Normally, I reflect on her life on her birthday. Last night, after putting her to bed with her tooth inside her Tooth Fairy pillow, I spent hours going over each detail of her life in my head. From the moment she was born and laid upon my chest, her first cry, her first smile, her first steps. Every moment is permanently etched into my mind. Memories that will last a lifetime. Now, one more to add to the list. I am thankful that she still likes to snuggle with me every night before bed. She calls me her "snuggle bug". I secretly love the fact that she is, without a doubt, a mommy's girl. I pray that never changes. Abigail may seem to most people as being the sensitive one, but Kaelin has one of the most tender hearts I've ever known. Most people see her as my "wild" child, rarely do they see her when she is calm.
Last night started as any other normal night would. We had dinner, and the girls went upstairs to play while I cleaned up. My mom came over, and no sooner had we had a seat in the living room to visit, Kaelin came bounding down the stairs. She was grinning from ear to ear and waving her little arms like she was trying to hail a taxi cab. "Mommy....mommy, it happened!! My tooth is gone!" She ran up to me to show me her missing tooth and was so close to my face that our noses touched. I can only assume that she thought I wouldn't be able to see the gaping hole in her mouth if she were to step back a few paces. My oldest daughter, Abigail, was close behind her, exclaiming that SHE was the one who actually pulled the tooth out. "I had to mommy....if I didn't, she would have swallowed the darn thing" Abigail professed. This took me a moment to process. Abigail is my squeamish child. She doesn't like getting dirty, she doesn't like things out of place, she is the epitome of a "girlie girl". But for some reason, she has a fascination with pulling teeth out. Kaelin did not seem to mind at all, stating that now the Tooth Fairy would be visiting HER. She explained to me that she was tired of the Tooth Fairy just visiting Abigail, it was her turn and she was going to make it extra special!
Kaelin was true to her word. It was a huge production. Frogs were lined up on the bed. The tooth finally made it to the pillow. She then took the daffodils out of my vase and arranged them around the pillow, all the while explaining to me that it needed to look beautiful for the Tooth Fairy. I so wanted to tell her that it was a sure thing, she didn't need to take my flowers. She would get something for her tooth whether all of her frogs were there to watch or not. This was her "moment" though. I was just a bystander. I watched as my "baby" became a little girl taking care to make sure everything was perfect for her big day. She even went to sleep with minimal fuss. She slept the whole night through, which is a rare occurrence. I have a desire to have the tooth fairy visit every night.
Once she woke this morning, she dove straight for her pillow. "Wow mommy....LOOK at how much money I have! If I pull out the rest of my teeth, I will be SUPER rich!" For a brief moment, I envisioned her with a pair of pliers, yanking out each individual tooth in order to achieve her goal. Snapping back to reality, I explained to her that in time, she will lose all of her baby teeth and have all permanent teeth. Until that time....please let nature take its course.
Yes, my "baby" is no longer a baby. True, she hasn't been for quite awhile, but for me, it didn't sink in until just last night. I look forward to watching both of my children turn into beautiful, amazing women, but a small part of me wishes I could keep them from growing up. Milestones. I wish it weren't so hard.
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