Baby teeth

Will lost a baby tooth yesterday (his 4th) at breakfast so I put it in a ziplock baggie and placed it on the kitchen counter. Last night as I was shooing the kids up the stairs to bed I remembered it and went into the kitchen to retrieve the bag.

"Where is Will's tooth?" I asked Tim.

"Ooops. I accidently put it in the trash."

Usually Tim is not concerned with things I consider valuable like newborn wristbands from the hospital, treasured stuffed animals, a child's first scribblings. You know, the stuff you want to present to them when they grow up to prove you loved them and treasured every stage of their life. Luckily, he realized how precious this baby tooth was to me and averted a crisis by immediately offering to go through the trash can, already at the curb. Ten minutes later the baggie with tooth was safely under Will's pillow with a quick explanation.

The dollar the tooth fairy left (yes, they know there is no such thing, but they play along for the cash) has been burning a hole in Will's pocket all day. He hasn't spent it yet, but had a lot of ideas of what he could do with his precious dollar.

I am so grateful that I have a husband who is willing to go out on a cold night with a flashlight to search for an 8 year old's bit of childhood.

Maybe one day I could make a necklace out of all the children's baby teeth, like the bear hunters of yore. With 5 children's worth of ivory hanging around my neck people would hear me coming from a mile away. Luckily, I'm not much of a jewelry enthusiast.