I want to cut Ash’s hair. He, however, is insistent on keeping it. It is usually braided up for easier maintenance, but this past Sunday was wash day, and so I unraveled his braids and could barely get the last one undone before he said, “I want to go outside.” I was all for deferring the work of tidying up his sandy-brown curls for a little while, so I freed him to put on his play shoes. And I followed behind him.
Earlier that morning, after a few bites into a large blueberry muffin, he summoned me to “fix” his tooth, i.e., pull it out. We had just visited the dentist last month for his regular cleaning, and she had already warned me that his two bottom front teeth were loose and would likely be out by Thanksgiving. But that tiny tooth was barely hanging on; the tooth fairy’s flight was more like the fourth of July-ish.
I called my mom. I wanted no parts in pulling a tooth out (please don’t judge me). My mom is something like a master tooth puller. She came right over with a string, sour patch popsicles, and tooth fairy dollar bills and saved my entire day in like five minutes. I highly recommend Granny’s; they are the best! So now Ash is a snag a tooth.
As he played outside and fell into the grass with his basketballs and began to smile, I went in and grabbed the camera to capture the moment, the day he lost his first tooth.
And then I became pretty impressed that he had learned how to bounce the basketball so well. I remember when he first tried to manage the ball with his little hands.
And though I’m not trying to rush the summer along, I couldn’t help but feel a little anxious at the thought of him starting kindergarten in the fall. Today it’s his first tooth gone, next thing I know, it will be the first day of school, and I can’t believe it. He is ready, though. I have also become pretty impressed at how well he can read and sound out words. I will spend the rest of my life impressed at watching his growth as a person.
He still calls my name three hundred times an hour, or something close to that. He still reminds me that my patience leaves a little to be desired because…toddlerhood is trying at times. Where did all of the attitude come from? We are working on that part. He still tells me he loves me several times a day. He still has the cutest prayers before bed. He still loves dinosaurs, and he definitely still loves his Hot Wheels!
And then he was totally over me following him with the camera, hence the last shot!
What does motherhood look like for you right now?
