Sarcasm vs. Tooth

Abby takes after me in many ways. And I'm not just talking about the red hair. She's a spitfire. And as I've raised the kids with my sarcastic ways, they have learned a thing or two. Abby is by far my biggest mini-me. She has...well...a smart mouth on her. I hate saying it like that, but it's too true. She has a tendency to say smart-alec remarks that get me grinding my teeth or rubbing my temples in frustration. For example, I might tell her to pick up the crayons on the floor and she would reply with, "What's a crayon? Craaay-yon? Crablyon? I don't understand what you're saying." I usually reply with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms and she'll tap her foot and say, "What? Maybe if you said it clearer I could understand you." Oh man. She gets my goat, that one.

So little miss Abby had started to get a loose tooth a few weeks back. It really hadn't gone very far despite all her wishing it would. She was very eager to lose her first tooth like big brother had (who has lost 7 now). So two days ago, when I told her to brush her teeth, she had a very NOT loose tooth. Tooth brushing is a fiasco at night. I generally have to do a bit of yelling to get it done. When Abby was dilly-dallying in the bathroom after I'd already told her to get it done three times, I got mad and said, "Abby! Get your teeth brushed, now!" She then proceeded to whip out her attitude. She took the toothbrush in her mouth and started swiping downward and out (very hard) on her bottom teeth while saying, "I...AM...BRUSHING....MY...TEETH!" On the last word 'teeth', a small white thing flicked out of her mouth, glistening in the light, and flew through the air. We all just stood there and I said, "What was that?" Abby was standing there with a dumb-founded look on her face, blood trickling out of her mouth, and she said in utter shock, "My tooth."

I laughed so hard when I realized what had happened. In all her sarcastic glory, she had popped out her barely loose tooth. It wasn't ready to be pulled. She didn't cry until I told her that the good news was that she'd lost a tooth but the bad news was it wasn't quite ready to come out so it would bleed a bit harder. She is now very happy to join the ranks of the toothless. She's already excited to get tooth two ready for the plucking. The tooth-fairy visited and left her $1.25. She got the extra quarter for creativity.