Julia Sims: The big sneeze

Our family is on high alert. This elevated status means a lot of hurry up and wait. And a lot of sneezing. Yes, sneezing.

A few weeks ago, the dentist told Will that his bottom tooth was loose and that if he sneezed, it might go flying across the room. Thus, the sneezing. I'm talking the big overdramatic fake sneezes followed by a quick dart of the eyes around the room to see if the tooth has shot out of his mouth.

It's funny how these things trigger old memories. The things we'd thought we'd forgotten. I remember my dad telling fantastic tales about loose teeth. The story of one of the pearly whites being swallowed at dinner. Or he would jokingly tell us he was going to tie a piece of dental floss on our tooth and then tie the other end to a door knob and slam it shut. He swore that would do the trick. What it did was horrify me! Now, we've spun those tales into our own and told Will as he laughs and laughs.

I'd forgotten what a big deal it is to lose your first tooth. My husband, who didn't shed a tear when Will went off to kindergarten, told me the tooth may be enough to make him cry. I understand. It's yet another milestone, another sign our little boy isn't going to be little much longer.

But, in the meantime, we have the sneezes and the images of a crazy tooth flying across the room. Perhaps one day Will will be telling his own son a tale about that.