teeth? What do you look like? How do you get in, out doors? Do people wake up sometimes? Thank you]

(The very un-clever tooth fairy refused to give up any secrets)

At the very least, the fickle fairy did not forget to visit this night. Perhaps she's making some progress in keeping a schedule. Our little jack-o-lantern is now happily $4 richer and keeps the returned note from the tooth fairy in her wallet.