Pain in the Tooth

Dear Vinny,

I feel like the worst mother ever.

We were having a pleasant morning, horsing around on the bed, you and I. Daddy was in the other room starting his breakfast.

You were tumbling on the bed and I was trying to keep you from tumbling off. But I misjudged the distance and you fell right off the bed. You tumbled a full rotation and landed on your face!

You were screaming! I grabbed you and held you to my chest, trying to calm you down. At that point I saw the blood coming from your mouth. I thought you'd bit your lip or something so I tried to get a better look, but you were screaming bloody murder. I finally got a glimpse and saw that your left front tooth was jammed halfway back up into your gum. I called to Daddy and told him that we'd better take you to the doctor. He called the doctor's office and they told us to take you to the emergency room. So we decided to take you to Children's Hospital.

I tried to hold ice to your mouth but the pressure really made you hurt. We finally got to the hospital and saw a doctor, who said that your tooth would eventually descend on its own. He also told us to follow up with a dentist to make sure your growing permanent tooth bud hadn't been damaged. We were to take you home and put you on a diet of soft foods for the next week.

I am so sorry that this horrible thing happened to you. If I had the power, I would gladly have suffered that injury rather than you. I love you so much I can't bear to see you hurt!

Love,
Mommy