Tabitha is only 5½ years old.  Since the day she was born she has been trying to keep up with the big three.  She does very well with that.  She started losing teeth almost a full year earlier than her siblings and she does it in her own unique way.

See, Stewart and Marie, and now Tabitha, do this weird thing where they like to grow their adult teeth BEHIND their baby teeth.  And in Stewart and Marie’s case it has required visits to the DDS to extract the baby teeth because they are not loose enough to pull out.  It costs us $110 to have a tooth extracted. 

Tabitha has a different approach.  When an adult tooth was first spotted behind a baby tooth a few months back I made an appointment to have her tooth extracted.  Tab took to wiggling it and got the tooth out before the appointment.  Nice!  [I should have given HER $110!] 

A few days ago, she showed us that another adult tooth was poking through for a second time.  The baby tooth in front didn’t wiggle at ALL!  It was solidly in place.  I knew we’d need the DDS this time!  Well, I have been TRYING to remember to call the DDS this week.  Today she and I both remembered and I told her after the piano teacher left I would call for an appointment.  I also encouraged her to wiggle it “like crazy.”  I was figuring that when I called they’d give me an appointment a few days from now.  I was hoping that if she started to wiggle it a little it *might* come out before we go.   I had my doubts.  It was in there solidly. 

Or not.

About 9 minutes later she came to me with the tooth.  And gobs and gobs of blood.  Bright, red, streaming, fresh, copious blood.  I have no idea how she got it out that fast.  She means business.  She also got ice cream.  In these disciples’ house when a child loses a tooth he or she gets to pick out a “half-gallon” of ice cream to share with the family.

[Psst – she looks so  much like my photos as a kid it startles me sometimes!]