Well, it’s official. Our precious daughter, has unfortunately inherited both my “hopelessly clumsy” gene and Keith’s “semi-serious accident-prone” gene (not a good combination, in case you were wondering). She has had a loose front tooth for almost a month now. Actually, I was starting to wonder when the heck the thing was going to come out, and Claire’s been anticipating that big occasion for weeks.

The day came Friday. But not as any mother would envision. Claire tripped on the sidewalk immediately in front of our house, fell directly on her mouth somehow (no other injuries except to her mouth), got two big fat lips and you guessed it–she knocked out that loose front tooth. And BONUS! She also knocked the other front tooth so loose that the dentist insisted we extract it later that day. Claire, bleeding like a faucet (scaring me to death and rendering me nearly useless as a parent for a few minutes!), eventually realized that she had just lost her first tooth. Her hysterical tears turned instantly to… GIGGLES. As I rushed her to the emergency room with her fat lip and dangling other-tooth, she was giggling fat-lipped and clutching her treasured knocked-out tooth, boasting to absolutely any stranger in sight (even the Japanese security guard on duty at the front gate), and asking repeatedly if she’ll get more money from the tooth fairy for losing her teeth like this. Indeed, she did. Smart kid. I couldn’t bear to photograph her with the fat lips, so I’ve let them calm down the last couple days and I surely hope you enjoy the toothless version of Claire here. She might look like this for a couple years, since she lost them way too early!! C’est la vie! (At least, that’s MY life.)