Accidents

Well, unfortunately Leiden fell yesterday while running around in nursery and knocked out her top left front tooth. She now has this darling, gap-toothed grin, but it's years too early! We'll take some pictures today and put them up. She fell on a great big block toy and smacked her face just right, and now there is a big red line running from the middle of the top of her lip to her mid-cheek, where it ends in a bit of a bruise. The gums underneath look bad--all smashed up and dark red and black. Poor girl. She was so brave. She cried for a long time, and bled for even longer, but all seems to be okay. We're going to the dentist later this afternoon. They can't do anything for a baby tooth, but we need to make sure everything is going to heal properly. She slept fine last night, and woke up happy, and even said it didn't hurt today. She keeps trying to bite things like normal, and I have to keep reminding her to break things up and put her bites in her mouth with her hands. (I can just see her stabbing the spot with her fork--no utensils!)

I'm just sad, more than anything. I know it's ridiculous, but she's never going to look the same! I sat on the couch in the church lobby while our ER doctor friend made some calls about what to do, and cried right along with Leiden. I know there are far worse things that can happen to change how your child's face looks, and it all feels very irrational, but I can't stop the feeling. I also know that it will get better as we get used to how it looks, and soon we won't even notice, but I sure do now!

My dear friends are the nursery leaders and they were rather distraught. I would be, too if that happened on my watch, but it's no one's fault. Leiden was just doing what kids her age do, and that includes not listening when asked not to run! The upside is that we told Leiden about the tooth fairy, and we're going to put the tooth under her pillow tonight and she can have a surprise tomorrow. (We would have done it last night, but it being Sunday, we couldn't go out and get anything--money doesn't matter to her, yet, so we told her the tooth fairy doesn't come on Sundays. Really, it's amazing where you can slip in gospel lessons.) We'll post some pictures later.