Toothy Trials

So sweet Drew apparently has an intense fear of losing teeth.  Now, he loves the "loose" part...knowing it is wiggly and grownup teeth are coming makes him feel very big, very much like his big brother.
But when it comes down to actually pulling the tooth...

Now, that is another story altogether.

This is my sporty boy.  My lover of all things round and bouncy and daredevil extraordinare.  But my little boy...

He is a wuss.

There, I said it.

A few weeks ago his first tooth was ready to pull.  So ready, in fact, that the permanent tooth was almost completely in behind it.  So Daddy took charge.

*note*
I do not do tooth pulling.  Vomit, diarrhea, blood.. I'm good.  Pulling teeth?  Makes my stomach turn every time.  Something about memories of a metallic taste and the ping of the last shred of skin letting loose.  Gag me with a spoon!  I found out 4 kids ago that it would have to be Daddy's job.

So Daddy pulled the tooth and Drew was ok for about half a second...until he glanced in the mirror and saw his lower lip filling with blood.  The wail that ensued will surely go down in history.

And I got it all on video.

I am an awesome mom.

Well, it was inevitable that another tooth would soon follow, which it did.  And this tooth hung on and on.

And on.

Then we went to the dentist and he sweetly said, "You know you can put Orajel on that and pull it.  It's just being held on by skin.  The root is gone."
For.  The.  Love.
Can someone explain to me why I have FIVE kids and had NEVER thought of putting Orajel on a tooth before pulling it?  (Of course, this is the first time one of our kids didn't just yank the tooth out and present it with a casual "Here, mom.")  I could not get to the pharmacy fast enough.  Once again my boy had the permanent tooth almost completely in and, well, he looked like a cuter and browner Nanny McPhee.

Orajel in hand, I smeared it good on his gums.  We gave it a minute to work and Daddy proceeded to pull.

Not on your life.

Drew could still feel it, albeit numbly, and he was having none of it.  Now, we could have held him down and just yanked the thing but he does have quite a few more left to lose and we really didn't want to traumatize him to where he needs sedation to pull his baby teeth.  How's that for thinking ahead?

Almost two weeks passed and that tooth was still hanging on.  We were doing school yesterday morning and it was so bad, so loose, so...just hanging across his bottom lip that he could hardly speak.  I gave it a test bend just to see what would happen and, y'all, the thing was nearly upside down and STILL attached in his mouth!  For crying out loud!

"That's it," I said.  "It needs to come out.  You can't even function because it is distracting you so much.  Let's go in the bathroom and pull it.  "

All the while I am remembering that I have never pulled a tooth before and my stomach is lurching at the thought.

Shut up, stomach.

I marched him into the bathroom and held my breath, willed the stomach to calm, and yanked that tooth out.
Once again, at the sight of blood, he wailed like he was mortally wounded.  Thankfully the wailing was short lived.  The event was traumatic, but the tooth was out and he suddenly threw his arms around my neck.
"Thank you, Mommy!  Thank you!"

He took the tooth and proudly showed it to his siblings.  He put it in a special box and put it under his pillow, not mentioning it again for the rest of the day.

And then, the tooth fairy forgot to leave the money.

For.  The.  Love.

Poor, fourth born baby.  Tonight the tooth fairy will leave your money, with interest.  Because the tooth fairy is awesome like that.