Henry's first lost tooth

{September 6, 2011 - before school.}

I'm so thankful I took this picture on this Tuesday morning early in September. It will be the last picture I have of Henry with all of his baby teeth. Henry's tooth was really loose and he'd been wiggling it morning, noon and night. We all wondered when it would fall out. I had my suspicions that it would be soon, so I snapped this picture after breakfast. Because even though the firsts are always documented with excitement, I wanted to remember his baby toothed grin. His smile will never look exactly this way again.

{September 6, 2011 - in the evening at the park with Oma.}

Later that very same day, Henry's football team had a pizza social at the park by our house. We were happy that Oma was in town and could join us! There was a flourish of excitement on the playground and Henry came running over to me and my mom sitting in the pavilion, with Charlie and William excitedly following. He smiled and said with so much pride it made my heart swell, "My tooth just fell out!" He was thrilled. And he looked suddenly so different. So grown. My little boy. 

The story goes that the boys were taking turns in this spinning chair contraption {it's basically a bowl suspended in the air by a pole that swivels to make it spin; vomit inducing if you ask me}. It was William's turn and while he was spinning his leg caught Henry right in the mouth and popped his tooth right out. Charlie shrieked, "Henry! You're bleeding!" When Henry reached up to feel his mouth, he felt his tiny little tooth in his hand. But it was slippery and it slipped right through his hand and into the mulch. The children all excitedly starting digging for it, throwing mulch here and there, but that tooth was never to be seen again. Henry wrote a letter to the tooth fairy explaining the very special circumstances, and would you believe that she still delivered? 

 $5 for that first baby tooth.