They are growing up

The boys seem to be growing before my eyes.

Silas is now sleeping in a big boy bed. I have no baby in a crib now. 5 1/2 years of a baby in a crib and at one point two kids in cribs. Now it's over. We weren't totally planning on moving him but Silas showed his will and stamina the past few days. While in the States, someone was often, if not always, in the room with the boys when they went to bed. So he now wants someone always around. The first two nights in Mali, we put him in the crib and he cried. And cried. And cried. After 45 minutes or so, I went into the room and he showed me that he had thrown up. I had to take him out of the crib to clean it, thus he thought he won. He then showed me his foot. While crying, he apparently rubbed his foot on the crib (pack-n-play so the mesh sides) so much that it made a blister on his foot which then popped. Ridiculous. Next night, same deal. More throw up. Nap time too. If I let him cry it out, he throws up. So the third night here we tried the bed. He was cute about it. When we tried to put on his clothes or brush his teeth, he would run and jump on the bed so that he made sure we weren't going to take him away. He stilled cried but when we would enter to the room, he would run and jump back on the bed because he didn't want to be taken out of the room. This kid can survive on less sleep than his brothers (and us). He's not falling asleep until 9 or so and then waking around 5:30. But I seem to be going off subject. Regardless of the poor sleeping or not, he's sleeping in a BIG boy bed now!

And today, July 23rd, Dawson lost his first tooth! It's been lose for over a month. The last few days it's been hanging on by a thread. I've been asking him to let me pull it but he wouldn't let me. I just told him to wiggle it and wiggle it. This morning he was doing that and then came and handed me the tooth.

I asked him what he wanted from the tooth fairy. He chose a piece of gum. So it is under his pillow now. He was funny, though, prior to going to bed. He knew the tooth fairy was supposed to take his tooth. He started to cry because he was sad and said he would miss his tooth. I told him I could ask the tooth fairy if she could make an exception and let him keep his tooth. The conversation kind of went like this...

D: (crying) I don't want to lose my tooth. I'll miss it.

me: Maybe the tooth fairy can make an exception. I'll ask her.

D: Do you know her? (with great surprise)

me: yes (and I mean, I do, it's me)

D: have you seen her?

me: no, we just talk on the phone

D:how did you get her number?

me: they gave it to me when you were born.

So I went and "called" her and he was thrilled. (Now for those who fill like having a make believe person is wrong, sorry. We don't even do Santa really. But for some reason, the tooth fairy is one we will go with. )

He later asked me, as I was putting him in bed under the mosquito net, how the tooth fairy stayed safe from mosquitoes if she was up in the night. We decided she wears a net around her like a cape. :)

**** little update this morning.

Dawson loved his gum and that the tooth was still there. So cute to watch him and explain to Kenan that if he didn't want to give up his teeth to get his gum that she would let him keep it. Then he looks up at me to see if I think she'll be ok with it.

And maybe Silas isn't so big. He was up from 11:30 until 2 with me. I finally gave him to Brett. Decided when I thought putting blankets over his head might be a good idea that I should probably pass the buck to someone else. :) So something will change tonight.