Jessica

Jess pulled out her front tooth last night. Her right front came out a while back. Her left front had been dangling and wiggling for a while. She wanted it out, but wouldn't let me near it. We tried once with the Baby Orajel, but she still wouldn't let me touch it last week! So, last night, she went in the bathroom and comes out with a tissue and a big smile, "It's coming out!"

Me: Did you get it out? (Noticing blood in her mouth and on the tissue)
Jess: No, but I pulled on it!
Me: Well, go back in the bathroom and work on it, so you don't get blood on the carpet.

Five minutes later....

Jess: I did it! I pulled my tooth out. And I didn't even need to put that stuff on it!
Me: Good for you, Sweetie!

So I had her put it in a ziploc bag, then this inside the little box she puts under her pillow and placed it in its right spot. She told me she wanted to hold onto the box, so she would wake up when the tooth fairy got there and I told her she couldn't, because if the tooth fairy thinks he/she will wake you up, they won't leave the money. And they probably won't make a second trip, since they already came the first time.

She asked me if she would get a golden dollar again and I told her that if the tooth fairy had enough for the night, she probably would, but if there were a lot of kids that lost teeth last night, then TF would probably leave a paper dollar instead. She understood. And as it turns out, TF left a golden dollar. Her sister checked the little box this morning. Cool.

Now they have already lost the box.

Since I am talking about Jessica, this is pretty cute.

A few weeks back, when we were driving to Dad's house in his car because he had taken mine with the new recliner in the back, I had left my purse in my car, with my driver's license in it. I said, out loud, that I did not have my driver's license with me. Jessica panicked and asked, in a worried tone, "Oh no, Mommy, do you still remember how to drive?"

Recycled Dollars - Part Two

She asked about it. Yesterday. Oh boy. Then she started looking for it. Frantically. Because she wanted to show it to her friend. I told her she needed to get ready to go to the library for story time and I was able to delay her for a while. So, we got home from the library and I had to go to the USPS website, get the phone number for the post office in Santa Clarita to find out if their stamp vending machine still gave change in dollar coins. Yes! So, on my way back from the dr's office yesterday, I stopped there and deposited a $20 bill into the machine. I had to buy a whole book of stamps! Oh well, it is for a good cause. I got twelve golden dollars and two dimes back! Now I have enough for later, too! I got back home and deposited eleven golden dollars into the monster safe and carefully placed the other on the floor of her playroom, right underneath where the tooth box had been on the shelf. After a little while, I casually asked her if she had a chance to look for the missing dollar. She said no and we went to look for it. I showed her where I had found the box and told her to look on the floor around there. There was plenty of debris on the playroom floor, so she had to do a little digging. She found it! "There's something here and it is shiny! And it is round!! It's my golden dollar!!!" Me: "Oh, good, you found it! Now put it someplace safe, okay? So you don't lose it again." Well, we put it in the monster as well. In a separate location from the other eleven. Phew. Done. I was so worried all day, since I had used the same one. What if the post office no longer had them? What if they only had susan b anthony dollars in the machine? I have received those as change before as well. So I was very relieved when I got golden dollars out of the machine!

In answer to your questions, Rosemary, golden dollars are the Sacagawea $1 coins that came out a few years ago that are no longer being minted. They were originally called Sacagawea dollars, but when people started to call them "Sucky's" because Americans don't want to carry coins around, they changed the name to Golden Dollars. They are a gold color and tarnish very quickly, so then they look almost copper-colored. They are the same size as the Susan B Anthony's. Apparently, the US Mint could save over $500 million per year if we would switch to dollar coins instead of paper dollars, but we the public are so whiny about it that they keep the paper and get rid of the coins. Since when do they listen to us about anything? JUST MAKE THE CHANGE. People will adapt! The campaign should be about saving the money, not making the money! But I digress.

Jess has her golden dollars from the tooth fairy. My guilt is gone. Today will be a good day. Now if I can just keep Rebekah from hitting her sister...

Recycled Dollars

I am a bad mom. I didn't realize that her tooth was as loose as it was. She was able last night to push it straight out forward, at a 90 degree angle from where it should have been. We put the Baby Orajel on and waited. It takes about ten minutes for it to take effect. So then I tried. She cried. I tried again and it came out. Then she bled. But she was happy! She really wanted the tooth fairy to come last night. Then she wanted to go to bed so Roy, the Tooth Fairy, would come. Then she was asking all kinds of questions. How does he get in the house? What does he do? Too many questions. I had to admit that I didn't really know that much about him. Well, then there was the problem of the golden dollar. She was anticipating a golden dollar. She wanted another one! But, being the bad mom, I did not plan ahead. Alas, there was no golden dollar to be found. EXCEPT...the one that was still left in the little tooth box from the first tooth! I went looking for the little tooth box and found it, with the gold dollar inside. I put the gold dollar in my pocket and brought the little box to her, where we together put the tooth in it. Then we put it under her pillow. Then this morning, she came to me and said, "He was HERE!" and produced the golden dollar! Ouch. Another twinge of guilt. She didn't ask about her other golden dollar. She hasn't realized yet that it is missing. However, she will. Just a matter of time. So, I need to find another golden dollar. And a third for the next tooth that is already loose. Nothing like planning ahead.

Today I am Thankful For...

The Tooth Fairy. Who paid another visit last night and made my daughter very happy. She's not going to have a tooth left in her head at this rate!