The LONG awaited day has FINALLY arrived.....

...Alexis lost her first tooth. She has waited and waited.....and waited some more. All of her friends have been losing teeth left and right, and for the longest time her little teeth just were not budging. We tried to tell her that it just meant that her teeth were very strong and healthy, but that didn't make her feel any better. Yesterday we were in the car and Alexis asked for a piece of gum. I gave her one and a few minutes later she screamed in pain. I looked back and she was holding her mouth saying that when she bit down on her gum her tooth hurt so bad. When we were parked I investigated. I was happy to report a loose tooth! She was beyond excited. When I was little and had a loose tooth, I would wiggle it for a few days, and eventually it would fall out on it's own. Apparently that is not how it is done in the Bronson family....

Yes, in case you were wondering, those are needle nose pliers. (don't worry, they were sterilized). Brandon informed me that whenever he had a loose tooth, he never waited for it to fall out on it's own. His brother Jeremy has also pulled out each of his children's loose teeth when they become loose. Now you may think this sounds cruel, but let me reassure you, that this was half Alexis's idea. She had waited long enough. It was time for this tooth to be removed! (Tori witnessed this whole thing and told us, "when I have a loose tooth, I do not want dad touching it!") It didn't take long for the tooth to come out, and now this is what our sweet Alexis will look like for a while.She was so excited! She couldn't stop talking about how she couldn't wait to show everyone. She was also very excited to put her tooth under her pillow for the tooth fairy. Her tooth was so tiny, so I gave her a little plastic bag to put it in. When I was tucking her in I asked her if she made sure to put her tooth under her pillow. She said, "of course", and lifted up her pillow to show me. It was gone.... She frantically began looking for it. She informed me that she had taken it out of the bag because she thought that the tooth fairy wouldn't be able to get it. We started looking all over her bed and on the floor behind her bed. (It didn't help that they have a popcorn ceiling and several little white pieces have fallen behind her bed. I probably grabbed a half dozen thinking they were her little tooth). Finally we found it. It was under all of her covers in the middle of the bed. I made her put it back in the bag, but she insisted on leaving it unzipped so that the tooth fairy would have no problems. I guess it worked. Here she is with her letter from the tooth fairy and a little something she left... The tooth fairy rewarded her for her patience and healthy teeth, by giving her a five dollar bill! She was so excited the next morning. She said that she hoped she would get five dollars every time! I assured her that I was sure it was just because it was her first tooth and she had waited so long, so she should probably not expect that every time. =) So as this fun milestone comes and goes I can't help but feel a little sad. I remember waiting and waiting for that first little tooth to come in, and being so excited when I saw the first sign of it. I can't believe how fast time flies. I wish I could just push pause and keep my kids this age forever. I know that I can't, so for now I will just try and appreciate all of the little things that make being a mom so rewarding.