School's (almost) Out!

This last week has been a big one for my Kennedy Grace.  Not only did she lose her first TOP tooth, she didn't swallow it! Which meant we finally had a tooth to leave for the tooth fairy.  The same day, she graduated from Kindergarten!!  Now that was a good day!

So all week long, we had really worked on this loose tooth of hers and it would just not come out.  By Thursday, it was barely hanging on to her gum and I just knew it was going to fall out at school.  I even sent a little baggie and a warning email to her teacher that the tooth was on the verge of falling out at any moment.  I told Kennedy to make sure to give her tooth to an adult if it fell out.  (Let me note that I normally would not be so super excited about losing a tooth, but she swallowed the first two.  The tooth fairy won't always take letters, she needs some proof!)  So Kennedy excitedly told me that she was going to give her tooth to Mrs Mattingly, her teacher.  Kennedy acted as though it would be the ultimate gift to give her teacher this tooth. lol   But I picked her up from school and I was disappointed that it was still hanging on.  We went home to start getting ready for graduation and of course, we had to brush our teeth.  I'll admit that I brushed pretty vigorously and Kennedy told me I was "so mean" but I reached into her mouth and came out with a tooth!  This was the first one she had ever seen after losing it and she was so happy.  But she broke my heart as she looked in the mirror and her new smile and said that everyone was going to laugh at her at graduation.  I assured her that would be the case, but she was still pretty upset about the whole thing.

So after we got the bleeding stopped, it was time to get dressed.  Kennedy wore the same dress I wore to my own Kindergarten graduation in 1987.  I'll be the first to say, she looked WAY cuter than I did in it.  I've asked my mom to find a picture of me in the dress, but here are a couple pictures of the new smile and her adorable dress before heading to graduation.



She always gives the better smiles with Nana & Papa

 We all head to graduation and Kennedy's teacher was SO excited that she had lost her tooth and told me that she had tried to pull it several times throughout the day.  I did find out that Kennedy's teacher had told her the tooth fairy brought more money if she lost a tooth on graduation---let's just say I'm glad I found that out! ;)  The graduation ceremony was ADORABLE. Some of the graduates got to go up on stage and say a Kindergarten poem.  Kennedy and I had been working on her line for about a week and she had it down perfectly.  My heart fluttered as each child said their line and passed the microphone to the next student.  Then, it was Kennedy's turn.  She began her line....and froze!   I could see from her face that she was overwhelmed with the crowd.  All her friends next to her were looking at her with hopes that she would be able to say her line.

Her best friend Kaia is in the blue dress and you can tell her friends were rooting for her!

 And then....she finished it!!!!  "T is for treats every Friday we earned" and you could hear a sigh of relief from the crowd.  Kaia even clapped for her when she said it.  It just melted my heart!  Then it was time for diplomas.  As each child was called up, their teacher would tell the audience what the child wanted to be when he or she grew up.  When Kennedy's name was called, I learned that she wanted to be a princess when she grows up. lol  It's so sweet how her little mind works.  She already is a princess, of course, so I guess she'll have to find a new career in the next 12 years!  lol 

I can't tell you how proud I was of Kennedy!  The difference between her at this graduation and last year's graduation is just not even comparable.  Last year she was this super shy child who just seemed overwhelmed with the whole concept of school.  This year, she was confident and proud of herself.  I would not change our decision to let her repeat Kindergarten at all.  It was the best choice I have ever made for her.  Just look at this confidence.....

After the ceremony, we went to dinner to celebrate then headed home.  Kennedy couldn't wait to put her tooth in her little tooth fairy pillow (which was also mine as a child).  She told me that she was definitely going to sleep in her own bed all night long so the tooth fairy would know where she was and where to find the tooth.  On Friday morning, Kennedy woke up and was excited to find money in her pillow--extra for a lost tooth on graduation day!  But suddenly, she was so upset and in tears.  She didn't understand where her tooth was.  I tried to explain to her that the tooth fairy takes it and leaves money--kind of like a trade, but Kennedy was heartbroken.  She wanted that tooth and she told me that she was not leaving any more teeth for the tooth fairy--even if that meant she didn't get money.  So needless to say, I couldn't send her to school so upset so I happened to "find" her tooth under my pillow.  Apparently, the tooth fairy thought that Mommy may want to keep it for her.  So now she has the tooth (which is put up in safe place) and the money.  She has wanted to look at it every day since losing it!  Whatever makes her happy, we'll do.  Even if that means making our own rules with the tooth fairy!