My daughter lost her first tooth before she came to us. Ironically, it occurred during one of our weekly phone calls to her foster home as we were getting to know the kids long distance. So, in a way, we got to participate in that first, but it was not the same as witnessing it in person.

For what seems like weeks, my youngest son has been giving us almost hourly status reports on his loose tooth. It's been wiggly; very wiggly; really, really wiggly...you get the idea! Today, however, after many false alarms, he finally lost his first tooth! Man, oh, man, was he ever excited! In our family, we don't do the whole Tooth Fairy thing, instead, we allow the children to pick out something from the toy store.

Piggy-backing on yesterday's post, it's so interesting to go through milestones with your children. With our biological son, we got to see his first teeth arrive on the scene, as well as be there when it came out. We got to see him eat his first solids, take his first step, get his first haircut, and all those wonderful milestones. We missed all of that with my two youngest, so days like today are thrilling!

At the same time, I am acutely aware that my gain is another's loss. I've been snapping away, taking pictures for my son's birth family, so they can share in this milestone. Yet, as I experienced with our daughter, I know it's not the same, but still I have to try.

Days like these are halcyon, yet bittersweet. Bittersweet for the reasons I stated above with our son's birth family, and bittersweet because of the reminder that these days are fleeting, and time is swiftly passing. Our son is getting older, and soon the milestones will be getting a learner's permit, getting married, and having his firstborn!

Photo credit: 2008 Marie Stroughter