Finally! The tooth has come out. Keith pulled it out tonight right after dinner. Papa and Curly were here to witness the big event. Elise had a nervous smile on her face as she watched. I saw Sam process the idea that his tooth was actually out and I could tell he wasn't sure if it was really real. It is something he has been wanting for so long. Then we dove in to several emotions over the next hour. First there was shock and then excitement. Then a little disbelief that the tooth fairy would actually be coming to our house tonight. I took a mental movie of the discussion between Elise and Sam about what the tooth fairy does with all the teeth that are collected. They still believe that there is magic in the world. I love that. Then Sam started to worry that it felt weird without his tooth and wondered if his mouth would always feel weird. Then he said he missed his tooth. Excitement came back and he ran to put the tooth under his pillow. After Papa and Curly left, he started talking to me about his old tooth and he started to look sad. His lower lip started to quiver and he started to cry. I held him and he told me he thinks he misses his tooth. Then he said, "I think I just want to be zero again. Will we get to be zero again when we are in heaven?" Poor guy - he is worried about aging. Me too. I wish he could be zero again too.