Yesterday morning, Songbird complained about her tooth aching and moving. A quick glimpse confirmed it was indeed loose (not hangin-by-a-thread-loose, but wiggly). I gave her a hug and assuage her fears of swallowing it; figuring I had a couple days to alert the Tooth Fairy of such momentous happenings.

But just a few hours later Songbird hollers from the other room, “Mom!!! It fell out!” Apparently she was pretty determined to join the ranks of the toof-less.

Securing the tiny tooth in a ziplock bag, Songbird anxiously placed it under her pillow.

Turns out, the Tooth Fairy was NOT sufficiently prepared. However, she’s been known to hoard all sorts of random supplies for times such as these. I mean, she wouldn’t actually admit to me that she dug in my jewelry box to find the pouch, themed it with a quick freezer paper stencil, and spit-shined a gold dollar coin rummaged from Handsome’s closet for a reward… but that’s an educated guess. The teeny tiny note was a classic touch.

The elusive Tooth Fairy and I had a small chat when I caught her sneaking out from under the pillow. She agreed to pose for one photo, on the condition that it will be the only picture I will ever be allowed to take of her. It’s a good thing Songbird is such a sound sleeper! I promised only one photo and as soon as I snapped the shutter, she vanished.

Barely able to contain her excitement, Songbird burst into my room this morning before the sun was awake. Clutching the pouch and note, she insisted I get up right then and read it to her. She decided a tooth for a gold coin was an excellent trade, saying she will “never ever spend it because it’s the most specialist thing I’ve ever gotten.”

Then I showed her the photograph. A squeal of disbelief and a flood of questions followed. We decided that each state must have a different fairy, so the workload would be manageable. And that her Tooth Fairy looks a lot like a hummingbird, which must be how she flies around undetected. The note and photo are now pinned neatly to her bulletin board and Songbird tells anyone willing to listen about what it’s like to lose your first tooth.