Family Firsts

Fletcher has passed a major milestone kinda early, but with reflection, his sister did at his age as well - he has lost his first tooth! I wasn't really prepared for this - he's only four and a half! But I remember asking Gwen's dentist about it when she as a youngin' and he said that tooth loss was proportionate to when the child cut their first teeth. True or not, I'm not sure, but both my little buggers got their two bottom front teeth VERY early on, like at about 3 months of age - just AWESOME for the breastfeeding mom, let me tell ya.

Strange thing is, with all the inflation - groceries, gas, clothing, etc. - the going price for a lost tooth hasn't gone up in all the years since big sis Gwen lost her first one. Yup, the T.F. still leaves a bright and shiny 25 center under the ol' pillow. Twenty-five cents for that perfect little pearl of a baby tooth. My God, it was so small. Something so small to remind me how big my beautiful boy is getting. Matt said "It looks like a tiny chip off a regular tooth," and indeed he was right. Rolling it over in my hand I felt that strange trepidation a parent feels when you can sense the onset of the growing up of your little one. There is this sense of panic as you feel your child pulling away ever so slightly and really, Kindergarten isn't that far away and we all know school ruins a child for life. Ah, his babyhood is so far behind him now it's but a bright, warm blur. Fletcher seems to be straight-on truckin' through to big boy land before my very eyes and again, where's the pause button?

Matt has taught Fletch another amazing trick - to read two new words. And I am SO proud, not just because of the fact that my four and a half year old read two words to me today, but also because of the actual words: R2D2 and C3PO. Yes, my son loves Star Wars!!!! Woo Hoo! Well, he has for several years, but this, well, this is amazing and gratifying to me on SO many levels. BTW, you may be wondering what Gwen's first read-aloud word was (it was also the first word she learned to write, before her name, even: POOP. Yuppo, that's my girl.

Another family first: Thank to a GENEROUS offer from Grandpa Walt, the Family Banks is headed to Disney World!!!! Though Fletcher remains refreshingly oblivious (we aren't going till August and we didn't want to hear "are we going yet?" every day till then) our excitement is growing daily. Well, mine is, and obsessively so. It's true, I spend every spare minute at work googling every aspect of Disney Orlando I can possibly think of. And talking about it. All the time. To anyone who will listen. Yes, my co-workers hate me.

So. That is that. Be happy, readers, and wait for more Banks Family Firsts and Disney updates!!!