Messing with the Tooth Fairy...

Meet Ralph.

Ralph is our family cat.  I never had a cat as a pet before, and him having been a part of Eric's family before we moved in together, I've adopted Ralph as my step-cat along with all the other children.

Ralph is a rescue, is actually very old, and he had not seen a vet since Eric adopted him out of an animal shelter.  My first order of business, as soon as the families merged, was to get Ralph to our vet for a "Well Cat" check-up.  In fact, mostly Ralph was very healthy, but his teeth and gums were in terrible condition, necessitating surgical intervention.  That actually happened this last Wednesday.

On the same Wednesday, Miles had an especially bad day at school.  He is a charming and intelligent boy, but very insecure and suddenly in a new school where he is having to make friends all over again.  Because of what happened that day, Eric & I decided to meet him after school and surprise him with a "picnic" in the park across the street including ladybug cookies.  We talked and laughed and talked some more.

At one point, Miles expressed concern about Ralph, and we assured him that he was out of surgery and just fine.  He had two teeth taken out and I would pick him up and bring him home later in the evening.  Once Miles learned about the tooth extraction, he was all smiles.  "Can I have one of his teeth to keep in my bedroom in a jar?" he asked.  I immediately called the vet's office on my cell phone; the front office girl was confused by my request, but when I retrieved Ralph later that evening, sure enough.  One back molar, bloody root stump attached, was awaiting me in a pill jar.  Mission accomplished.

Last night, Miles was feeling a little insecure again, so I accompanied him to bed and sat talking with him for a while.  I asked him where he put Ralph's tooth, and he pointed it out to me on his desk.  I asked him if he might like to put it somewhere for the Tooth Fairy to find, but he immediately announced that he did not believe in the Tooth Fairy.  Of course.  Miles has three older siblings who ruined that story line for him early.  But eventually he started smiling and admitted that it wouldn't hurt to sleep with it under his pillow, just to see if anything happened.

So this morning, I emerged from our bedroom, still feeling ill from the night (oy, don't ask), and Miles was up and about in his normal high spirits.  I asked him what had happened.  He looked confused.  I reminded him that we had put Ralph's tooth under his pillow then and he got very excited.  He went running into his room to see what he would find.  And when he came back, he was all laughs as was his big sister Gabby who had seen what the Tooth Fairy had left.

and

Tooth Fairy picture snagged from Garden of Whimsy on Etsy at http://www.etsy.com/shop/gardensofwhimsy .  I've purchased quite a bit from this site, and everything she makes is high quality and lovely.  If you need hair ornaments, go visit this shop.  You won't be disappointed.

Geez.  For somebody who doesn't exist (per Miles), the Tooth Fairy sure can get cross!