Another One Bites the Dust

My dad hates that song.

A couple of weeks ago, Lilie told me she had a loose tooth. A few days later, we yanked it. Just another reminder that she's growing up. {{sentiment, sentiment}}

Well, I guess her new bottom tooth must have really been laying on the peer pressure, because the remaining baby just couldn't seem to handle it.

At bed time Sunday night, she went into the bathroom to brush her pearly whites. Always a lengthy procedure for Lilie because she must: stare in the mirror, play in the water, play around with her toothbrush for a little while, eat toothpaste for a little while, play in the running water again for a long while, roll the toothbrush around in her mouth for a long while before brushing begins, halfway through - take a potty break, make miniature animals or shoes out of any random hair elastics laying around, see if she can fit under the step stool, balance on the edge of the tub, ignore her mother's reminders of "what you're supposed to be doing", finally slowly brush each individual tooth with excruciating care, spit in the sink for a while, play in the water -- without ever actually cleaning off her toothbrush, spread some more toothpaste around on the countertop (just for funsies), and then forget to put away her toothbrush or the toothpaste.

See? That would take anyone a long time. With a system like that, it's a wonder she ever makes it out of the bathroom at night.

However, Sunday night - she didn't take QUITE as long and I was distracted -- finally getting to eat my dinner, after everyone else had eaten and left the table -- and had forgotten my role as "Reminder". I probably wouldn't have ever even noticed her slip behind me, headed for the stairs, except for one big tip off. Lilie hasn't yet realized that stealth is often just as big an alarm as screaming -- probably even more so. When Lilie is silent and "smooth", I know something is up. --- That and she was doing just the slightest whisper of sniffles.

Turning around from the table and just catching a streak of her ducking down the stairs - "Lilie, what are you doing?"

"Umm. {sniff, sniff} Umm. . . . Well . . . it's just . . . fine. {sniff, sniff}"

"Why are you crying? What's wrong?"

"Well . . . {starting to crack} . . . {a small, sad crying grimace makes it's way onto her little face} . . . it just . . . well . . . {sniff, sniffer louder} . . . I was brushing and it just hurts, but I don't want it to come out! {wimpery wailing ensues}"

"You mean your tooth? You were brushing and it started hurting?"

" . . . Yes. But I don't want to PULL IT OUT! WHAAAAA!"

Sadly Lilie knows that I'm like a shark and just can't resist the smell of blood in the water. Something that I can wiggle and pinch and pull . . . Poor kid. I'm just like my mom. And Lilie is incredibly, even less dramatic than I was as a kid. :) However, when it comes to teeth, to "help" them overcome their fears, I tell them horror stories of when I had a loose tooth as a kid and WOULD NOT let my mom pull it out, even though it was really loose, because I didn't want it to hurt. We were at my grandma's house. Well, it fell out in the night, I swallowed it and ended up gagging and puking all over my grandma's bed. And my sweet grandmother cleaned it all up. (One of the many ways that I know my Grandmother went straight to Heaven when she passed away.)

So, anyway. Lilie. She knows that she doesn't want it to stay in and she knows that once I get a look at it, there'll be no way I won't pull it out, BUT Lilie HATES blood.

She came up, we took a look at it. And true to form, she was hysterical. Awesome. There is a big part of me that loves watching Lilie lose her head. It's incredible. A true sight to behold. Her "About Bees" movie shows a little bit of what I'm talking about. It's . . . like nothing else I've ever watched. :)

She bravely posed for a before and after picture. Nels got some good video of her nearly fainting at the sight of blood on the tissue. :) I'll have him edit it and add it later, hopefully today.

We're glad that she lived.

what I'd really like to know is HOW Lilie's teeth got put into Violet's mouth . . . :)