Escaping to the Farm

Desperate to escape the wiggly tooth drama, yesterday I jumped at the chance to take Timmy to play at the farm. The weather was beautiful, a welcome change after a week of rain, and I thought that getting outside for a few hours was exactly what we needed to reset. Selfishly, I was also hoping that Timmy would stop obsessing about his tooth if he was busy playing.

My plan worked, and I had a wonderful (drama free) afternoon in the sunshine. Timmy thoroughly enjoyed playing and exploring. He stopped worrying about his tooth and, for the first time in nearly a week, I saw the anxiety melt off of his face. He was happy and carefree, which is exactly how a seven-year-old should feel.

His tooth is still wiggly and intact, but at least he has stopped obsessing about it. Hopefully he has put his tooth-anxiety to rest. If not, I know we can always escape to the farm.

 

 

Still Wiggling

I am truly at my wits end concerning Timmy's tooth. It is still loose, and he is still fretting and scared. For a few hours yesterday I had him convinced that wiggling it with his tongue was akin to exercise (and hence motivating). Unfortunately it was short lived. 

I wish I knew how to help him. I don't understand his anxiety, but I accept that it is real. He is completely paralyzed by a wiggly tooth, rendering him unable to concentrate on his schoolwork or even games. Every night I go to sleep convinced that the tooth will fall out while he is sleeping. Yet each morning I wake up to see that it is still hanging onto his gum.

He isn't in pain, which is why I haven't rushed him to the dentist. He admits that it doesn't hurt, but that he is simply scared. Any ideas are welcome, because I am at a loss on what to do.

Mr. Bill!

Sigh. Another day has come and gone, and Timmy's increasingly wiggly tooth is still attached. He is absolutely petrified by the change. Our efforts to assure him that this is normal, and to celebrate the loose tooth, have fallen on deaf ears. The kiddo is terrified and is determined that his tooth is not going to fall out. 

His efforts to keep his tooth have been nearly herculean. He refuses to use his tongue when speaking for fear that it will bump the tooth. He struggles to drink without using his tongue, and he is refusing to eat. I'm beginning to worry and I am not sure what to do to help him. At this point, I'm tempted to just wiggle it out when he is sleeping.

In the midst of the tooth drama, we had an unexpected visitor. Mr. Bill stopped by! My goodness, I have missed him. Having him sitting in my kitchen, munching on a cookie and regaling me with stories I felt a mixture of emotions. It was wonderful to see him, but I was also reminded of the void that his move has caused. 

Mr. Bill has survived two heart attacks and subsequent surgeries since we last saw him. After not seeing him for several months, it is easy to see his age creeping up. He is both slower and thinner, but his stories flowed without a hitch. 

Our visit was quick. He was traveling back to Florida to attend his grandson's graduation. As we were hugging him goodbye, I couldn't help but worry that this may be the last time he visits. I really hope I'm wrong!

Sick Day

We had a rough day. Timmy woke up vomiting and coughing. I have no idea when or how he became sick since we are still in our bubble, but my little guy was down for the count. I was up most of Sunday night/ early Monday with him, trying to keep him comfortable as his fever continued to climb.

He spent the majority of the morning sleeping. After a few hours I was able to coax him into finishing a glass of water. He took another long nap in the afternoon and woke up feeling better. He still wasn't well, but he was at least drinking and moving (a little). 

I hate seeing him sick. I always feel so helpless because there is so little I can do to help him when the fevers start to rage. Hopefully today he will continue to heal. (On a side note, the tooth has still not fallen out.)

Teeth!

If this past weekend had a theme, it would definitely be teeth. Between Robby adjusting to his new aligners and Timmy experiencing a loose tooth, it feels like every conversation revolved around teeth. Coupled with Scott's very real dental phobia, I'm a little worn on the topic!

Robby had a rough day on Friday because of his aligners. His teeth and gums were sore, and he was simply miserable. It turns out that he is not a kid to suffer in silence. When he is uncomfortable, he wants everybody and anybody around him to know it.

By Saturday morning he was adjusting to the aligners. Although he was uncomfortable, his gums and teeth were no longer sore. His complaining began to wane almost as soon as his little brother's started.

Timmy's front tooth is loose. Typically this would be an exciting time for a little kid. Of course, my little Hamlet is anything but typical. He absolutely freaked out about his loose tooth and spent the weekend crying and fretting about it falling out. 

Scott, Robby and I tried everything to calm his worries. We read books about teeth falling out, discussed the Tooth Fairy and watched videos about loose teeth. Nothing worked, and it seemed that our efforts only served to increase his anxiety.

By Sunday evening we were all frazzled. Timmy continued to whine and fret about his increasingly wiggly tooth. He resisted all of our efforts to help, and he refused to wiggle it out with his tongue. Instead, he opted to walk around the house all day with his mouth agape, complaining that he was uncomfortable and thirsty. (He refused to eat or drink because of his tooth, despite our assurances that the tooth would stay in place.)

Sigh. Until this tooth finally falls out, I worry that he will continue to obsess.