Well, the triplets have reached that age.
No, not the age were we can send them off into the world to fend for themselves, tempting as that may be, that is not the age I am talking about.
The triplets have reached the age where they are loosing teeth. Dropping those little pearly whites like we have never brushed their teeth, taken them to the dentist and fed them sugar since birth.
Ok, maybe not dropping them that fast and so far only Jake and Quinn have lost teeth but I know more are coming. The dam is about to break and soon I may need mash up all their food since they won’t have any teeth left in their heads.
Every day one of them will tell me, “Mom, this tooth is loose or this tooth hurts.” I’m preparing myself to see a lot of toothless grins.
What does reaching this right of passage mean, besides the fact that the next time I blink my three babies will be asking for the keys to the car? Well, it means that Jeff and I get to play tooth fairy.
Childhood is grand for it’s innocence and the belief in magic. I’m all for keeping it that was as long as possible. It’s just that having to play tooth fairy or more honestly, remembering to play the tooth fairy is hard.
You would think that since it’s happening more and more often around this house it would get easier but no, it’s not.
I mean poor Quinn, the second tooth he lost the tooth fairy forgot to come for two nights in a row. How are she do that to him. Poor kid was crushed. And my mommy guilt was at an all time high so much so I begged Jeff to give me lashes with a wet noodle.
I don’t mean to forget and neither does Jeff but for some reason, slipping into their rooms and exchanging that tooth for a golden dollar is one of the most difficult things in the world. I think it would be easier to get Kim Kardashian’s stop being a reality TV star.
We’ve tried all kinds of ways to remember, setting alerts, writing notes, even asking the cat to remind us. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t.
This time it was Jake’s turn to loose a tooth. Actually, I pulled it out during our family movie night movie because I was kind of sick of seeing it dandle by a thread. It was his first loose tooth, the first one he lost and judging but the loose ones next to it, it won’t be long until another one can be yanked from his head.
As we tucked the kids in and said prayers, he put that tooth under his pillow and talked non-stop about how the tooth fairy would come. Jeff and I gave each other ‘the look’ and as soon as the kids were all in bed, Jeff retrieved a golden dollar from the hiding spot.
“What are you doing?” I ask as Jeff started up the stairs again.
“Going to make the exchange,” he said.
“Um… they just went to bed. We kinda have to wait until he’s asleep.” I said.
“Oh, yeah” Jeff answered as he walked back down. “Where should I put this so that we will remember to do it later?”
I stopped for a moment, that was the million dollar question.
“Just set it on the counter, then we’ll see it when we head to bed,” I said.
Jeff walked over to the counter and set the golden dollar down but then paused. “The only thing that setting his coin here will mean is that Jake will find it here and not under his pillow in the morning.”
I laughed, he had an excellent point.
“Do you have a better idea?” I asked.
He shrugged and I turned my attention to my phone that was beeping with some twitter love.
The night progressed as planned with Jeff and I settling in to watch a movie together which meant that soon all tooth fairy duties were forgotten.
We were mid movie when I needed a bathroom break.
“Pause it, please” I said as I jumped up and ran into our bedroom and to the bathroom.
I flipped the light on in the room and something on the bed made me stop. I walked over to investigate.
A baking pan?!
At first I was confused, why was there a baking pan on the bed? I almost gathered it up to put it away but then I saw the golden dollar and smiled. Jeff had placed the baking pan on the bed with the golden dollar in it so that he couldn’t get into bed without dealing with the pan and remembering to play tooth fairy.
Sometimes that husband of mine is completely brilliant.
I think I’ll keep him.
