Something About Christmas and a New Front Tooth

Day #27 of 31 Days of Storytelling

We have a tradition at our house Christmas morning that the girls wait at the top of the stairs while Monte and I go downstairs to turn on the tree lights, start the coffee and make sure that whatever family is staying under our roof and elsewhere, is up and ready to get the show on the road.

The show meaning

OPENING PRESENTS.

McDaniel and Ellie are good about the waiting.

I know they were up EARLY last year and didn't disturb us until the hour was more decent.

Ellie waiting in her room.

While we were downstairs preparing, they waited in our bed.

Not sure what is happening there. Let's just say they were
singing. Or howling at the moon.

Then half of Ellie's front tooth got knocked out.

Just like that. 

Happy giggles

turned to running feet 

and crying 

and McDaniel calling for us.

Ellie's lip was pretty chewed up inside and bleeding everywhere.

She kept crying, "I just want my toof back. I just want my toof back!"

McDaniel was giving me a sketchy retelling of the story of what happened.

Lots of rabbit trails. 

I told her to go look for the toof tooth.

My husband was sitting on the bottom of the stairs

(he's not so much with all the blood) 

calling our dentist, who is a friend and who lives on our street.

In between all the crying 

and bleeding 

and "I want my toof backs", 

Ellie realized her throat was really scratchy and we decided she probably swallowed the bottom half of her front tooth.

I called McDaniel off the search.

It was determined that Ellie would never be able to sit in a dentist's chair without opening her presents first.

We asked if she was in pain.

Her response:  "Only when I breathe." 

So we made an appointment to meet the dentist at 11:00 am.

Waiting with ice on what's left of her front tooth.
I can't believe I don't have this framed
and sitting on the piano.

My parents and grandmother walked into this hot mess with the cool reactions that only age and experience can bring.

I have so much to learn.

We opened presents and the high of the unwrapping and seeing others unwrap carried Ellie

for a little while. 

But mid-way through, her eyes started getting dark and I could tell she was in pain.

She couldn't eat or drink.

Eleven o'clock couldn't get here fast enough.

Monte took her to the dentist while we cleaned up and played games and started preparing lunch.

Two and a half hours, 

one phone call 

and two pictures sent via phone later, 

We love our dentist!

Ellie walked through the door with a new tooth. 

Not a crown, but a cap 

(thankfully her nerve had been exposed not damaged so no root canal needed!). 

It made her 9-year-old teeth look whiter than before. 

It was amazing. 

The dentist told her not to go biting into big apples right away, but other than that, to treat it like it has always been there.

And to think that in a matter of seconds half a tooth was gone 

and in a matter of hours, 

it was replaced. 

Not just replaced 

but IMPROVED.

Ellie got a new front tooth for Christmas.

And it was her greatest gift.