One of the most bittersweet moments in a mom’s life occurs with a baby’s first tooth. On the one hand, it’s a milestone and we’re always happy to be able to fill out a new section in the baby book. On the other, it’s unbearable to think we’ll never see that gummy smile again.
On Friday, as I was enjoying those beautiful gleaming gums, I noticed a little area where they weren’t gleaming. On further inspection, they revealed a narrow, barely visible slit where the gumline had just barely been broken by the ridge of James lower right incisor.
After a few days, it’s evident to all that there’s a little tooth poking through, and the one right beside it isn’t far behind. Aside from not sleeping so well, James seems none the worse for wear. He plays happily all day and is more than willing to show us where his new pearly whites will soon be.
Since we’re still hammering out the details of how many more kids we want (if any), this milestone is made especially bittersweet by the thought that it may be the last gummy grin we will enjoy for, oh, another 20-odd years. (Or even 30! But hopefully not 10…)