Graduation

Or maybe it would be better phrased as "crossing the threshold." Ava encountered a first that opened a new door for her. She lost her first tooth while we were in Italy! From her carseat in the car (behind me) she was carrying on about a loose tooth that I nodded and smiled about - totally thinking she was blowing things out of proportion as usual. Stevie was quick to reassure me that Ava was in fact telling the truth! A small trickle of blood and I looked back to see Ava pushing it almost completely out of her mouth with her tongue. Ew!

Snaggletooth!

Ava is our middle child. She constantly struggles with trying to fit in. When she acts like Victoria, we tell her to grow up. When she tries to be big like Stevie, we tell her she's not quite old enough. It is too often that we overlook her plight to find herself :( But for a brief moment in time.... she lost her tooth and stole the spotlight. Everyone was focused on the fact that Ava encountered a "big girl" moment! She's over the moon - already talking about a few other teeth that are loose.

Late that night, back in our villa at Bracciano, we tucked her tooth inside a KinderEgg container and put it under her pillow for the tooth fairy. Sometime late in the quiet night, she paid Ava a visit and $5 for her pearly white.

Oh the Ava!