Mute

I picked up James and Matthew from Mini Gymnastics Camp this morning and everything seemed normal until I asked James a question. He pointed to his tightly closed lips and shook his head.

*sigh*

Oh, it's going to be THAT kind of day.

Well, I didn't think he would be able to keep it up for long. Roll with the punches, Suz.

We drove to a friend's house to play and eat lunch. James' lips remained tightly closed all the way there. He gestured and used his voice, but that was it. I asked a ton of yes/no questions to see what kind of game he was playing...jinxed? don't understand English? under a sealed lips spell? ate glue? smacked his face and got hurt? The plus side was he didn't say anything to upset Matthew. It was a pretty pleasant ride.

We got to our friends' house and he still wouldn't speak. His gestures and grunting weren't very helpful beyond expressing that he wanted to go straight home. No playing. No lunch. No opening his mouth until he was at home. He sat on the couch in the living room while we ate in the kitchen. He alternately played with toys and begged to go home. Then, at some point, he indicated that there was something between his top lip and his gums. He was holding something up there.

What!?

Someone thought to get the boy a paper and pen. He agreed to draw what he was trying to communicate. He drew a flat top with two pointy legs.

Your tooth?!

Mm-hm.

You lost your tooth at camp and you're keeping it in your mouth until we get home?

Mm-hm.

Why?! Oh!! Your treasure chest! The dentist gave you a little tooth treasure chest last week!

Mm-hm.

Did you tell your camp leaders about the tooth?

*furrowed brow* Hm-mm.

Can I see it? I'm so excited for you! Your first lost tooth!

*shaking his head* Hm-mm *emphatic pointing at the car* Then he drew something that looked like a raindrop and colored it in. Blood.

"Did it bleed?"

Mm-hm.

"A lot?"

Mm-hm. *lots of head nodding*

Well, we immediately tried to find other cool containers for him to keep his tooth in. What if he swallowed the tooth before we got home?! He would not be convinced. Even when offered a big piece of chocolate and a shiny new container, he decided it was better to keep his tooth firmly lodged under his upper lip. We eventually finished our time with friends and then headed home.

Once home, James ran into the bathroom, plugged up the sink, and spit out the contents of his mouth: one little baby tooth, one giant blood clot, and oodles of drool.

Dude. If I had known he was carrying around a blood clot that big, I might have cut the play date a *little* shorter. Blech.

And here he is in all his toothless glory:

Well worth the wait (apparently) for that teeny orange treasure chest!

I can already see the grown up tooth coming in. He has another loose one right next to it. Won't be long for that one, I don't think.

At our house, kids get to decide if they want to play "Tooth Fairy." I can give them the money in a boring way, or sneak it under their pillow while they're sleeping. My kids have selected "tooth fairy" style almost every time. James included :)