Believe it or not - this girl is WEAK!

It's been an exciting week in our happy home. Our Katie Girl has had some great moments, while her dear old Mom has had to come to terms with the fact that, yes, I am a weakling. Truly. Deeply. Weak. As a mom, there really is a great deal that I can handle. I can mend the cuts, bumps and bruises of two adventurous girls, I can tend to bee stings and splinters, and I can make most ouchies and boo boos feel better with just some good ol'fashioned TLC. However, there is one thing that I just CAN'T handle. You see, when it comes to my child loosing her teeth ... this Momma goes weak. Really bad weak. Like, the kind that makes you want to just lay your little ol' head down on the floor and not wake up until it's all over.

I don't know how I got this way. Meeting me now, you would never have guessed that about 18 years ago I worked as a monitor technician in a step-down cardiac unit of a hospital. You would never have guessed that it would have been me who read the heart monitors and determined when a patients ticker wasn't working up to par. You'd probably be surprised to learn that I was strongly encouraged to become a nurse by a very well respected Neurologist and Cardiologist. And you'd never believe that, for a very brief moment, I actually thought about going into nursing (VERY brief, mind you.) Well, that was all me . . . way back when.

Right now, I wonder if that time in my life was really just an episode of ER or something. I can't believe I ever had that job. Seriously, because I honestly and truthfully have a really hard time with the whole tooth thing. And our 6 year old (almost 7) Katie, is right at that age when these teeth seem to be dropping like flies. Earlier this week, PG assisted her in the removal of one extremely loose tooth. (As I patiently waited in another room of our house for the result.) I mean, just the thought is enough to require some smelling sauce, for real.

I thought we were good for a few days. Katie hadn't mentioned any more loose teeth in that mouth of hers. All was good in the house tonight. PG wasn't home yet, but the birds were singing. Dinner was well received and both girls ate ALL their broccoli and chicken (even second helpings on the veggies for Katie, YEA!). So, when she asked if she could have a little something for dessert, I was happy to say yes. I tried to recommend maybe a baked apple, some banana and yogurt, or perhaps a frozen fruit bar. But Katie had other plans. "Mom ... I can't get my mind off of the chocolate," she said, and I immediately remembered that about a week ago, a nice young boy came to the door selling candy bars for his baseball team. Those candy bars have been in the freezer since that day. Undisturbed and unopened. "Mom, do you think I could have just one little piece of chocolate?" she asked. And, since I understand the strong need for chocolate every once in a while, I agreed. We decided that perhaps two tiny little rectangles of chocolate bar would be simply the BEST DESSERT EVER and she sat at the table with these little pieces on her plate like they were gold. (Believe it or not, Ella decided on a fruit bar! Good Girl Ellie!!)

I warned Katie to let the chocolate pieces come to room temperature for a minute before she bite into them, but having chocolate in front of you and NOT devouring it is WAY too much of a challenge (I totally get that). So, she took one bite of the frozen chocolate and .... bam! "MOM!!! MY TOOTH IS LOOSE!!! I HAVE ANOTHER TOOTH LOOSE!!!! LOOK!!!" Uh-oh.

Now, you would think this would be OK, right? I mean, all I have to do is LOOK. She is not asking me to surgically remove the tooth. She is not asking for a consultation on the status of the tooth. She just wants me to look at it. Quickly. Just look. I can do this, I can do this...oh, dear... if I faint, would it be better to fall towards the pantry or would I be better to fall near the dishwasher? Which direction should I turn my body so that my fall won't hurt too badly? Hmmmm .... "MOM, LOOK!!!!" she yells, interrupting my plans.

So, I look. Yes, I did. I almost died. But I did it. I almost died, because that darn little thing was so loose, that my darling daughter was able flick the tooth back and forth with her tongue as if it was waving to me and saying "Hello Lady!!! How you doing?" I screamed. Ella laughed hysterically. And Katie kept the tooth waving at me.

"AHHHHHHHHH!!! Katie!!!! STOP waving your tooth at me!!!!" I yelled. Which, of course, encouraged both her and Ella to laugh even MORE hysterically than before. This carried on for a good 5 minutes before I insisted she STOP. Seriously. My stomach felt like I was flying backwards on the biggest roller coaster ride, yet it looked like my feet were right on the ground. She must have known I was going to loose it, because Katie did stop waving that tooth at me. Whew. I am glad that is over.

About an hour later, the tooth fell out. All on it's own. And after a little note to the tooth fairy, and a wish for a big-girl tooth to follow soon, Katie was tucked in bed and dreaming happy dreams and my stomach has finally calmed down. I am so glad that the only people I have to be a nurse to, are those right here in my home. Here, I think I can handle it. (Wait . . . how many of these teeth will fall out? I better research that.) Yes, I am a weakling. And that's just the way it is. ;-)