Madi's determination
Madison here unveils her new smile! This week Madison lost two teeth. I say 'lost' in the traditional sense, but really Madison cojolled, coerced, and downright forced the ejection of her two front teeth over the course of one week's time. I've never met a first grader with this much determination. Once the first tooth was slightly loose Madi's work began. Tugging, twisting, wiggling and apple biting were all a part of the day long struggle between girl and gum. Finally, just before a visit to her cousin's house, Madi triumphantly revealed the space in her smile and the tooth in her hand. "Now my smile will match Gracie's!" (Gracie is her other cousin, whose tooth had come out some time before...). The second loss of tooth was much like the first, only it took place while we were vacationing in Boise-a visit to reveal Lucy in person to dear friends who had been such a support through our adoption (Hi Hobble Creek gals and Hi to Demond's and Grandparents Read!). Madison's new smile brings her great satisfaction. She lunges her tongue through the space with glee and tries out a new speech element now and then, letting her "sss" sound like "thhhh" as she forces the air through the vacancy in her mouth. Madison is one satisfied little girl. I'm happy for her bravery, her pain tolerance, and her sheer pleasure in sharing her new "look".

However, the losing of my children's teeth has always been, oddly, a source of sadness for me. With the changing of the smile comes the realization that these little lives I interact with so intimately are maturing and growing. Their bodies are getting bigger against my will (even as eager as I am for their helping hands in doing dishes, changing diapers and folding laundry...). Someday the vacancy in Madi's smile will be occupied by "grown up teeth", and Madi will be that much closer to becoming a grown up too. It saddens me when they lose that little child smile, and I know I can never bring it back. I wonder if I took enough pictures of their little-ness, did I capture the wonder of their smallness in my mind for recall during their adolescense and at other painful times in my future as their mom? Probably not. I've never been very good at the "enjoying the moment" kind of stuff; always moving along so fast getting life in order that life passes me by a bit. Then a baby loses a tooth and I realize she's not my baby any more. Sad really, so sad.

So, it is with bittersweet emotions of a mother watching her child become not so childish that I share Madi's smile with you. And, too, with the coming of her new smile I've witnessed the coming of age of a lovely little first grader; full of energy, smarts, creativity and beauty. Congratulations to Madison. So happy to see you smile :)