Goodbye tooth, goodbye baby

A few weeks ago I had asked Kian if he had any loose teeth.  They were due for a dentist appointment and he was now five, the same age I began losing my teeth.  He said no, no loose ones yet. So, it was a big surprise when Friday night, he bit into an apple and said "hey my tooth is out!".  The bottom one, and the one next to it is super wiggly.

We have never really talked about the toothfairy, but he said the toothfairy was going to bring him some football cards.  Great, thanks kid, no warning, and it's bedtime. I gave him the excuse that he lost the tooth so late at night that the toothfairy was probably already on her rounds and she might not get the message til morning.

Then, I scrounged up 4 quarters, taped them to a note that said "Dear Kian, congratulations on your first lost tooth. I'm too tiny to carry football cards, so take these quarters and buy your own!"  He ignored or didn't notice that it was my handwriting. ;)

I kept looking at him, and I keep doing it a few days later.  It was easy to pretend he was still a little kid, a preschooler, something.  But, he's not.  He's a big boy.  Yes, he doesn't always act like a big boy.  But, he's growing up.  He's getting taller, not a trace of body fat anywhere, his face is not rounded and soft like when he was a toddler, it's more angular and, well, big kid like. Sigh.  I'm not ready for this big boy, with missing teeth, questions about how cranes work, what God looks like, and why white people took land away from American Indians.  Goodbye tooth, goodbye baby.

The Card

 I lost my library card.  Quite awhile ago, in fact, it's been missing. I use my license when I check out books, no biggie really.  And we take out a lot of books each weeks. It dawned on me one day that Kian was now old enough for his very own library card.  He was super excited when i told him that next time we went he could get it.

I signed for it.  They gave him the card and a pen.  He signed his name and voila, was the proud owner of one OWWL Library card.  (That's OWWL for Ontario, Wayne, Wyoming and Livingston counties library system.)

He hasn't lost it yet, and he won't let me put it in my purse or in the library bag.  He kept it in his car seat "secret" cup holder pocket for a week.  It's now inside on of his books on the table. 


Today, he checked out books for the second time with it.  He's getting so big...so grown up. I was gathering our coats and bag, and Karter of course, after story time.  Kian had picked out about 8 books and wanted to use his card. I handed him his card to hold.  I looked up and realized he had left the children's room and was at the desk.  He had gone to the desk and put down his card and his book and checked out all by himself.  So cute, and impressive, since at age five I would have been too shy to do that on my own. It's obvious he definitely feels proud and grown up with his very own card, and he told me he needs to bring his own bag for his own books next time. (And of course when we get home each week, he sprawls out in the doorway with all the books and reads them-all!-while I make lunch.)