And the drama continues

Last night we went to the library to hear a local children's author speak about his work. DQ asked if she could sit with her friend. I said sure. I then led my little tribe down to the first row so MI could see the screen without a big person in front of her.

Now this man is a very good storyteller beyond being a good author. He was a very engaging speaker. I really didn't want to miss a bit of it. Unfortunately right in the middle of his talk DQ comes up to me. There she was with a bloody mouth. That snaggly front tooth finally was ready to come out. I got up and took her to the bathroom where I pulled the tooth and cleaned her up.

After the talk I went up to DQ and told her how angry I was at her for loosing her tooth. I told her that we had pictures to take on Sunday. I had told her at some point to hang on and not let the tooth fall out until the pictures were taken. Poor thing. I'm either a very good actor or just a regular abusive mother because the poor thing thought I really was angry. I had to assure her that I was only teasing and joking with her.

Now let's fast forward to after we get the kids into bed. PF and I had some words with one another that might be lie the fact that we are truly happily married. I swear he is just as sensitive as I am. I was only reporting what other people thought when they find out we still have a house that we haven't lived in for 3 years. PF then acted all miffed and put-out. He did a real good martyr act. He used phrases like, "I never do anything right. I can't please anyone." Okay. So now you might understand why I got ready for bed as fast as I did. I read myself into drowsiness. I turned the lights off and went to sleep.

Unfortunately the God of sleep thought that I was sleeping too well. Why break a good run with one night of perfect sleep? I was awakened by a knock on the door. ST was out there. She had had a nightmare. I walk her back to her room and lay down with her. Now I am suddenly wide awake because I realize that I haven't put the money under the pillow. I go back to our room and ask PF if he as a dollar. Then I remember my piggy bank in the bathroom. It's where I put all the money I find in the pockets when doing the laundry. I have a perfect dollar. I fold it up and go back to the girls' room.

Now I'm wondering how I will get the dollar under the pillow without ST seeing me doing it. The only way to do it is to wait for her to go to sleep. Seems simple enough in theory. The only problem is ST has programmed herself to awake at the shifting weight of the bed. I lay there in bed worried that I will fall asleep and not do the deed. Then I worry about what I would say to explain the toothfairy failure to show up. Why I'm wondering are we doing this to ourselves. I know the answer is I want my children to have a sense of magic for as long as possible before they turn into the jaded youth of today.

Soon I think I can feel ST relaxing and breathing regularly. I slowly edge away from her. Then I get out of bed. Yep. The little stinker turns to me. She puckers up, and I lean in for a kiss. Then I turn to DQ's bed. I cover her up. Guess what? That stinker wakes and asks me to sleep with her. So I slip into bed. As I make myself comfortable I slip the dollar bill under the pillow. You know I'm wide awake now. So I realize that I can't leave the tooth under the pillow. So I think about what I could tell her about why the toothfairy didn't take it. Of course none of the explanations are going to work. So I dig around and find the nifty little 4H club tooth pillow designed to hold the tooth. I find it but the tooth won't come out peacefully. No it's giving a good fight. Suddenly I become aware that there is movement in the other bed. ST is awake. Now I have no idea whether she realized what I was doing. I hope not.

What an eventful night. This was definitely one of those stories one must preserve. To all of us toothfairies out there, "Good luck and good night."