Tuesday, November 25, 2014

I Wasn't Ready For This

I have said a number of times that age 5 was the most exciting year so far. Actually every year gets better than the last as I'm not one of those mothers who would like her baby to stay a baby for longer. Probably because I'm an older mother whose friends are all making weddings for their children and becoming grandparents, I am happy to embrace each new stage of intelligence and independence (hers and mine).

I love it when DD (occasionally) chooses what to wear and dresses herself. I swell with pride when she reads words in English that I didn't know she could read. I enjoy hearing her start to read in Hebrew. I'm bowled over by the connections she makes when doing number work. It's only numbers to 20 but when she says, "Of course 6 and 5 make 11 because we know 5 and 5 make 10 so if we add one more to one of the 5s to get 6, that makes one more than 10," I am amazed and in awe that she thinks like that.

I  get excited when DD has a play date and I know they will disappear into her bedroom and entertain themselves. Even better is when she goes to a friend's house. I'm fascinated by the fact that she has her own social life independent of me.

DD tells me (also occasionally as I don't get much information from school) something funny or good, or not fair, that happened at school and though it's 6 year old's gossip, it's getting more and more interesting. I can't wait till 10th Grade!

However, yesterday, two weeks before her 6th birthday, DD came home and showed me that she'd lost her first tooth. Reader I wasn't ready for this.

We bought her real jeans from Primark back in April. Put a child in jeans and they instantly look like a teenager (even if they are only 2 1/2). My little girl has been looking like a (small) teenager recently and I think it's cute. But she still has her milk teeth so she's still a very little girlie and I do love that.

Part of the shock was that we didn't even know the tooth was loose. It just came out with no warning. You should get some warning, right?

Then my 'big' girl got worried that the tooth fairy wouldn't know to come because she lost the tooth at school. (I was a bit upset too - I sort of wanted to see it and maybe keep it for a while.) I told her we'd write a letter and put it under her pillow. "Can't you just send her an email?" asked my child of the computer generation.

I could have made her write more but we were both tired after homework and everything else. DD wrote her name and drew a picture. "Can the tooth fairy read pictures?"
"Of course she can, she's magic."

This morning under the pillow was a new sticker book from the tooth fairy. "Oh, not a coin?" But she was thrilled and in awe about the sticker book (thanks to Grandma for sending it from London).

I wasn't ready for new teeth. It marks the beginning of the real end to that adorable baby face. I  know another adorable young girl face will take its place - one that comes with a reader, a backgammon player, a shopping pal, an independent little miss. But I wasn't quite ready for this.


22 comments:

  1. So many more stages yet to come and I guess a few of them you won't quite be ready for. Enjoy them all. By the way, when one of mine lost his/her first tooth was told that now he was ready for school - one of the schooling methods claims that a child is not developmentally ready to go to school till he/she loses his/her first tooth. I think you know me well enough to know what I think of that!

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    1. Lol, I must ask her if everything was easier in school today.

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  2. That's a very true observation about jeans. And congratulations on the lost tooth.

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    1. Thanks Tesyaa - this was a way bigger deal than starting 1st Grade. Lol.

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  3. No warning on the tooth must have been a shocker! I like that your tooth fairy didn't do a coin :)

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    1. The value of the coin would have bought very little - she was much better remunerated with a sticker book.

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  4. mazal Tov. It's important to have a very flexible tooth fairy.

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    1. I agree, ours is great and I just hope she doesn't retire before we're done with all our teeth.

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  5. You're lucky. The tooth fairy never makes it to our house, even when I leave remind it post-its on the stairs.

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    1. She can be a bit ditzy sometimes. Try sending her an email.

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  6. Loved this post - isn't she growing up!? And she's lost her first tooth. I think I was five when I lost mine..... love that she wanted to email the tooth fairy, such a sign of the times! She sounds like a very bright girl indeed! X

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    1. Thank you, I like to think she's bright but they all seem to be these days.

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  7. The tooth fairy is rather forgetful in our house. But last time she came, the following morning R left a very angry letter demanding her tooth back! Poor tooth fairy can't win! It is a funny feeling though isn't it? The first sign that they really are growing up! xx

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    1. Totally weird to suddenly realise that the baby days are almost over.

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  8. Aww, beautiful post, lovely to read how you are enjoying every minute with your gorge little girl x

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    1. Thanks Candi, every minute might be a bit exaggerated - we have our less cosy moments as well :~P

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  9. So sweet, all of it. And I get how you feel with all these new changes with your gorgeous little girl :) xx

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    1. I love the small changes and then one change suddenly feels like the end of an era.

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  10. oh wow, this is a time i think i will get emotional when my son loses his first tooth!
    hope she had a lovely birthday!
    #singleparentlinky

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    1. Thanks Claire. You never know what little thing triggers off a whole emotional panic.

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  11. That is such a lovely post. Your daughter sounds a very smart cookie indeed. Wanting to email the tooth fairy is priceless and a beautiful memory to share with her later on xxx

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    1. She's very tech savvy, I don't even know where it all comes from.

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