1 Mother 2 Another

Another first.

And on the one hand, I mourn the passing of an era that won’t come again. Every developmental step her little body takes is one small step out of babyhood, into womanhood. My little munchkin is growing up, and I’m powerless to stop it.

And on the other hand –

SHE HAS A TOOTH!!!!

Yes, great day in the morning, my daughter’s finally popped a pearly white. Almost exactly 14 ½ months old, she finally has a legitimate, grater-like strip of tooth anchored shyly in her lower gum. The good news? She’s finally got a tooth, so we can stop worrying about getting her dentures for preschool.

The bad news? It’s only one tooth.

One down, twenty seven to go.

Honestly, I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but there was such agita and angst surrounding this one tooth that I had hoped, what with her being a late tooth bloomer and all, that we’d get at least four or so at once. I mean, one at a time? Who does that???

Apparently, my daughter.

So even as I was dancing the jubilant happy dance today, I couldn’t help but notice that she was becoming cranky and easily irritable. And yep, that gum right next to the Lone Tooth was looking swollen.

Sigh. Bring it on.

Now here’s the part of the blog that reads like my acceptance speech for Best Picture –

Thanks to everyone who wrote in reassuring me that their kid was a late popper. While no one I’ve spoken with had a baby who went as long as Maddie did, I appreciate all the encouragement and advice to not stress and let it happen in its own good time. And thanks to all my girlfriends who smiled kindly every time I announced I was sure my daughter was teething, and didn’t roll their eyes and say, “Really this time??”

I’ve tried hard not to stress about her toothless grin, since there’s nothing I can do about it. They’re either in there or they’re not, so x-rays seemed pointless. And as I’ve said before, if I could get through nursing her without being bitten it seems like a fair trade-off.

But I have to admit, I’m going to miss that gummy little smile.

Baby girl’s growing up, and now she’s got the tooth to prove it.