All the King's Horses and All the King's Men...

...couldn't put Clara's tooth back in her mouth again.

This has been a particularly nostalgic week for me. It is hitting me hard that my babies are growing up. Where did 4 and 5 years go? I have loved every moment with them and still don't feel like I have had enough. I want them to be little for at least another ten years.

I mean it. It's just killing me.

Needless to say, I was certainly not ready for either of them to lose a tooth. I am not even ready to stop calling them "Babies".

But today, I was jolted into my new reality.

Clara was swinging in the back yard. Actually, she was playing "Superman" on the swing in the back yard, where she swings on her belly and puts her arms out like she's flying. I did not know this game existed until today...when it was too late.

Apparently, she flipped out of the swing and slammed her face into the big tree root that runs right under the swing. Alyssa came running into the house with her, blood everywhere. In Clara's words, she was "screaming her head off". I very calmly got a washcloth and wet it with cold water, put it on her mouth, and sat on the couch to assess the damage. When I lifted her head back to look in her mouth, and only saw a gaping hole where her front, left tooth used to be, I almost screamed my head off, too.

I asked Alyssa to go outside and get her tooth...she had to dig it out of the root. It was covered in dirt.

So, given the force of her impact, the amount of blood, and the way her tooth came out (root and all), I took her to the Emergency Room. I wanted to make sure there was no major damage done to her bone structure and was concerned she may need an antibiotic. As it turns out, she did need an antibiotic and they are not sure of the damage that was done. We have to call our dentist in the morning because he will know exactly what he is looking for. In the meantime, more ibuprofen for pain. She is doing great, though, and is actually getting a kick out of being snaggle-tooth. Everyone else around her thinks it is "so cute", but I am not there yet. I am still grieving the tooth.

I'll be okay.

She actually looks a lot like her Uncle Thomas at this age. I wish I had a picture. He was missing his front left tooth for most of his childhood until his permanent teeth grew in.

So, here she is. My big girl, two days before her 5th birthday. My little snaggle-tooth.

Tomorrow we leave for the University of Michigan to go to her appointment with the geneticist on Thursday morning. Please keep us in your prayers. I am also going to try to get her into the dentist before we leave. That might take a miracle....pray hard! And no more Superman at the Bryant house...

Much Love,
Jeannie