Missing Teeth

So Charles, my big mature boy - lost his two front teeth this week. Within one or two days of each other. I knew it was going to happen. They wiggled for months. Every morning he'd come in with a finger in the mouth saying, "Look Ma. This one is going to fall out any day now." Each night, I'd wiggle for him and tug a little until he reminded me that I "promised only one more time and now you've tugged like four times and it's not ready to come out so leave it alone until it's ready."

Well, this week, they were ready. Two in a row - just a day apart. Both front ones. Amazing. The scary thing is, even though this may seem like a momentus occasion in his growth, somehow this right of passage for him reminds me more than ever of just how little he really is.

There's just something about a kid with no teeth that makes them seem so small and helpless. I wasn't expecting that reaction from myself. Charles is our big boy. We've always held him to high standards - expecting probably more from him than he's even able to give at each age. And now, he seems so young. With his sweet slur of the "s" and "r" sounds. So innocent, packing his teeth in his hand-made tooth pillow and waiting on the tooth fairy. So fragile - asking me to cut his corn off the cob because the poor thing can't bite it off.

I'm sure it's because all of this time I've been in deep denial that Charles is even growing up. All this while, we worry about Nick and cater to his every little whim - of which there are many - and all this while my Charles has been secretly growing up - wiggling those teeth.

Well - have a look for yourself. Such a big, small boy. Good thing he's still a royal pain in the @## or I might cry every day just because I love him so much.

Race Cars, Planes and Other Manly Pursuits

Charles has reached the age where time with his Dad is a very important thing. He wants to talk about grease and wheels and physics and other such things that I can only hope to understand. This of course, is Ron's job. He gets it, he wants to talk about it, he enjoys sharing it with Charles. So this weekend I sent them off to the Coastal Carolina Air Show where noisy planes fly overhead, cockpits with complicated gadgets and shiny things beckon to them and seemingly famous race cars are ready for their closeups. That's really all I know about their guys day out and honestly,

I don't ask. As long as I get good pictures of Charles smiling in the

back of some winged machine and they both come home happy, tired and I get a quiet day alone with Nick - what more can a Mom ask for.