My William has a loose tooth! Yes. He asked us to call him William. Not Will. William. I asked him if it was going to bother him if other people shortened it….which he totally understands. He said “I like both. I just like William just a little bit better.” So William it is.
And this loose tooth business is just plain stinking unacceptable. He is growing up into this boy that is fun and curious and figuring it all out and social but serious and always discerning. It’s like his temperament is one way – this sensitive and stoic little perfectionist boy that wants everyone to love one another and be good – and his desire is one way – always wanting to be with people….gaining energy from making them laugh and being silly. Sometimes they go hand in hand….watching him with his baseball buddies, he is constantly trying to be a good friend…and sometimes they collide…like when his silly faces give way to deep thoughts. It’s fun to see him grow and figure these things out. When to be silly and when to be serious. It’s like watching a little clock find it’s gears and tick forward.
I told him that I wanted to be sure to get a photo of his smile before his tooth fell out and he decided we would do a whole series of photos. He was the art director on this one. He only wanted to smile and be silly…but I did manage to snag a couple of his serious face 🙂 He really likes being in front of the camera but he gets nervous. He will tell me things like ‘wait just a second…I’m itchy all over.’ or ‘hold on mom I need some gum before we take a photo’. Oh man does he make me smile 🙂
For those that have been reading for a long time….can you even believe that this is the same baby!? I mean. HE’s A BOY! and he’s huge! And he’s got a million freckles now! And now I gotta go sew a tooth fairy pillow (any suggestions on how to do this tooth fairy business would be greatly appreciated! What do kids even get these days? A quarter? A dollar? An iPad?
Those freckles though!!! What a handsome young man!!!!
Great pics. LOL, where is the toothless pic?
Congrats on the loose tooth Your boy is such a cutie. He reminds me a lot of my little girl.. She’s also six and has the cutest freckles across her nose. Somehow, my six year old has already lost eight (yes, EIGHT) teeth!! Changes the smile so so much, but still cute as ever.
Love your blog!!
xoxo
Jenn
Hi Katie!
We have a pillow we hang in the living room (so the tooth fairy won’t wake anyone up). Each tooth gets a gold dollar coin at our house. The golden coins are a big hit! Have fun!
Oh my goodness! He is so stinkin’ cute! Great pics!
That is not the same kid – no way – where did baby will go? There is one picture in there – a close up with a smirk – where he looks like a high school senior. What?!?!
For a kid that gets nervous in front of the camera, he sure looks like a natural!
The first tooth is special and the Tooth Fairy should keep that in mind! 🙂
We weren’t expecting my daughter to get her first loose tooth and lose it 3 days later while we were visiting my family out of town over Christmas. Fortunately, we were able to visit the bank on Dec. 23rd and got 5 gold dollar coins. For the first tooth we also had the tooth fairy write her a note about brushing her teeth, explaining that the first tooth was a big surprise and reward and to let her keep the tooth so she could show relatives. When we got back home, she lost another one so I whipped up a tooth shaped pocket out of felt and attached it on a small homemade pillow for her(since I was back with my craft supplies. And now she gets $0.50 per tooth.
Swoon, what a sweetie! I can’t believe how grown up he is now! You should take his senior photos in the same location and put them side by side.
OMG those last three close ups are AMAZING.
I have my own William and we’ve called him William from day one and I always worry that he’ll think we’re old fashioned or something. But your William is making me feel better about it! : )
Any tips on how to get a natural smile out of kids other than acting a fool??
Our tooth fairy brings gold dollar coins. We have a small little treasure box (like a pirate box) that they keep them in. My oldest is almost 12, and he still likes to add his gold coins to his box. I like to think they can keep them for a long time, and not just go spend the money on more candy.
omg his freckles! and the hands in the pockets! love that he’s in denim and a white tee. will definitely have to replicate that photo when he’s graduating!
These are amazing and what a handsome little man you’re raising! He looks sweet and fun and every bit as wonderful as you describe him. xo
Oh my goodness. He is such a handsome boy! And has such a beautiful heart. Good job you guys
I LOVE when other mom’s ask for tooth fairy advice; it gives me the chance to pass on what a wise friend taught me…
When your baby looses his first tooth, don’t go over board with the money thing. It can be hard to rein that back in, and as a mom with multiple children, that’s a lot of dough!!! So, instead of a five dollar bill, the tooth fairy leaves a dollar coin and sprinkled fairy dust (white/silver/translucent glitter) under the pillow and all over the bed. The kids treasure the dollar coin above all else and think the fairy dust is extra special. Each of my kiddos raked handfuls of the special tooth fairy dust and put it in their hair and on their clothes before heading off to school each time. They are always so excited to show their friends!
As far as clean up (I was terrified!!), it wasn’t too bad. The first time they each wanted to sleep with the dust again the next night, but once they got in bed, it was too scratchy, so we grabbed the Hoover and sucked it right up. No need to worry about time for washing the sheets; it came right up. We also went with a larger cut glitter rather than fine so I wouldn’t have to worry about it being EVERYWHERE for months on end.
Good luck to you with your tooth fairy adventures!
This was a really beautiful photo shoot and I send my blessings to you for not showing the obligatory wiggly tooth shot because that creeps me out. I used to do that to my dad all of the time because he looked like he was going to be sick and now I get it. My apologies, Father.
What a beautiful boy! You can see his kind heart and loving, buoyant spirit in all of these shots. What a gift you’ve been given!
He is adorable!!! We just put our tooth in a little box that a piece of jewelry came in. It fits nicely under the pillow without being too bulky for sleep. The tooth fairy brings our boys 2 gold coins (Sacagawea Golden Dollar Coin) for each tooth lost. The tooth fairy went to the bank before any teeth actually fell out and got $20 worth of them and keeps them stashed away. She just has to remember to take a few with her on vacations because teeth LOVE to fall out when you aren’t at home. Our boys don’t spend them, they have been collecting them in a little jar. It makes for a sweet little memento from losing their teeth.
So cute! We do gold dollar coins for ours. For the first tooth they get 2 of them.
The freckle on his earlobe! How do you not nibble that all day long? When does it become inappropriate to cover your kids in kisses and nibbles? My two year old is a good sport when I “eat” her cheeks. Haha.
Oh my gosh! These photos are just the cutesttttt!! 🙂
Katie – to not even know you guys, my heart sure does swell with joy looking at this sweet face so full of light, innocence, and love. Love following your blog and hearing about your sweet family!
Ohhh he’s a cutie! I never had cash for the tooth fairy so one time they almost got a gift card!
our tooth fairy leaves a dollar (either paper or coin) with a first tooth (or a pulled out by the dentist) “bonus.” she also leaves a cute little receipt for the teeth she collects that she must have found on pinterest. i love it because it has the date on it. the dollar and the receipt get rolled up together with wax paper and a piece of twine in a bow around them. unless it’s a gold coin. then the receipt gets rolled the same way and set on top of the coin. also, there is glitter. white sugar glitter!!
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/ea/33/fd/ea33fdae61ee9ca03b444e6e2d442b95.jpg
Wow!! You have such a beautiful boy….or boys! They are all so beautiful and sweet! These pictures are fantastic…want to hop over to Iceland and take pictures of my boys?? Don´t think they would want it though…they both have a serious case of camera shyness and don´t like to have their picture taken…a bit like myself 😉
bhahahaha!
xo – kb
Sometimes I just ask him to do his silliest laugh…and he ends up cracking himself up 🙂
xo – kb
I’m definitely gonna have to do the glitter!
xo – kb
OMG it’s my favorite 🙂
xo – kb
WHAT?! I”M DYING!
xo – kb
It’s just loose…he hasn’t lost it yet 🙂 These are the before photos so that we can remember all those baby teeth!
xo – kb
Awesome pics. William! So grown up! My fav are those against the fence.
What a cutie! I’ve seen (on Pinterest probably) parents spray glitter on the paper money itself so it’s special tooth fairy money! Getting a roll of dollar coins ready is super helpful–you’re not likely to accidentally spend them, and they’re always at the ready for those teeth that pop out out of no where!
Here’s a glitter money blog link: http://www.mamacheaps.com/2015/04/tooth-fairy-ideas-glitter-money-gold-coins-and-tooth-fairy-receipts.html
Our Tooth Fairy brings special Tooth Fairy money: half dollar coins. Still only 50¢, but since they are not very common, it’s special. She also writes them a letter on her own stationery (typed to disguise Mom’s handwriting) which is left with the money in the tooth pillow. My guys are suddenly skeptical that I am the Tooth Fairy and have told me they’re going to leave their Kindles recording the room to try and catch me. Stop growing up so fast, my sweet boys! Your William is very handsome, Katie!
Those freckles just kill me! Way too cute. I have a William and he has always been William although his brother and sister call him Wonk!
These are amazing photos! William is precious & you have captured him beautifully. Thanks for sharing this special time with all of us.
Oh my…ADORABLE! I can just picture “William” wearing this exact same outfit when he’s 16!
(I agree – that little earlobe freckle is just TOO CUTE! )
I have been reading your blog since Will was my son’s age (a little over a year old). Not going to lie, this post made me tear up a little thinking about how fast the time goes! Wonderful photos, such an honor to see what a sweet, handsome boy he is growing into. You definitely have some skill with the camera as well. Thanks for sharing!
Great pics Mom. You have to do the same photo shoot senior year!
We do a Quarter. Four kids x however many baby teeth= $$$$
Sometimes I do dimes and a nickel or five nickels … They can count but still think they’re getting more lol
We give $10 for the first tooth and it “covers” for ALL the teeth so we don’t have to keep remembering each time they lose a tooth and the novelty has worn off.
What a handsome young man and his freckles are the best! He looks so grown up and so very tall. Wow, time sure does fly.
I’ll echo the comments about the $ coins. My girls (now 24 and 21) loved getting the coins. Just go ahead and stock up, since those teeth tend to fall out at their own schedule and not yours. And throw a few in your purse or glove box because sometimes it happens while you are traveling. $2 bills could make losing the first tooth fun too.
I thought these were cute and think I might actually be able to make one…….hopefully before the tooth becomes loose.
http://lesliesartandsew.blogspot.com/2011/08/hungry-monster-step-by-step-directions.html
http://justanotherhangup.blogspot.com/2011/04/manfred-tooth-pillow-pattern-is.html
He is just the most delicious (big) little boy!
Out tooth fairy leaves $1 (Australian), but has provided extra for teeth that have to be pulled — we are slooooow tooth losers. The fairy also always leaves a note thanking the kids for brushing so well and looking after the tooth so nicely. When I was a kid we had a tooth mouse who always left a note and managed to step in the ink so that there were little mousey foot prints across the letter. Thanks Dad 🙂
I can’t believe this is the same baby from when I first started reading your blog!!!
This really hits home as I watch my own three year old get taller, more thoughtful and grown up. It is both hard and such a wonderful privilege to watch them grow!
Bhaha! The boys are nanny-camera-ing the tooth fairy 🙂
xo – kb
Aww a tooth mouse is adorable!!!
xo – kb
We put our kids teeth in a little glass cup on top of our mantle. Our tooth fairy gives 5 bucks cause that’s what my husband got when he was younger. (I still think he’s crazy cause we have 5 kids!!!) I like putting the teeth above the fireplace because then we don’t have to worry about waking kids up. Also, it’s like Christmas morning when they,run out to see what the tooth fairy brought.
OMG, what a doll!!! Those freckles and eyes!!! He looks so much like you!
xx,
Sam
Oh my gosh! The first one of him leaning on the fence looks like it could be a senior picture! He is such a cutie! We always did gold dollar coins for the tooth fairy. My advice is to get about $30 worth and keep them in a box somewhere. That way, you’re never scrambling at 10:00 at night trying to find money.
Our kiddo has a tooth fairy pillow with the teeth in pictures on it and a blank where you can write in the date that the tooth was lost. Generally, when the tooth fairy comes, she leaves a small toy. Last week with tooth no. 4 it was a small lego kit.
They are growing way too fast. Great photo shoot.
We only gave a dollar per tooth, and our twist was making them into dollar bill origami. He LOVED it.
What a handsome little guy. Great photos.
our grandkids get a golden dollar, just ask at the bank and they usually have nice shiny ones! And your William is just perfect.
“William” has always been a beautiful child. But now, he is just so handsome!! Great pictures. I love this kid’s personality, too. And being your first, I know just how special he is to you. Great husband material for my granddaughters! Lol! I have always loved his freckles and smile. So glad you captured him like this before his new teeth make him look older.
William looks so much like his daddy now. And the first picture where he is standing against the fence; oh my! He looks just like a model! I could imagine him modeling for GQ when he is older.
Lots of keepers in these pictures. I know you will cherish them.
Anne
Love the pictures!!!
Our tooth fairy brings $2 bills because only the tooth fairy has those 😉 And our tooth fairy sprays them with glitter spray. My oldest is almost 9 and still love the glitter money.
Wonderful pictures! You did such a great job! And of course he is just beautiful! My brother’s name is Jerome; and when people called him Jerry; he just said, my name is Jerome. Now; as an adult; his name is Jerry. But I still call him Jerome; as does most of the family. My grandson’s name is Matthew and his sister, Annabelle. We use their full names.
Love these pictures!
Also, I love all of the ideas in the comments! We will probably be there before too long. We were gifted a ‘tooth fairy pillow’. I figure we will put it on the door and she will get $1 of some sort, maybe a coin. Not sure if we will keep that up for all the lost teeth. I like the idea of a note ‘thanks for brushing’
The pictures made me tear up! What a sweet boy you have. I have been following your blog since before he was born. I can still see a little bit of that baby face though!
Forgive if someone has mentioned, but a roll of gold $1 coins is $25 — enough for the full mouth of teeth plus $1 extra. We bought a roll at the bank when the 1st tooth was loose for both kids and that way we never are lacking the correct amount of money. The gold coin has some excitement since kids never saw them in use. Although the origami idea above would be a hit, too!
Like others – we use a pillow that the fairy leaves a sparkly note about what a nice tooth it is and the fairy encourages brushing and flossing.
We read the tooth fairy book we have (one for each child – I think it’s from Hallmark) each night we lose one, which also has a great tooth log page at the end of it that the child records the date, the tooth location and what the fairy left. Kids always remember to dig out the book which helps me remember to actually “be” the tooth fairy. Trust me — with 4 kids, you will start forgetting as they are in the 6, 7, 8, 9 y.o. range and get called out on it otherwise 🙂
What stunning pictures! I’m always in awe of your portraits, do you mind sharing what lens you use? And any tips and tricks, there’s not one shadow on his face!
Oh these pictures are beautiful. You have to do these again when he graduates from high school. Same place, pose and clothes.
As far as the tooth fairy goes, just remember that he will loose 20 teeth. X that by 4 kiddos and you have a fortune of tooth fairy money. The night (right before bed) my oldest daughter lost her first tooth, we weren’t expecting it. Don’t ask me why, we just weren’t prepared. We realize early in the morning that we forgot to put the money out and were like a crazy people looking for $. We only had a $10 bill so gave that to her. Now both kids get $10 for Every. Stinkin. Tooth. So my advice is to decide what amount will be given and stash a bunch of them somewhere safe. So when the time comes, your not handing out $10 bills like morons.
Also, some people do tooth fairy dollars. I’ve seem them online. Maybe give those out and have them trade it in for an experience or toy? Have fun! We’re getting to the end of this stage and I really miss them being so little.
Been reading along for a while…I also have a William (Will). Just wanted to tell you that he is gorgeous and these pics are beautiful!
Good grief, where did the time go! He looks so grown up! And I have to echo what others have said about repeating this photo shoot, but I would do it when he becomes a teenager and again when he graduates!
In our freckled family we call the coveted earlobe freckle the chocolate chip – it’s a point of pride for those who have one – all hail the chocolate chip earlobe!
That is amazing…and I am stealing it 🙂
xo – kb
This was with the 85mm but I would use a 50mm for portraits too. And the key to no shadows is putting the light either behind him or in front of him and do it during the twilight hour.
xo – kb
hahahaha! Oh Vee! I would give you my teeth for ten bucks 🙂
xo – kb
My kiddo just lost his first tooth. I made him a tooth fairy pillow that is like a little purse. It hangs on his door, so his tooth doesn’t get lost in the bed. (He tosses and turns at night). This means the tooth fairy doesn’t even have to tiptoe in his room.
I also did a receipt. So it had space for a special note (first tooth) and the tooth fairy wrote that he got a bonus for his first tooth. He got 5$ in a silver dollar, a gold dollar, a paper dollar, four quarters, and two 50 cent coins. He was so excited that they were all different because he had never seen the coins.
Next tooth he will get 1$.
Oh my gosh– he is so grown up! I’ve been reading your blog for years and cannot believe he is the baby from when I started reading! So handsome!
We have 2 kids and a pirate tooth fairy pillow that was gifted to my son when he was young. We now use it for my daughter too. For the first lost tooth, we gave more money. Maybe $5? I don’t remember but any teeth after that we gave $1. If it was time for a new toothbrush or toothpaste, I’d pull one out of my stash and leave that too. They always loved a new Superhero or Hello Kitty brush more than the $1!
For our kiddos they get whatever random change I have! Haha! It’s so fun for them to count it out. Sometimes it’s over $1, sometimes it’s not! But they love the randomness of it and it feels like more money because it’s just a bunch of coins. I bought a tooth fairy money tin off of etsy for my daughter. Super cute!
Ah….these are such great photos! Such an adorable boy & I’m loving those freckles 🙂
You should totally do pictures of his class mates for Mothers Day! The mothers would sing your praises! Your so good!