Rachel looses her 1st tooth!!

**

Little Rachel has FINALLY lost her first tooth. She's been waiting, semi-patiently - for soooo long.

It was quick mommy thinking when Rachel ran in to tell us that she'd lost her tooth and then began to cry when she realized that she'd SWALLOWED it!! (I didn't know people ever actually did that!)

"Rachel, Sweetie, let me see that chocolate egg," I said. "I'll bet you just lost it in that gooey center."

"NO! It's gone, I swallowed it!!"

There was some discussion about waiting until she pooped and searching for it there, but she relented and let me 'search' the chocolate egg. I took the egg ran upstairs and grabbed one of Alex's baby teeth, which, for some unknown reason, the tooth fairy kept giving back to me.

"Found it!" I called, and came downstairs proudly holding 'Rachel's 1st lost tooth.'

Crisis averted, we pulled out the Tooth Fairy pillow and prepared her tooth for pick up. She was over the moon!!

**

Just another step

**

Today I watched her walk away. Without so much as a glance backwards, she walked away. Tentative, a little slowly at first, but off she went with dozens of other little people. Rachel left.

The second day of kindergarten is always rougher (for me) than the first. Day one is filled with excitement over new clothes, new backpacks and school supplies, new experiences, but day two they just walk away. Another step on the long road toward their own life, toward adulthood, and one more step away from needing mommy and daddy for every little thing.

Oh, I've been told that once they head off to college that I'll be ready to see them go, but I don't think so. My heart hurts a little when I think of the ways we'll grow apart from them as they grow up. It's natural. It's necessary. I know all that, and I want that for them. I just hope we can somehow keep them close while simultaneously letting them grow, and ultimately letting them go.

**

Day 1

**

**

Oh to be six again

**

While we were in China, Alex lost her second tooth. Unlike the first, this time around, however, the tooth fairy was none too excited about it.

Alex waited for us to get home from China. She wanted to show us the tooth before giving it up to the tooth fairy. Soooo excited - she showed us the tooth and told us at least three times all about how she twisted it, and twisted it until it came out in her hands. "There wasn't hardly even any blood."

With great ceremony, we helped Alex put the tooth in the special little box, and then put the special little box into the special little pillow, which was then placed carefully under her pillow. And then we promptly forgot all about it, until the next morning when a dejected little Alex stood beside my bed with the special little pillow, which held the special little box, which held the lost tooth.

And the next night, with great ceremony, we helped Alex put the tooth in the special little box, and then put the special little box into the special little pillow, which was then placed carefully under her pillow. And then we promptly forgot all about it, until the next morning when a dejected little Alex stood beside my bed with the special little pillow, which held the special little box, which held the lost tooth.

Oh - we're bad. Soooo many repeated excuses, reasons and rationalizations about the poor overworked/unionized Tooth Fairy.

On the third night, that lazy little twit finally showed up and took the tooth away, leaving behind two shiny gold $1 coins. And, to her credit, Alex was just as excited as she would have been on the very first night.

She woke us up the next morning with an excited, ear-to-ear grin, "Mommy! Mommy! She was here! It fell on the ground again. And listen - Money!!"

Oh, to be six again.
**

For the record...,

**

Do you ever look back at your life and wonder when the first time [X] happened?

[X] could be anything from the first time you played in the snow to the first time you road a bike--countless things and you'll never really know when they happened for the first time.

Well, let it be known, today is the day that Rachel got her first freckle. A cute little brown dot on the right side of her cute little button nose.
And today, instead of looking back, I'm looking forward and wondering how many freckles will follow the first.

PS: Love that little dimple too!

**

One Tooth Less

**

It's milestone time, and it's a big one.

Alex lost her first tooth and could not be more thrilled!! She's been talking about it, playing with it, and staring at it for three days. She even tried to take a picture of the little loose tooth.

She was playing with/biting on a string, trying to create a tea pot when the tooth just fell right out. She was so excited I thought her head might actually explode.


Well, until Daddy mentioned the blood. Then she started to cry.

(Oh, Daddy...,)

She recovered quickly and showed off her new trophy to her sister.

By the end of the day, Rachel was a bit 'over it,' as you can see from the photos...,

I think Lil' Ray was ready to pull her own tooth out so she could get a little attention and a visit from tooth fairy too.

Speaking of the tooth fairy - gotta run. I've got a job to do.

**

A few minutes later…

OK. Soooo NOT sly.

BUSTED!!

It started off OK.

I sneak in, grab the special little tooth pillow, bring it out, and switch the cutest little baby tooth you've ever seen for 2 gold dollar coins. Feeling sly, I slip quietly back into the girls’ room. I quietly reach up to lift her pillow and slip the special surprise in to place. I accidentally touch her hand and up she pops! Wide awake and very curious.

My heart leaps and I catch my breath. Maybe she won’t see me – as I stand there stupidly frozen at her bedside.

God if she finds out about the tooth fairy you know her faith in Santa and the Easter Bunny will be on a weak tether. Seconds away from smashing the magic of her childhood, I drop the pillow and kick it under the bed. It's sticking out just a bit - but it should be OK.

"Mom, what are you doing? Checking to see if she's been here?"

And she lifts up her pillow. Nothing. She looks at me. Puzzled. She lifts the pillow again. Nothing.

"Hmm. Maybe it fell down - let's turn the light on and look for it," she says.

Ok - maybe I should have taken this route - but it seemed to me that it would cheating.

"No hun - we don't want to wake up Rachel."

"Mommy?" Ray's sweet little voice.

SH*T.

These two usually sleep like they've been drugged. What the hell??

"But Mommy? Why did she take it and not leave the treat?"

"I'm sure she took it and will be coming back with the treat. I'm sure she didn't forget and it's not lost. Maybe we just scared her away with all the noise. Don't worry. I'll bet it will be here in the morning."

"OK. Well come and remind me in the morning. OK?"

"OK."

"Mommy? Mommy? Can I have my dwink?"

"Sure Ray."

God - I'm never going to get to bed! The job of tooth fairy is not easy.

Off I go again. Waiting for the little ones to go back to sleep. Wish me luck.

**

12:40 a.m. and Alex is still awake. Lying still, hoping to catch a glimpse of the tooth fairy.

I’m going to bed. She’ll find the little tooth pillow in the morning.

**

5:45 a.m. and her head is now actually exploding. Mine is just too bleary eyed to think straight.

“Mommy!!! Mommy!!! She was here! She came last night and we didn’t even KNOW!!”

“whaaa?” Numb from lack of sleep.

“The tooth fairy, Mommy. The TOOTH FAIRY!! She came! She came! It was right there the whole time. It was on the floor. By my bed. She came! You have to come out. Come out to the living room. It makes noise. Come out and let’s see what it is!! Come on!! Shhhh, don’t wake up Daddy and Ray.”

Her excitement is contagious. I’m up and scrambling after her, with wonder and anticipation—what could possibly be in that little box tucked so neatly inside the pillow?

The gold coins put her over the edge! She’s so happy if she grinned any harder I think the rest of her teeth would have fallen out.

**

This was a GREAT day to be a mom.

**

One Week of PT Progress....,

Day 1: No More Diapers – Hello Special Panties

Ray-Ray seems to vaguely understand the concept but doesn't really get that she should get to the potty before she starts going. At this point she's not sensing the need to pee until she's leaked a bit or dribbled or just plain peed down her legs. She does try to get to the potty but she's at least a little wet by the time the thought arrives.

We also figured out that the balloons and cupcakes were a bit over the top. We've gone back to the tiny treats (skittles and Mini M&Ms) for each (progressive) success. It's a bit less overwhelming.

An additional, unforeseen problem came up today. Alex, although excited about her sister's adventure, was acting out a bit. Being the usual epicenter of our household, she didn’t adjust to well to Rachel’s big day. So tomorrow Dave and I are adopting a divide and conquer strategy.

**

Day 2: Divide and Conquer & Stick to the Potty Plan

With Rachel still not 'getting it', Day 2 didn't start out too promising. At about 9:00 we embarked on the Divide and Conquer strategy and Alex and I left the house looking for our own adventures. This seemed to do the trick and just before lunch Rachel 'got it' and didn't have another accident all day.

Tomorrow we're hoping for more of the same without the need for a divide and conquer strategy. We're also planning on venturing out of the house to see if this concept is really sticking.

Wish us luck!

**

Day 3: Success!!

I can't believe it!! SUCCESS.

Rachel was 100% today!! No accidents - not a single dribble! No Divide and Conquer strategy necessary. We went shopping at Costco, lunched at Rubio’s and went to Block Buster to rent a movie. Rachel asked when she needed the potty and was able to wait until we made it to the restroom - which admittedly was much, much faster than usual.

HURRAY!!

Wish us luck for continued success.

**

Day 7....,

Progress continues and Ray-Ray is doing GREAT! We've had just 3 'accidents' since Sunday and we're giving her a "A+"

And one little note: We're pretty sure the Skittles are a big part of her success.

**

Potty Training..., In a weekend??

Well. Surprisingly. Yes.

We were amazingly successful with Alex (just one 3 day weekend) using this 'technique.' Which is to say that it's anybody's guess as to whether or not it'll work with Rachel.

The 'trick' is to talk it up - WAY UP - for a couple weeks in advance. Making the whole process of potty training seem like a great privilege for a little girl who's becoming a big girl. So for weeks we've been asking Rachel "Where do big girls go pee pee?" and "Where do big girls go poo?"

She gets soooo excited and screeches back, "ON THE POTTY!!"

A few days ago we let her know that this would be the big weekend. If you ask her now, "What are you doing this weekend, Rachel?" She'll shriek with unbridled big girl glee, "We're gonna to potty train me!!"

Today Daddy stayed home from work and the whole family went with Rachel to pick out her very own 'big girl potty' and special 'big girl panties.' We decorated the potty with Rachel's special stickers this afternoon ...,

(The Royal Throne)

... and tomorrow she'll get balloons for her potty. Once she’s had a bit of success she knows she’ll be able to call "Elmo" (Nadine in drag) to tell him all about her triumph and her cupcake treats.

So..., wish us luck. The 'training' part begins tomorrow. Once she wakes up - no more diapers.

.