The Toto Washlet

Well the magic toilet is finally installed. We've both used it and have never felt fresher :)
Now to demonstrate how it works I've hired a model to sit on the can. Just kidding. Neither Stephen nor I were willing to post our butts on the blog so we'll just show you the function where the cleaning wand comes out (so you can clean it), but you'll get the idea. There's a front wash (for the ladies!) and a back wash (for both). Oh yeah, the seat is heated too... nice amenity! After you cleanse yourself, there is an air dry function as well. Not sure how long you'd have to sit there to be totally dry.
Here's the video:



You are all welcome to come over and try it out. To be honest, I was bit nervous at first, but now it's nice. The washlet retails for about $2200. If you'd like to get one I might be able to get you a discount :)
Remember, a clean popo is a happy popo.

This one is self explanatory...

Climbing on the "Mom Gym"

Tonight Jack and I had a good time goofing off and acting like wild animals. In fact here is a video that shows Jack crawling on the "Mom Gym." He looks a bit crazed, but it was a lot of fun.


Here is a really cute profile (at least I think so) of Jack... this was taken as he watched his favorite show, "Jack's Big Music Show."

I took him to the doctor this afternoon to make sure his hacking cough isn't bronchitis or anything else. Right now we're in the clear, but we did get a nebulizer to mist saline on him to clear up the congestion. Hopefully that will help. It should be interesting trying to get him to sit still for 5 to 7 minutes during his "treatment." I think I might do it while he's sleeping, otherwise I don't see it happening. By the way, the doctor thinks Jack's obsession with toilet paper is quite normal... no reason to worry.

B'Easter report

So the very first B'Easter was a raging success. Everyone had a good time, the food was spectacular and Jack entertained the masses. The only hitch of the evening was at the very end when the kitchen sink got clogged and all the men tried to fix it to no avail. (A plumber came today and rectified the situation)
Jack was entertaining everyone by walking behind this little push toy... Making silly faces with Grandpa Tractor...
and getting tickled by his great-grandmother...
and eating frosting off his mom's birthday cake...

Who Me?

Doesn't he just have a look on his face that says, "Who me?" Jack is getting more adventurous every day. From taking off quickly on his hands and knees to throwing things out of his crib to get our attention, he certainly is growing up before our very eyes. He did a great job during dinner last night, sat for almost the entire meal and ate a roll. Considering what he's been eating lately (nothing) that is pretty good. He also liked the frosting on my birthday cake, go figure!

Tomorrow is B'easter

Yes, it's a new holiday you've probably never heard of... but this was coined by Judy. It's a combination of Easter and Birthday... therefore tomorrow is B'easter. The drive today from Boston to Glens Falls was pretty decent. Jack slept all the way to Albany and then it was my job to wrangle my way to the back seat and entertain the little bugger for 45 minutes. By the end I had run out of props and was trying to keep Jack amused by letting him bite my sweater. Sounds odd, but it kind of worked.
Now Jack calls everything "D." That can mean everything from the dog to the cat to his father. If he likes it... he calls it "D." He's still trying to kick the latest cold but the lingering cough is just horrible. Now Stephen is sick too, and he has to travel next week. Not fun, not fun at all.
I kind of feel old by turning 36. It's like I'm in the latter half of the 30s which mean I'm that much closer to 40.
Pictures of the big day coming tomorrow... stay tuned.

Bathroom Update

So the master bathroom is looking mighty fine. Dad came over the other day and helped Stephen put in the self leveling cement and then tile the floor. Then they grouted the tub area...
Tonight Stephen and I grouted the floor. I was more like Stephen's slave. I was the one getting fresh buckets of water for the sponging process.

Now we (I use the word "we" loosely) have to put in baseboard and crown mouldings, install the magic toilet and wait for the Silestone countertop to come in. So hopefully we'll be done with this in the next 10 days or so and we'll finally have our bathroom back. Jack is not good at sharing. It's because he's an only child :)

Better Vacuum Video

Hey guys, just took some video today of Jack and the vacuum... just a bit longer and clearer... but still just as funny!


He's still kind of sick, but he's rebounding nicely.
Dad and Stephen tiled the bathroom floor today and then grouted the shower. It's looking really great. I was calling them Bob & Norm (This Old House). Stephen said he was Bob since he was good at observing whereas Dad was Norm and doing all the labor. I'll post some pictures tomorrow.

Jack is sick

I had to leave work early today and go pick up Jack because he's sick. Undoubtedly it's one of those germy kids at school that gave him the nasty cough and temperature, but who am I to point fingers? Anyway, when I picked him up I thought he just had a really, really, really bad case of bed head. Turns out Miss Vickie decided to turn my son into a punk rocker:
For some reason the red-eye fixer wouldn't work on his left eyeball so I had to leave them all red. Otherwise it made him look a little too evil. By the way, whatever was used to make the mohawk really worked. I couldn't squish it down for anything.
Jack is asleep now, but moaning. I can tell this is going to be a looooong night.

Jack Walked!

Another big milestone today! Jack took his first steps! He went from Grammy to me unassisted for at least 2 or 3 steps. Then when I got him to school he did it again. By the end of the week he'll be training for the Boston Marathon! I'll try to get it on video later tonight...

I'm Back!

I'm home from the spa. I have a lot to blog about, met a lot of interesting people, had some amazing spa treatments... but my biggest thing to report is that Jack is enamored with the vacuum. Apparently Stephen was vacuuming this afternoon when Jack decided that the canister was there to assist his walking. He was hanging onto the end and pushing the vacuum along. The funny thing is that there is a hepa filter at the end, so when Jack was pushing it along, the hepa filter was blowing air up into his face... causing his wispy hair to be blown around like a supermodel at a photo shoot. Grammy caught some of it on tape, but if either of them tell you the story, they'll start laughing hysterically... apparently it was something you really had to experience in real life. Take a look:

He Speaks...

Jack is amazing... he now can say a handful of words... and they include:

• Mum Mum
• Da Da
• Ball
• Bubble

Yes, I think that bubble is the most impressive of his wide vocabulary. If you blow bubbles at him he really does say it... I'm not kidding. When Grandma Rose was here last weekend she noticed it and Catherine at daycare confirmed it. He also looks at things when you say what they are... such as cat, dog, bottle, toy, diaper and blankie.

Right now I'm in the midst of planning for his big birthday bash on April 12th (invitations are being printed now). I want to make little goodie bags for the kids who come, but I'm trying to find some creative ways to do them. Also, should I have games planned, I don't want to get a clown... because they scare me.

Renovation Weekend!

Grandpa Tractor and Grandma Rose came this weekend to help Stephen with some master bathroom remodeling projects. The main goal was to get the tile in... we started out on a bad note, figuring out that the man at the tile store didn't sell us enough tile. We were 5 tiles short to finish the shower!
To give the men some peace and quiet, GR and I took Baby Man to Gymboree... it was great to have another adult with me to do all the heavy lifting! There are a number of activities to do at the class that involved lifting Jack up which hasn't felt so wonderful with my back pain lately. But I digress... but check out Jack's onesie.
By the time GT and GR left on Sunday (after losing an hour because of Daylight Savings) they had the shower pretty much tiled, the radiant floor heating all hooked up and ready to roll and a plan on how to get the rest done. Then Stephen painted, changed out the light, cleaned up and called it a weekend.
Do you like the tile border? I randomly found that at Home Depot and brought it home. Magically it matched our tile perfectly.

"A clean home improvement project, is a happy home improvement project." -SRF 3/08/2008
Stephen actually built this shelf for us to use for towels and other bathroom essentials (right now our new light fixture is sitting on it). He's almost as good as Norm Abram. Almost... well kind of close anyway.

Yummm... Spaghetti and Teeny Tiny Meatballs

Tonight I served Jack spaghetti and tiny meatballs... it's actually a meat sauce (Gerber) but the chunks looked more like balls. He ate off a spoon for a bit and then decided it was time to try it on his own. As you can see his aim needs to be improved, but his appetite is awesome... he ate almost the entire container. And what he didn't eat... his father did.

He's Eating!

Good news, good news. Jack is opening his mouth again when I come at him with a spoonful of food! For so long (I think at least a month) it has been such a struggle to feed Baby Man. But amazingly he's back in the baby groove and eating like he should be. On the other hand I've been stricken by the flu and haven't really eaten anything since Monday afternoon. It's so amazing how your appetite really just disappears when you're not feeling well. This is a good thing for me since I'm going to the spa for a couple of days with Donna next week, where I'll be having to squeeze into a bathing suit. Thrilling.

Jack in the Box

They always say that little kids like the box gifts came in better than the actual present....
...that saying holds true with little JRF. And he likes to taste the box as well.

Jack's Got Moves

Jack takes after his mother when it comes to his dancing ability. Check out his dancing this morning while watching his favorite show on Noggin. He gets a little shy when he realizes he's movin' and groovin' on camera! (Yes, I know he's not supposed to watch tv, but this show is all about music. How could that be bad?

So he's got another tooth coming in. And now he chomps all four together, almost like grinding them. The sounds drives Stephen and me nuts. We're yelling at him to make him stop, but he just carries on, completely unaware of our issues.
And this may be due to the teething, but Jack is still on a hunger strike. He drinks his formula and basically picks at his food. I truly can't remember the last time he ate an kind of decent meal. I've been trying everything! From meatballs to ravioli to turkey to a variety of fruits... no good. That is 'til tonight! Tonight I chopped up a mango and he devoured it! Woo hoo! I think he likes the mango because I ate so many of them while I was pregnant. So now I have to chop some up for him to take to school tomorrow.
Stephen is working on remodeling our master bathroom. The room is completely demolished. Check it out:

Did you know my birthday is on Easter? Yep, me and Jesus. (fyi - I know that Easter is not Jesus' birthday, stop worrying)