Writing is cathartic for me.  So I decided to write about Atticus’ new smile and sprinkle it with pictures from the past week.

Last weekend we veered way off course.  Allan and I were all set to walk into the Souper Bowl and eat delicious soup and desserts like we have for most of the last decade the weekend before the real Super Bowl. We rode the short bus over the short distance with the blue hairs when we received the call that Mr. had fell and lost two teeth.  We rushed back over to the T-Mobile parking lot (not on the bus this time) and went as fast as stupid Saturday traffic on Montano would allow with all of the possible emotions rushing along with us.  Fear, anger, sadness, uncertainty, guilt along with moments of clarity saying accidents happen, kids do these things, it’s gonna be fine.  What about pictures, his permanent teeth, infections, will his tooth have to be pulled, will kids make fun of him, it’ll be several years before his teeth come in?  Lots of things run through your mind as you try to keep it together.  I drove because it gives me a sense of control which I need most of the time and especially needed then.

We arrived to find Atticus asleep.  He had been tired when we’d dropped him off no more than a half an hour earlier.  Apparently, he been running with his sister (a dangerous pastime I know) and tripped and face planted on the edge of an ottoman.  He loves to run.  He loves to carry inanimate objects in his hand.  He’s passionate about that.  I can only suspect he chose to hang onto whatever he was carrying rather than let it go and brace his fall.  But who knows.

So I held him.  He looked fine other than the fat lip.  No blood.  And a calm washed over me, because what can you really do.  I could see he was okay.  I peaked under his lips and could see some trauma and defintely at least one missing tooth.  Normally I woulld be calling for help, but I asked Allan to call Dr. Martinez figuring there would be an emergency number.  Luckily, there was and Dr. Martinez returned our call.  He was boarding a plane in Denver returning from a dental conference where coincidentally they discussed trauma at length.  He asked some questions, were the teeth still in?  No.  Did we have them?  No.  He suggested we look for them and stated he’d meet us for x-rays once he landed.

The missing tooth was found on a recliner and I gently reached in and found the other tooth was not missing but impacted.  This caused us to worry that it may have to be pulled out.  I reached out to some friends who had had this happen before or knew someone who did.  As I suspected, little boys tend to do this sort of thing often.  But still I was sad.  My baby had just turned two.  And his smile was changed and would be for some time.  He woke up from his nap a little cranky and would for the next few days, but after a few minutes was pretty much himself.  We bought him some yogurt and milkshake to eat.  He enjoyed that part.

We went home and waited for Dr. Martinez’ call.  Atticus played like nothing happened.  After watching the Lobo game, we got the call and took him in.  It seems like every time my kids have something wrong we end up near Paseo and Holly.  Cyan’s arm, Grave’s and now Atticus’ teeth.  Atticus had been scheduled for his first dentist vist in February; we’re sure glad they were able to squeeze him in late on a Saturday afternoon in January.

He did great.  Allan held him for the exam and x-ray while I filled out paperwork since he wasn’t even in the system.  On an interesting side note, I removed Atticus and Cyan from my dental insurance at the end of December because my dentist was no longer on the less expensive plan.  I moved to the pricier plan and asked Allan to add the kids to his plan.  He had done so a couple weeks earlier and the effective date of their new coverage:  Saturday, January 24th.  Either way, we’d pay anything for Atticus’ care, but I thought that was some interesting timing.

Dr. Martinez counted Atticus teeth, said they looked good and that he suspected the impacted tooth went up in a way that would not harm his permanent tooth.  He did an x-ray to confirm and his young son assisted with clicking the x-ray machine. The x-ray did confirm that the tooth went up at an angle that wouldn’t require extraction and should erupt (fall back into place) on it’s own in eight or more months.  More good news.  We were grateful!  Allan felt faint toward the end of the exam, not sure if it was all the anatomy talk or just the stress, but he was okay.  We were all okay.

So we went home and started our week long soft foods diet.  Which for us has led to some shedding of extra el-bees,how’s that for silver linings.  Atticus on the other hand seems to be eating more than usual or at least he was at first.  Pudding, yogurt, mashed potatoes, noodles, macaroni and cheese, cereal, eggs, you name it.  The tooth fairy made an unexpected visit that night.  I always thought she’d visit Cyan first.  She left a glitter dusted $10 bill under his pillow in exchange for his humongous tooth.  Good thing I keep glitter on hand.

The next day we decided to do some of his favorite things.  He likes to be out and about.  We went to the aquarium.  He’s definitely cuter than the sharks.  We went to lunch at St. Clair’s Winery and Bistro.  Cyan, Atticus and I ate pasta.  Allan shared green chile meatloaf with Atticus.  For things like bread, we cut up little pieces for him.  In the afternoon, we went shopping (he loves that).

Atticus received lots of calls and visits.  He sure is a special guy.  

Chances are he’ll get hurt again.  And so will Cyan.  And I’ll still have to be their mom.  My sister told me something that was really nice when I was feeling bad that I wasn’t there when he fell.  She said, “You can’t always be there when they fall, but you can be there to pick them up.”  In the grand scheme of things, it’s not bad at all and could have definitely been a lot worse.

While his smile may have changed, he is still adorable.

If he smiles, so do we.