Wiggle it, just a little bit

Asher lost his fourth tooth on the airplane on the way to Northern Michigan. He had been twisting and wiggling for days hoping to get that sucker out of there. Asher was particularly motivated to lose his tooth on vacation because the Tooth Fairy looked quite favorably on him the last time he lost his tooth while he was traveling. What we learned from Asher’s determination is that Gabriella is beyond squeamish around wiggly teeth. I don’t know how we missed this information the first three times, but it became clear on this trip that loose teeth freak Mommy out.

Asher: Mommy! Look how wiggly my tooth is!!

Gabriella: No thank you, Asher.

A: Don’t you want to see how wiggly it is? Look how I can move it!

G: NO Asher. I really don’t want to see.

Deborah: What’s the matter, Mommy? Are you freaked out by Asher’s loose tooth?

G: Yes, actually. I don’t need to see that.

D: There’s nothing weird about it, right Asher? Show her.

G: NO, you DON’T need to show me. I just don’t like, ok?

D & A: LAUGHING

D: Asher, Mommy doesn’t like looking at your wiggly tooth. Maybe you can just describe how wiggly it is, instead. Tell her if you can see the hole in your gums when you flip your tooth around with your tongue.

G: I really don’t need to know that. And Asher, can you please turn your head the other way if you insist on playing with your tooth?

D: Asher, tell her that only a little blood shoots out of your mouth when you tip your tooth back like the top of a teapot.

G: Deborah.

A: MORE LAUGHING

D: Hey Asher, did you know that when your tooth is loose, your body is actually absorbing the roots of your baby tooth?

A: Huh?

G: DEBORAH!

D: Mommy, surely you don’t want to alarm Asher with your discomfort with this perfectly normal process? Why, our Asher is growing up and this tooth doing flip-flops in his mouth whilst still attached by fragile roots is proof of his maturation. Aren’t you proud?

G: I’m very proud of Asher, but I don’t need to see his loose tooth.

D: Why are you snarling at me, Mommy? Maybe we should sing a song to put you in a better mood. Wiggle it…just a little bit, I wanna see you wiggle it…just a little bit…

A: GIGGLES & GFAWS

G: CUT IT OUT, DEBORAH!

A: You don’t have to worry about my loose tooth anymore, Mommy.

G: Thank you for understanding, Asher.

A: No, Mommy. You don’t have to worry about it because it just came out! SEE!!

D: Mazal tov, Asher!! Quick! Give me your tooth. We’ll let Mommy continue to prop her head against the airplane window like that for a while. She doesn't look so good.

We stayed in Chicago the week Irene ripped through the East Coast. During our extended vacation, Asher also lost the tooth on the bottom that his dentist calls his “special tooth”. It was only a little loose, but that hard, chocolate lolly did the trick, and Mommy did not have to suffer another round with her wicked foes, Asher the Wiggle-a-nator and Deborah the Tormentah. He’s got lots of teeth to go. We’ll meet again, Mommy. We’ll meet again. MWAH HA HA HA!!!