Tooth Fairy

I am pretty good at Easter most years.  I have made resurrection rolls, dyed Easter eggs with natural colors and usually get the white shoe thing taken care of (thanks Susan for help this year!).  I am a little better than good at Christmas- neat teacher presents, theme gifts, homemade gift bags one year (yes, that was pre children.)  I even manage to get gingerbread made for Russian Christmas and at least mention the happening of major Jewish holidays, so my kids can be more well rounded. But.... I am really, really, really, really, really, really, really, REALLY AWFUL at the Tooth Fairy.  If I had it to do over again, this little tradition would never have graced our door step.  I don't have change, they forget to tell me, teeth have been lost in the yard, I have to explain why teeth are worth $1 this time and $5 the next (the change thing again) and why the teeth down the road are worth $20.  I can't answer all the questions about the boy fairy or girl fairy thing thanks to the Santa Claus movies.  And finally, sometimes, most of the time, I fall into bed exhausted and just forget.  Such was the story this week.

My sweet baby boy lost his first tooth.  It had been loose for days.  We had begun to worry it would come out in his sleep.  The grown up tooth was already coming in behind the baby tooth.  He was gnawing corn on the cob with his jaw teeth.  He would not let me touch it and finally, all on his own, he pulled that little sucker out while watching Loony Tunes.  He was so proud.  The gap is so cute.  We praised his skill at pulling it himself.  He smiled his now gaping, super self confident grin, and Hadley began to tell the wonders of the tooth fairy. UGGG.  Daddy helped him place the tooth in his shoe instead of under the pillow as this makes tooth fairy work easier and sent him off to bed.  After a few more up and downs, an issue from Lucy, and confirmation that I had set the alarm for our new early morning schedule of cross country, we climbed  into bed while discussing the debt ceiling vote and ....... forgot all about it.  The next morning, only moments after I had awoken before the alarm due to yet another headache, a somber little boy wandered into my room to exclaim "She forgot to come."  Forget the excedrin and lack of coffee.  I immediately sat up and engaged.  "Oh baby, I am sure you just can't find it."  Wheels are spinning in my head.  I have used lots of explanations about the holiday season or backlog of tooth loosing cases, but this was a first tooth.  Nothing could explain this away.  I convinced my still slightly groggy boy to lay down and watch TV, a privilege he had lost for hitting Lucy, while I went to look.  I quickly wrote a note on leftover invitation card stock giving him the right to pick out the toy of his choice from Toys R Us- Love the Tooth Fairy.  Guilt is a terrible thing.  I ran upstairs and stuffed it between the mattress and headboard and called him to see what I had found.  So by 6:15am, I had lied, connived and set an impossible future standard all to appease my guilt. Did I mention the headache?