The Tooth Hurts

Most children lose their tooth when they begin grade school. Kaden was unique. He lost his tooth when he was 11 months old.

It was a typical Saturday night at home. I was on the phone with my cousin/godsister/bff who lives in New Jersey. We were doing our usual catching-up for the weekend. Kaden was standing at the dresser, holding on to the knobs and eying me every chance he could get.

His smile was adorable.

As I sat on the floor, I alternated between "Girl, please" and "Goo-Goo-Ga-Ga". I had mastered the art of multi-tasking early-on in motherhood. Kaden was bouncing profusely at the dresser. He was shy of his first birthday by only a few weeks. Every moment he spent on his feet was one step closer to the great milestone called walking. He would be there in no time.

Just as I was ending my conversation on the phone, Kaden erupts with passion and bounces uncontrollably. Then, he falls into the dresser, knocking his front tooth into a horizontal position. There was silence...then the storm began.

I did not know what to do. I opened his mouth to a tooth that resembled Sponge Bob. There was blood and a loud yelp. I think my reaction frightened him more than anything. I called his Dad, and told him to meet my mom and I at the hospital. I drove ( at least I think I did) to the hospital, and entered the emergency room with urgency.

Kaden was fine. His tooth was damaged, so he had to have it pulled. We were informed that it would take years for it to grow back. It did. Lucky for him, he was able to blend-in with the rest of his classmates when school started.

There was always something missing from his photos.

It's funny to look at his old pictures and realize just how big of a role his smile played in his memories.

And that's the TOOTH...I mean truth!