Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Calling Dr. Teeth

The Love Magnet is very aware of things going on in her classroom. She is determined to be treated like everyone else and doesn't want special consideration. When the class has a spelling test, my daughter insists on doing it as well. (If her aide helps her with sounding it out, she can spell as well as the class. Oh, yes, she is smart.) The Love Magnet also wants to do math, write sentences (although it takes her too long, in her opinion, to copy the sentences from the board so she makes up her own), and even do homework just like her classmates.

We've run into a wall of sorts. I can't fix this problem and it won't fix itself in The Love Magnet's time frame.

My daughter has noticed that all-important rite of passage that happens to first graders. She has witnessed her friends losing their teeth. When a tooth wiggles and pops out, the class celebrates and the toothless-ninny gets his/her name on the tooth poster. Its a very big deal to a first grader.

Its a Very Big Deal to The Love Magnet.

Kids with Down syndrome do lots of things differently. That includes the fact that all milestones happen later than usual. When it comes to teeth, kids with Ds have a longer wait for their baby teeth to appear. They often appear in the wrong order. It seems to take forever. It turns out that the same rules apply for losing teeth. It takes much longer for it to happen and it will happen in the wrong order. Which means The Love Magnet will probably start losing her teeth......in third grade.

There are no tooth posters in third grade.


Oh the agony!


The Love Magnet has taken matters into her own hands. She told her teacher she lost a tooth. Unfortunately there was no proof. When TLM realized that Plan A wasn't going to work, she quickly opted for Plan B.

She asked her teacher to pull her tooth. Please.

She asked her aide to pull her tooth. Please.

She asked me to pull her tooth. PLEEEEAASE!

Now The Love Magnet wants to call Dr. Teeth, my Brother-In-Love and our former dentist in Utah. ("Dr. Teeth" is the name bestowed on him by TLM because she couldn't say his name.) She just knows that he will help. After all he counted her teeth. He brushed her teeth. He took pictures of her teeth. Surely he could pull her teeth. See the logic?

The Love Magnet waits for someone to pull her tooth. Any tooth. She wants her name on that big tooth poster.

This tooth. Just in case you weren't sure.


Its going to be a very long wait.

10 comments:

Shirlene said...

Oh, that's too cute! All kids do things on their own time frame. Micaela has lost more teeth (7) than most of Lauren's friends. One family they play with, their kids don't loose teeth until third grade.
I love that she calls him Dr. Teeth! I think everyone should call him that!

heather said...

Ya never know... Morgan lost her two bottom teeth last spring and they were in the right order too. There is still hope for her to get on the tooth board this year! :) And what a smarty!

Melissa said...

I wish my Kyle was like that. He's lost 4 teeth and he has literally FREAKED OUT with each one. Sobbing uncontrollably...."it's a part of growing up," I tell him. It doesn't seem to matter to him. At any rate, I'll pray for your little Love Magnet. I want her name on the poster too! Those things are important to 1st graders!

Haley said...

I have one of Jacob's teeth. Do you want me to send it to you? I'm totally willing for my cute niece.

The Country Mouse said...

Poor kid. My niece didn't lose hers until she was nine, and she considered it (along with her family not having a TV or a car) one of the great injustices of the universe.

Unknown said...

Oh do I remember the toothless days of friends. The oldest daughter of mine decided she didn't want to wait out her turn (she was in kindergarten at 4) and decided to force her teeth out. She would wiggle them back and forth until she actually did loosen them and they came out. Ugh. It was horrible. Because when you force them out, it doesn't mean the other grow right back in! It took forever.

Ah the memories.

Michelle Johnson said...

Too cute! LM will have her day. I didn't lose my first tooth until late. All of my friends lost theirs well before me.

I miss that little girl! I'm going to have to visit this summer when we get home. :)

Monica said...

I'll say a little prayer that love magnet will get her name on the wall of teeth fame :) Adam did loose his bottem 2 and both front teeth in first grade!!! And of course he could have cared a less... It's only those who want it so bad that have to wait :(

My name is Sarah said...

How about dunking for apples. That's what I did once.

The Mom said...

LOL - but - in TLM's favor - Brady has plenty of friends w/T21 who've lost plenty of teeth at this exact same age as our cuties are. Some of them even got them at a later age - soooo - it could happen! Keep on praying LM :)

We're not even close to losing any teeth here (at least not by any natural means), but, of course Brady could care less if he did anyway :)

Thanks for sharing your cute girl with us - she always makes me smile!!!

Loved your tea party pics above - what fun!!!