The Tooth Fairy Stopped By

We finally crossed a hurdle that has been in our view for about a month now and Bryson cleared it with flying colors. I think for every child it is a special time to lose a first tooth, but for Bryson it was so much more than that.

When Bryson first started talking about his friends losing their teeth he was adament about the fact that he did not want to lose his teeth. We tried to explain to him that all kids lose their teeth and they get new teeth. After a few conversations with Bryson we finally found out what the real problem was. He was afraid to lose his baby teeth because he didn't think it would grow back. Makes sense now coming from a child who lost his leg and it didn't grow back. To top it off his new leg is nothing like his old one.

Well that conversation was a couple months ago and it wasn't until last month when Bryson's tooth started getting loose. Bryson was pretty excited about it being loose since most kids in his class had a lost a tooth by now, but it changed one day after school. Bryson came home and said he didn't want to lose his tooth because a kid in his class said that it hurts and it bleeds. Again since Bryson's accident he freaks out at the sight of blood. If you remember way back just after Bryson's accident he was afraid to stand up or look at his leg for the first time because he was afraid to see "bleeds" again. He must have seen a lot of blood right after the accident. We tried to assure Bryson that if it bled there would not be much, but Bryson was not interested in anyone pulling out that dangling tooth. We were just hoping that he did not swallow the tooth while he was eating.

Finally the day arrived and I was so proud of my son. While he was eating breakfast on Feb 13th he just pulled that tooth right out. It sounds like he even shocked himself that he did it. There was just a little blood and he just wiped it really quick on his shirt. Since that day he does a lot of smiling and shows everybody the tooth he lost. He was, however, a little upset that the tooth fairy was going to take his tooth and that he would not be able to take it to school the following Monday, but that quickly subsided when Daddy told him what the tooth fairy leaves in exchange for the tooth.

This Mom is thankful that the dangling tooth finally came out, is thankful that there wasn't too many "bleeds", is thankful that the Tooth Fairy remembered to leave the quarters, and is thankful that we crossed another hurdle that day even if it was a smaller one.

Before

After

Bryson's New Smile!

Pictures of Skiing with Mommy

I know, I know I'm a little behind on the pictures to go with Beau's last post, but better late than never. Since Beau's last post Bryson has had a few more ski lessons and the last one went really well. Hopefully, we will get a few more lessons in before the snow is all gone and it gets warmer. (Sorry to all of you who have been praying for spring to come. I'm praying for at least another cold snowy month.:))

Beau is trying to remind me how to ski!

Somebody is starting to look a little confident here.

I'm pretty sure Bryson is rubbing it in that he beat me down the hill.

Can you imagine having there jobs and having to help Bryson every time he falls down?! Especially on the days when thinks it is fun to fall down. Bryson's teachers are amazing. They have so much patience!

I thought this picture did a good job showing you what it looks like when Bryson has the rope around his waist. It really does make him to most of the steering.

On the Slopes Again...

Since we last had a chat, Bryson's been on the slopes twice. Two trips ago we found ourselves right in the middle of a snowstorm. The drive home took us nearly two hours where it normally is just over one. Bryson looks forward to skiing each time. The most recent step forward is that Gary, his teacher, rather than tying straps to the front of Bryson's skis in order to help steer him, ties the strap around Bryson's waist. This allows Bryson to be in control of making the turns by himself. Standing 15 feet behind Bryson, all the teach does now is just make sure Bryson doesn't fly out of control down the hill. At the first of his two lesson, he started to enjoy falling so much that he wouldn't make a trip down the hill without falling and marking his spot in the snow.

We found the solution...bribery.

On our next trip MOMMY came along (she had nothing to do with the bribery). She was so excited to see Bryson, but terrified to get her skis on. We figured out that the last time she was on the slopes was February of 2002...before she knew she was pregnant with Bryson. On the way of the chair lift, she was appalled that I would even DARE not let her go down the bunny slope. Buuuuuuut, she made it...though dizzy once she made it to the bottom the first time (I don't think she took a breath the whole way down).

Enough about mom...now about the bribery.

Once we discovered again that Bryson was enjoying the falls, Grandpa Hummel pulled out his wallet. "50 cents if you make it down without falling." No problem. Before the next run, "$1 if you make it down without falling." No problem again. On the next run, the offer was $1 once again. Just as Bryson began down the hill he took a spill, without hesitation, you could hear him shout, "That didn't count!" Grandpa agreed, he really wasn't on the hill yet. Just as he began to start again, another accidental spill. "That didn't count!" Graciously grandpa agreed, this time with a chuckle. One more time, and he still isn't 20 feet down the hill, "That didn't count!" As soon as he was on his feet again, he made it all the way down and made his buck.

$2.50 in his pocket.

He still can't wait for the new pack of Pokemon cards.

Pictures from Ski Lesson #2

Believe it or not, sometimes Beau and I don't communicate very well. I didn't realize he had posted about Bryson's 2nd ski lesson until I looked at the blog like all of you. Don't get me wrong though, I'm glad he posted! So, here are some pictures from that ski lesson.

...and he's off on his own!

Bryson, distracted by somebody who had fallen behind him.

Watch him work his skiis!


After just two lessons - imagine how he will be at the end of the winter!