One of Ellie's teeth has been loose for a long time now. I didn't realize how long it takes for the first tooth to fall out. I thought for sure it was going to fall out months ago, but it kept hanging in there. We did not want to pull it out for her, or pressure her to pull it out herself. In recent days, I did tell her she could try pulling a little and see if it still hurt at all, but she could still feel some pain if she tried to pull.
Tonight, however, I was pretty sure the tooth was ready to come out. I mean, look at it.
It's ready, right? I thought for sure that if she left it in, she would swallow it during the night. I tried to gently convince Ellie to pull it out, but without pressuring her. But she insisted that it hurt if she tried to pull on it, so I left her alone.
A few minutes later, she exclaimed with joy, and then ran into the bathroom. I guess she was checking out her new smile in the mirror.
She did it! Finally.