Something the Walrus Said

Matthew came to me Monday night a while after I had tucked him in bed saying his tooth was too loose and wiggly for him to sleep.

"The time has come."  He agreed with me that it needed to be yanked.  There was only pittance holding it in anyway and it was becoming more snaggly by the day. He was loath for me to pull it however (as was I) and insisted it be done by a "professional."  So we called Ben.  Ben is a useful friend in many ways, not the least of which being his title as Dentist.  So we gave Ben a call and hopped out the door hand in hand for a happy little stroll down the street.  Matthew couldn't have been more excited.  He raced ahead to Ben and Tara's house but as soon as we walked in the door jumped behind me and needed some coaxing to come out. 

Ben snapped on some blue gloves, and with a paper towel wiggle back and forth, back and forth. Matthew kept giggling and laughing but would nervously pull Ben's hands away any time he felt pressure.  Ben wiggled some more, poked around with a tooth pick, and then handed Matthew the towel to do the same.  Little Moo pinched his fingers around the tooth, gave a tiny pull (but I think bigger than he was expecting), and with a minuscule POP it was free.

Moo did not have the reaction I thought.  It surprised him for sure.  And all of a sudden he wasn't as confident in his decision as he had been 3 seconds before.  

He didn't want to open his mouth and I could see in his face the unsure feeling about this new hole.  After a while biting on the paper towel and sitting with lips tight, curiosity got the better of him and he ventured a feel.

His little tooth was mostly hollow and his gum had grown down into it.  It left a funny nub of gum.  Moo saw it in the mirror and was not pleased.    His biggest concern (said with little furrowed eye browns and a pitiful fact) "my pictures are going to look funny all summer."

And so this is the best we are left with.

But by the time we got home he was back in high spirits dreaming of the hoards of cash he would find under his pillow the next day.  Apparently someone in his kindergarten class got $20 dollars.  (What kind of conspiracy is going on when some kid gets $20 dollars from the Tooth Fairy--I ask you?!).  I assured him that must have been for a whole mouth of teeth and he was just as pleased as punch with the one dollar bill paper airplane he discovered in the morning.

Update:  that gum healed up in two days and he is now left with a nice clean chiclet hole, smiley pictures are coming our way again!