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The Second First Tooth

Usually the sequel isn't as good as the original, but this time it lived up to the hype and then some.

It's always tough to follow a classic.

While many will make an argument for the 2nd movie, the 1st Godfather is widely considered the best.  Die Hard, Jurassic Park, and Terminator all dominate their successors, and even though they did have a Bogus Journey, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure is by far and away superior.

Locally, who could ever debate that the second or third injunctions against Chelmsford town officials were as good as the first?   I don't recall hearing of anyone.

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This is what has me so confused; the second installment rarely tops the first. 

But, #2 got his first tooth the other day and it was just as amazing of a feeling as when it happened with my older son, if not more.  This isn't meant to take anything away from my 3 year old's big milestone, but something was different this time around.

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Think about anything you worked hard at to accomplish and what it then felt like to finally achieve that goal for the first time.  Team championship, big promotion, final exam?  All of your blood, sweat, and tears finally yield the results you were working towards and you are on top of the world.  Then think about the way it feels when you repeat that same accomplishment.  You get that "hey, this wasn't a fluke" feeling.

That's what made this second first tooth so cool.  It was a major milestone in which I was proud of as a father, but this time I had something to compare it to.

Hopefully this is going to be a reoccurring feeling as time goes on.  Second first steps, second first word, second first haircut.  But, as with anything in life, there is always two sides to a coin.  There most certainly will be a second first trip to the hospital, a second first backtalk, and as we just re-experienced earlier this week, a second first bout with Croup.

The first tooth is special though.

I'm not sure why I like it so much.  Maybe because it's that initial signal that your baby is not going to be a baby forever.  Those first 6 months are really kind of Groundhog Day-ish when you think about it (the Hollywood version, not the Pennsylvania version).  Your child grows some, starts to experiment with different noises, and maybe even learns to roll over, but that's about the long and short of it. 

The first tooth, for me, is that initial non-baby indicator that makes you think:  "Oh yeah, this kid will get teeth and learn to talk, that's right." 

Whatever the case, the minute I saw that white cap I was riveted and proud all at the same time. 

The cool part was feeling this way for the second time. 

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