A loose tooth?

We spent another afternoon at the beach yesterday. With a predicted high of 95*, we knew it would be crowded and we were right! Unfortunately the tide was coming in and we were rapidly losing our beach real estate, so we had to constantly move our belongings to keep them from getting wet.

The best news of the day was that Amanda swam on her own for the first time! She was only in about 2 feet of water but she could doggie paddle and stay afloat. It's a start! We couldn't get her out of the water for anything!

Eva "swam" around with her Tweety Bird kickboard, sometimes using her hands to "walk" on the ocean floor, trying her hardest to show that she could swim just like Amanda. Liam was his usual easygoing self, perfectly content to sit under the shade of the jogging stroller visor and watch what was going on around him. Dave dipped his feet in the water a few times, which Liam seemed to like.

(I have no pictures of the afternoon because after ruining two cameras due to sand, I am keeping it safely at home from now on! Besides, I think we have enough beach pictures to last a lifetime by now.)

In the evening, we ordered a pizza for the kids and they spent "special time" with Omi and a Charlie Brown special. Dave and I got a chance to go for a motorcycle ride but we were both too tired to travel outside of Marshfield. We stopped off for a quick drink and appetizer and then had a dinner of soup and salad at Haddad's. We then sat on the sea wall, where it was so peaceful, and we marveled at the number of lobster buoys clustered out in the ocean.

As we looked out over the waves, Dave commented about how fast Amanda is growing up. She can read; she can spell; she has actual penpals that she corresponds with; she can ride a bike; she's starting to swim on her own; and she's wearing size 5-6 clothes! It's almost as if we blinked and she skipped ahead a year.

"My tooth wiggles, Mama!"

When we got home, Amanda excitedly told us that she had a loose tooth! I was shocked. Sure enough, I felt her front bottom tooth and it is definitely wiggly. She said it hurt while she was watching Charlie Brown, and then when she bit into her corn on the cob, it hurt again.

Dave and I are both concerned that it is too early for her to starting losing teeth. With her fifth birthday just weeks away, this isn't something we are prepared for! I read that early teethers will usually lose their baby teeth early, and since she got her first tooth at 5 months, perhaps this is one explanation.

But still, Dave thinks I should take her to the dentist. She just had a cleaning and exam a few months ago and everything was fine, and it's not like they can glue the tooth back in... but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to see what the dentist has to say about it.

At bedtime, the novelty of a loose tooth seemed to have worn off and Amanda began to cry. She's afraid to eat anything hard or crunchy now because she's afraid she'll swallow it. I had to assure her that it wasn't that loose and that it wouldn't fall out anytime soon, but I think I was trying to convince myself as much as I was trying to soothe her.

It's a bit ironic, since I am checking Liam's mouth daily to see if his first tooth has broken through yet. That, I can handle. As far as Amanda goes, I am just not ready for that yet.