A Tooth is Lost, A Skunk Crosses the Road and a Birthday is Anticipated

or, Marley's Big Week.

This week Marley has or will experience the following three things:

1. Her first tooth came out. On Thursday, she bit into a waffle and it caused her to notice that one of her lower teeth was loose. This caused a lot of distress because she needed assurance that it wouldn't hurt, there wouldn't be too much blood and she wouldn't get sick from swallowing blood. Teeth brushing was a problem. She generally refused. Arghhhh!!! The best part, though, is that because we took the last minute trip to Vegas, Daddy was there when she woke up at 3:30 this morning to say her tooth came out. Someone asked me how her tooth came out at that hour and probably, if my knowledge of my daughter is somewhat accurate, she woke up at that hour and was fiddling with it when it came out. Tonight, she sleeps blissfully with a new tooth fairy envelope tucked under her pillow (curtesy of Grandma Bogan.) I chose not to give her a $5 bill like some of her friends have received and instead, she will get a one dollar bill, one quarter, one dime, one nickel and one penny. It seemed different without setting a standard that will break our bank over the next few years.

2. Every so often the pungent aroma of skunk wafts through our neighborhood. I've seen a couple wandering the streets at night but Marley, until tonight, hadn't had the pleasure. Joy of joys, as I turned right onto our street, a skunk stepped off the opposite curb. He crossed the street at exactly the right time for my headlights to shine on him. This was the perfect position for Marley to see him.

3. Finally, Marley will turn six on Friday. She is thrilled and the plan, as it stands, is to buy her a guinea pig. She wants a hamster, but I am not interested in a nocturnal creature. A guinea pig will sleep at night and tends to be more friendly. We are heading into the warm season, so I think we can avoid the common guinea pig ailment of pneumonia. We almost bought one a few months ago but never really pushed for it. Having recently hosted a hamster in our house for 24 hours, I got to see how much Marley really enjoyed watching Smoky roll around in his little ball. The clincher was my confirmation that they make guinea pig-size rolly balls. So, this time next week, you may be seeing a picture on this site of the newest member of our family. Given current naming trends, he/she will probably be named Myah, Paul or Smoky. Stay tuned.