First time for Everything...

So we all our first time for everything moments...right? Well, a week or so ago, Olivia and I shared a "first" moment for both of us! Just a quick bit of history, Olivia lost her first tooth in April while we were visiting the Speckhards at Bear Lake (in UT). Kathleen did a great job gently pulling the tooth out as I stood by watching. I honestly don't recall ever pulling a tooth out in my life (none of my own, Whitney's or Bryce's). I remember eating a bowl of Alpha Bits cereal once and realizing a tooth had come out while I was chewing, and I remember going to the Dentist because several of my teeth had changed color (becoming transparent) and the Dr. told my mom to give me an apple or lots of caramels and the teeth would come right out (I was afraid to let anyone touch them...and yes, they were loose). Anyhow, I digress...
Last week, Olivia had been complaining that her teeth hurt when she ate. Knowing she had a loose tooth, Marc tried one night to look at it and attempt to pull it out. Olivia refused to let him touch it, and barely allowed him to even see it. After MANY tears on her part, she finally went to bed with the tooth still intact. The next morning over breakfast, she began to cry again, saying it hurt too bad to eat, yet she was hungry and wanted to eat. Marc had left for his internship, Bryce and Whitney were at school, and Olivia actually allowed me to look closely at her tooth. It was ready to come out. So after a long talk with Olivia, mainly to get the tears to stop, I convinced her to let me "wiggle" the tooth for awhile. Although I played games to wiggle the tooth and have her forget about the possibility of having it pulled out, I was buying myself some time to get up the gumption to actually reach in my daughter's mouth and yank a tooth out (remember, I have NEVER done this before). Olivia did ask if we could "please go to Provo to Sister Speckhard's house so she could pull it out, because she does it so nicely". I finally persuaded her and myself that we could get this tooth out without either of us dying, and lo and behold, after two false attempts (yes, it slipped out of my fingers....what can I say, again, it's my first time) the tooth was removed, Olivia was still smiling, and I did not faint or turn colors! So now Olivia has a beautiful smile with her two middle bottom teeth missing.


Back in April, Bryce had his routine dental check-up and the Dentist suggested pulling five of his bottom teeth because his baby teeth were so tiny, and the adult teeth trying to come in had no room. So here are a couple of Pics of Bryce, brave boy that he is, with and without teeth.