Tooth Fairy

One day, I noticed that the lower teeth of my daughter, seems to have a slight gap. I shrugged my shoulders and thought to myself that it's okay because it's just her milk teeth. But a few days passed and the gap seems to be growing bigger and bigger. Until I finally saw what's causing the movement. Behind her pearly whites, a new tooth is emerging! This tooth seems to be pushing her milk teeth, making the gap bigger and bigger.

I was excited. For the first time, my daughter, only 5 years old is going to lose a tooth. It was nice seeing her very first permanent tooth emerging. Claire was also happy and excited as well. On her part, she wants to experience the magic of the Tooth Fairy. Then, her lower front tooth starts to wiggle. I told her that instead of waiting for her wiggly tooth to fall out on its own, we can do something to pull it out right away. I suggested to tie a string around the tooth, then tie the other end in a door knob. Then we can shut the door close. In that way, the string can pull her tooth out instantly. She looked horrified at first, but surprisingly, she agreed! By the way, that's an old school method of extracting a loose tooth when I was little. But in my daughter's case, of course I was just kidding! Don't try that at home.

One week passed and everyday, Claire kept on playing with her loose tooth. She absentmindedly pushes it with her tongue, with her finger and with her food. Until finally, it happened. She ran to me screaming, "Mommy, Mommy! I pulled out my tooth!" And there it is, holding it with her little fingers, her tiny milk tooth, with blood and all. Her T-shirt has smears of blood. I bet it also hurt a little. But she wasn't bothered by it at all! I wasn't bothered too. We were both so excited by what happened. I hugged her and congratulated her. I kissed her and said I was proud of her. She's such a big girl already. She said, "It's so tiny! We have to clean it and place it under my pillow so the tooth fairy can leave a coin for my coin collection." So I cleaned her tooth for her and kept it for safekeeping, promising to place it under her pillow as she sleeps that night.

My baby girl, is growing  up so fast. She's a big girl now, insisting not to call her baby anymore. She is kinda like the new tooth pushing away her baby self, here comes the new Claire, growing and learning and maturing as time passes by. And I am excited to see the new her, take care of the new her. As she grows, her needs also change. She becomes more strong and independent. I am excited and I am looking forward to the beautiful person she will eventually become.

She slept soundly that night. I did not bother placing her old tooth under the pillow. But I did remember placing a P5 coin under her pillow. Early in the morning, still half asleep. She placed her hands, under her pillow and felt something hard, round and cold. A coin! The Tooth Fairy left it for her! She was elated! Thank you Tooth Fairy, for making me and my daughter so happy.

My Baby Dolls

"Claire playing with her dolls"

Little girls absolutely love dolls. I often watch my daughter, Claire as she becomes lost in her own world playing with her dolls. She has conversations with them while pretending to have a tea party. She strokes her doll’s hair lovingly and changes her into cute little outfits. She takes good care of them- she feeds them and gives them a bath. She makes their bed and sings them a lullaby.

"Go to sleep dollies."

At such a young age, I marvel at how this 4 year old girl can be capable of giving so much TLC to her dolls and to her younger brother. She just adores and loves her little brother and treats him as well as she treats her dolls.

Taking care of my babies brings me back in time. I am transported to when I was a little girl playing lovingly with my own dolls. And then it dawned to me that maybe this was God’s way of preparing little girls for the greatest role they will ever take in as an adult- being a mother.

"My real-life dolls: Claire and Ivan"

Being a caring, loving and responsible individual is innate in all of us. It just takes a helpless but cute and adorable creature to bring out the best “mommy” in us.