The tooth fairy visits Gilmore Street

Catherine lost her first tooth this week and she was very excited to have a visit from the tooth fairy. Bill and I had to decide the going rate for these visits. He suggested $5 but I reminded him that she has six loose teeth. We are in a poor economy, people! Even the tooth fairy has to cut back. We agreed that she would get $2 for each tooth. For some reason Catherine thought that she would be receiving stickers and a coloring book from the tooth fairy. I have no idea where this idea came from and I certainly did not have a stock of these things hanging around the house. I explained that the tooth fairy was far too small to carry around coloring books so that is why she left money.

And so began the millions of questions… How big is the tooth fairy? How does she know I lost a tooth? Does she make a list? Will she look in my mouth? What does she wear? I truly have no idea! I was very prepared for questions about Santa. I had an answer for every possible question. I never even thought to prepare myself on the tooth fairy. I tried my best to explain all about the tooth fairy but with every sentence it just seemed more and more ridiculous. “The tooth fairy is very tiny…like Tinkerbelle. She flies into your room at night and takes the tooth from under your pillow and replaces it with money.” Sounds kind of scary if you ask me. Bill & I went into her room to get the tooth and leave the loot. She opened her eyes just as I started to put my hand under her pillow!! Bill made a mad dash out the door and I put my head under her bed. I had to lay there for quite a while until I was sure that she was back asleep. She was very excited the next morning to find the $2 under her pillow. She has another tooth that is ready go to any day now. I still have a few days to decide what the tooth fairy wears.

I slept like a baby...a newborn baby

Let me sum up the past 4 1/2 years for you. I haven't slept. Okay, so there have been a few times that I got a full nights sleep. Not very many. I think new parents are prepared for the fact that there will be sleepless nights ahead of them. I don't think I was prepared for how long this would last. Maddie is going through the "let's see what Mommy is doing at 2am...and 4am...and I'll just wake up for the day at 6am. I'll take a nap!" phase. When I do go in there to check on her she laughs at me. Its a conspiracy, I tell ya! The other night I was awakened by Catherine at midnight. "Mommy, you want to play a game with me?". Ya sure, kid, let me go get candyland. Last night she woke up in the middle of the night to tell me that she did not want to use the little spoon when she had pudding. Good to know. Now can I go back to sleep???!!

There have even been mornings that Bill wakes up and says "the kids slept really good, huh?". It is all I can do to keep from knocking him out! I am resigned to the fact that I will never get a good nights sleep. I will always have dark circles under my eyes. I will live for my morning coffee and I will be eternally grumpy. Does anyone want to take my kids for a night? Cause Momma needs a tylenol pm.