My House; a published work by Ava Bittinger

When I told Ava our house was going up for sale and that people might come by to take a look, she seemed puzzled.  She asked how people will know about the house and how they might decide they want to see the inside.  I told her that photos were published on the computer and sometimes in magazines that people look at when they are searching for new homes.  My inquisitive Ava got hung up on the word published. 

Sophia had been playing with the Hello Kitty Polaroid camera, taking  aimless photos, but occasionally capturing a gem or two, mostly of the cat.  Apparently, this inspired little Ava to start a project.  She set out to document her house.  Five minutes later she presented her images. Thankfully, the camera was low on film. With the sheer determination of a six year-old, she asked me to please put them, "in one of those magazines."  Now I was puzzled.  How was I going to get a 1st grader's project published and help my daughter accomplish her goal?  All I could think of at the time was what the next logical step would be.  That is, if Ava really was the William Randolf Hearst she was dreaming to be! 

I wasn't sure what to do exactly, I needed to buy myself some time.  Sophia had found more film, and Clover the cat's modeling career continued. I briefly discussed layouts and titles and left Ava to move forward.  Soon, Ava requested some Scotch tape and in no time at all came up with this spread.  

"Can you publish it, Daddy?  Please?"

"Umm...?" 

 Hopefully, this posting will be sufficient.  I think she'll be super proud; maybe even as much as I am. 

The Tooth Fairy

Ava lost her first tooth a few weeks ago.  She was bound & determined to yank it out of her jaw as soon as possible, regardless of the pain.  Once she accomplished her goal she proceeded to prance around the house with the tinny-tiny tooth.  It didn’t take long for her to drop on the thick shag-like carpet that covers our living room.  Or, perhaps it was on the couch, or in the hallway, or on the stairs?  She couldn’t really tell us for sure.  Nevertheless, we assured her that the Tooth Fairy would solve this pressing issue for us and deliver her goods.  Sure enough, the next morning there as 35 cents in her pillow case.  We explained it was such a low amount because the fairy had to work extra hard just to find the tooth!

A few days later was a Friday night when Mom was out of town for work.  We searched the TV for a movie for us all to watch. A month earlier I had turned on Sunset Boulevard, the 1940s classic about an aged silent film start who had gone made, thinking they’d be asleep from boredom in minutes.  To my surprise, they were both captivated throughout.  This time as we searched the On Demand menu, The Tooth Fairy popped up and I clicked to investigate further.   I had little recollection that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson had stared in a movie where he turned from pro hockey player to Tooth Fairy, but the kids were all for it.  He was called the Tooth Fairy by fans because he had a reputation for knocking opponents’ teeth out!  Ava was captivated by every scene. 

Not long after, two more teeth became loose on the front row of Ava’s lower jaw.  We told her she’ll soon have to speak like Elmer Fud since her tongue will have nothing to press against.  Ava managed to not to lose the second or third teeth she lost and has noticed their earning power rise as a result.  She’s now approaching expert level at using dental floss to help yank out loose teeth.  Sophia, of course, is getting more and more jealous about this subject each time it comes up.