Baby Einstein

We went to the bookstore last night, and I bought some picture flashcards for Weezie. I picked out a few cards to work with her this morning, and she immediately learned "apple". It's so neat to see the difference in her cognitive abilities in just a short period of time. A few months ago, she probably would have repeated "apple", but not really learned the word as she did this morning. If I put several cards down and ask her to pick out the apple, she'll pick the right one and say "apple". She already knows banana, so I tested her by asking her to pick out the banana, and she guessed correctly!

On non-baby news, I was reading O (Oprah's mag) and found out about free workouts on ExerciseTV - it's a free video on demand channel offered by some cable providers like Time Warner. Who knew?!

It's like having access to a free library of workout videos since you can turn on demand, pause, etc. Weez and I did a short 10-minute pilates workout together this morning. She likes to copy my moves when I exercise (her squat imitation is hilarious!), and she loves to climb on me when I do floor work. Not good for my form, but it's fun :)

Vy Trump

On Saturday, one of my girlfriends and I drove to see the house I'm remodeling. I'm armed with a notebook and a digital camera so that I can start taking notes. We don't close until the end of the month, but the owners have given us copies of the keys so that we can start getting contractor bids. After driving down the street a few times and not seeing the house, I sheepishly call J.

"Um, what's the address of the house again?"

Once I get on the right street, I quickly find the house and we hop out. And I realize I forgot to bring the keys. So much for getting off on a good start.

In any case, it was good to get another look at the outside of the house and bounce ideas off my friend. I tell her about the crazy lady who lives next door - she had stopped J and said, "you know the house is haunted, right? It's filled with ectoplasm." Hmmm, yeah...

While we were chatting, a little old lady walked over from across the street. Ella has lived in the neighborhood for over 60 years, and she's known both respective owners of the home. Of course, I had to mention the neighbor saying the house was haunted. "Eh? Ecto what?" Not that I really thought the house was haunted, but Ella confirmed that no had died in the home and that yes, the neighbor was crazy. Side note: when I mentioned this to J, he told me I should never ask if someone died in a house since once I know, I'd have to disclose it when selling. Ah, so much to learn!

Calgon take me away

For my birthday last year, J gave me a gift certificate for a day at Fiori. Since my birthday is coming up again in a few weeks, I finally booked an appointment before the certificate expired.

OMG, why have I not gone there sooner? I'm not really a spa person (i.e., I like them, but I don't go very often), but this was definitely the nicest spa to which I've been. I'm really picky about...uh...hygiene, and I usually find some fault. Usually something minor like the towels not being quite plush enough for the amount of money I was paying. OK, that's not really a hygiene thing, but one of my typical "Gawd, you're so picky" complaints. I never actually complain because I realize it's no big deal - only J knows me enough to perceive that split-second flash of my nose wrinkling.

The owner is a business acquaintance of J's, and he built the building from the ground up. Even though it's a new building, it manages to exude an "old-world" Mediterranean feel. It even has a grotto with hot tub/pool! This is impressive since basements are unheard of in Houston. I can't say enough of the experience - everyone was helpful and sweet without being fake/overbearing. In between sessions, you could lounge in the "quiet room" or use the pool, hot tubs, or steam rooms. I had a wonderful massage, facial, manicure, and pedicure. It was incredibly relaxing, although every once in a while I would start, panicking, "Where's Weez?!" before I'd remember she was with J for the day. Of course I've had days away from Weez before, but never just a day of just quiet tranquility.

Some friends and I are going to the Arizona Biltmore in November for a spa weekend. I was excited about going before, but I'm looking forward to it even more now that I've had such a wonderful spa experience. It figures that I'd now become a spa junkie once I became jobless, LOL.

Mas palabras

Weeze learned two more phrases in Vietnamese while on vacation with my parents:

• hut roy - hết rồi (all gone - shakes her hands while saying this)
  
• wang rack - quẳng thùng rác (throw trash in the trash can. If you tell her "quẳng thùng rác", she'll repeat it, walk to the garbage can, and then throw whatever she has in her hand away.)
  

My little bilingual baby!

Moms gone wild

About once a month, some friends of mine and I go out for a girl's night out. Since three of are moms, it's usually pretty low key. Our usual haunt is the bar at La Griglia, although last time we ended up at JR's, a local gay bar. Since Weezie goes to bed at 8, it works out well since I leave after she's gone to bed and I'm usually back by the time she wakes up (I always sleepover at A's after we go out).

Last night we didn't end up getting to La Griglia until 10:30 and the restaurant bar closes at midnight. I managed to drink three grey-goose tonics and two Kamikazie's that were sent over to the table before we left. I didn't feel too tipsy last night, but this morning I felt like crud. I don't know what's worse, the headache, or knowing that I had about 900 calories worth of drinks, LOL.

In any case, I still had a lot of fun. While I love being Weezie's mom and wouldn't trade it for the world, it's nice to be out once in while with just other adults.

I can taste the margaritas now...

As we were driving to my parents' house for the requisite weekly Weez visit, I was thinking about how summer was coming to an end and we had yet to make a trip to the beach (a real beach, i.e., NOT Galveston). By the time we arrived, I had already mapped out a trip for the whole family - my parents, sister, Weez and I renting a condo in South Padre for a week, and J joining us for 3-day weekend (work's too hectic right now for him to take a full week off). Everyone thought it was a great idea, so I immediately made arrangements for the condo and flights for J and one of my sisters (who has to return early to start back at work August 8).

Interestingly enough, because of the last minute plans, I ended up booking the same condo we used to go to on our family vacations in Padre when I was a kid. I'm excited since I love going to the beach, and it'll be fun to spend time with my family and vacation with them as an adult. Not to mention the 24/7 access to free babysitting :)

We're leaving next Tuesday and driving to McAllen to visit my Aunt and her family for a day before moving on to South Padre (1.5 hour away from my Aunt's home). It's about 5 hours to McAllen, so I'm a bit worried about Weezie being in the car so long. Luckily, she will have my mother and sister in the car to be at her entertainment beck and call. Her last long trip was when she still a wee babe and we were trying to leave Houston to avoid Hurricane Rita. We were in the car for 7.5 hours and traveled 25 miles - not something I'd like to ever repeat. Hopefully this trip will be a might less stressful.

In other news, J found a property in the Heights that's perfect for flipping. We drove by together on Sunday and made an offer. The owner accepted, and we should be closing August 30th. Woohoo! Now, normally I wouldn't get terribly excited since J does this pretty regularly, but we've decided that this flip will be my project. I've wanted to get more involved, and now I actually have the time to do so. The house needs top to bottom work - rewiring, sheetwork, the whole shebang. It's a small house, though, so I'm hoping I won't get too overwhelmed. Obviously I'm going to rely a lot on J's experience for the contractor negotiations. I can never hope to be as good as he on financial negotiations, but I think I'll hold my own as far as cracking the whip and getting things done. Famous last words?

Birkenstocks come in different colors, right?

Weezie's shoes were getting snug, so off we went to Stride-Rite to get some new sandals. It pains me to buy shoes there (their average baby shoe is $40), but they have the best selection of wide width shoes for children. While I don't see the resemblance when everyone tells me she looks like J, she most definitely got her father's feet. J just got a pair of tennis shoes in 14EEEE. Yes, that's 4 E's.

They had a bunch of the cutest sandals on sale, for about half off original price - I was stoked! We got a few 6W's to try on and... they were too narrow. Yes, my baby needs Extra-Wides.

They only had one pair of sandals in XW, not on sale of course. So $45 later, we left with the most boring, plain white sandals in the store. I know it's ridiculous, but I was sad because she couldn't get the cute shoes with flowers or the ones with flashy lights (she would have loved those!). I'm a shoe horse (I probably have a hundred pair;I've lost count), so I became even more sad when I started to think about how she'd have a hard time finding shoes when she's older, when she'll actually care.

Yes, I realize that I should just be happy she's a healthy, happy baby...and that she has a really stable base, LOL.

The good ones always are....

I am devastated. I just found out from reputable sources (the Internet) that my boyfriend, Anderson Cooper, is gay. This ranks up there with finding out George Michael is gay ("George, not George! But I wanted to marry him when I was a teenager!")

With as many gay friends as I have, it's obvious gaydar is something you're born with and can't cultivate.

Off to sulk now.

Bueller? Bueller?

I wonder if anyone reads this blog - I think I have 2 readers, LOL. I guess it would help if I actually let people know I have a blog.

I took Weezie to her first music class at Gymboree (she's had music classes before, but not at Gymboree). As she normally is when she's around new people, she was very shy and wouldn't leave my lap. She wouldn't sing or clap along to any of the songs because she was too busy staring down the other children and teacher. Part of me (the hypercompetitive, Type-A part) wanted to scream out, "She sings all the time! And dances! Oh, you should see her dance! Did I tell you she raps?", but I think I managed to be encouraging without pushing her too much. I hope once she's gone to a few classes she'll open up more - the daycare told me she loved Music & Me (the music classes she took once a week), and she stops in her tracks when music shows come on TV.

After class, I went to Ikea to pick up a little kid's table/chairs so she'd have a place to color (other than the wall, which she's already done). I made the mistake of trying to put it together while Weezie was still awake. As if putting together Ikea "furniture" isn't frustrating enough, Weeze ripped the instructions to shreds and then insisted on helping. Let me tell you there are few things scarier than a 1 1/2 year old coming at you with a hammer in one hand and a screwdriver in the other. An hour later, I finally had it setup and immediately regretted my decision to buy a table from Ikea. I don't think it's going to survive the WMD (Weasel of Mass Destruction). I can't wait until we're back in a house so that I can buy real furniture again.

Speaking of the house, we drove by the lot yesterday. They've cleared off the old house on the property and have started building out the alleyway. The existing alleyway is just grass and not level, so we're leveling, paving, and installing a drainage system. We're started about two months later than planned, but surprisingly, my blood's not boiling yet. Because of our last building experience, I went in expecting delays, and I know that there will be many more to come. It helps that I do like living where we are now. The location is fantastic, and I love never having to park my car. If we had more space, I could live here indefinitely. At this rate, we may have to, LOL.

18 months update

A little late, but Reese had her 18 month appointment a few weeks ago. Inspired by our friends the Handkes who recently posted baby Van's stats, I thought I'd post Reese's.

She is in the 70th percentile in both height and weight at 25lbs 3oz and 32" long. Yay for being proportionate!

Words:

• Dog-dog
  
• Elmo
  
• Mama
  
• Dada
  
• Way Dada? (Where's dada?)
  
• Ba-ba (drink)
  
• Baby (for babies and her Stitch doll)
  
• Shoes
  
• Ball (balls and grapes/blueberries)
  
• No
  
• Hi
  
• Yah (yes)
  
• Mine!
  
• Allo? (hello?)
  
• Boon (balloon)
  
• Clock
  
• Ta tu! (thank you)
  
• Up & down! (bounces when she does this)
  
• Bubbos (bubbles, she says this with an accent on the second syllable)
  
• Coo-Coo (cookie and crackers)
  
• Sassy (name of her friend Mia's puppy)
  
• Bye-bye!
  
• Poopy!
  
• Ong ngoai ("grandfather" in Vietnamese)
  
• Ai day ("Who is that?". I don't think I spelled that right. She also uses it for "What's that" as well. Incorrect, but still cute)
  
• Um-um (eat)

I put exclamations after some of the words because that's how she says them. She is also a veritable chatterbox of other nonsensical sounds I haven't quite deciphered yet. It's really fascinating seeing her communication skills progress - though I'm quite over thinking that "Mine!" is cute. She also loves to sing along to children's songs like Elmo's World, Wheels on the Bus, and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. She doesn't say the words exactly, but she'll make sounds in the same rhythm

My parents are convinced that when she says dog-dog, she's actually saying cho-cho (dog-dog in Vietnamese). They also have a dog that is similar in size to Sassy, and they think she's trying to say "Chelsea" (their dog). It's quite funny - kind of like the sound that a dog makes (bow-wow! ruff-ruff!) is different in other countries (wau-wau in Vietnamese, bau-bau in Italian, etc.)

The words we do agree that she's saying in Vietnamese (Ong ngoai and Ai day) are perfectly accented. She also repeats many of the words my parents say to her, but since she doesn't use them consistently, I haven't included them in the list. I've been trying to teach her Vietnamese, but it's difficult since for all intents and purposes, Vietnamese is my second language. I speak it fairly well, but since I don't "think" in Vietnamese, I often forget to speak to her in it. Oh, yeah, Whitey's a problem, too, since he only knows how to say pho (noodle soup), bun (vermicelli), and ba ngoai (grandmother). Though I suppose Reese is all set if she needs to ask my mom for lunch :)

Cluck, cluck!

RG and crew have raved about this roast chicken recipe, so I've been meaning to try it. Feeling industrious this morning, I went to Central Market to pick up the ingredients. Even though the recipe is really simple, I didn't have any of the ingredients on hand (chicken, kosher salt, thyme). After some pointers over IM from RG and four viewings of this trussing video, the bird was in the oven.

When it was ready, I excitedly pulled it out of the oven. It looked amazing! I didn't think to snap a picture until I had already started carving, so it doesn't capture how wonderful it looked. Nice enough to impress your guests! I'm pleased to say that it tasted just as good as it looked. Scrumptious! The skin was golden and crispy; the meat moist and flavorful. Like many who make this chicken, I ate my serving standing up, standing over the cutting board, LOL.


Even Reese loved it! Reese generally does not like meat, and even she was won over. More often than not, I have a really hard time getting her to eat anything other than pasta and bread. If there was ever any question whether she is my daughter (okay, not much of a question since she CAME OUT OF ME) her love of all things starchy is definitely a trait from me.

This recipe is definitely a keeper.

TGIS!

If it's one thing that I love almost as much as food, it's sleep. I LOVE to sleep, and have a talent for being able to nap anywhere (which comes in handy when you're backpacking through Europe. I've napped everywhere from a cold, damp doorway in Salzburg to an overpacked, overheated train stuck somewhere between Nice and Pisa filled with...ahem...pungent Italians). I'm definitely one of those people that needs 8 hours of sleep. Unfortunately, becoming a mother has put a big dent in the amount of sleep I get. On weekdays, I usually get about 7 hours of sleep a night. I know, that seems like a lot of sleep, but when I said I need 8 hours, I REALLY MEAN I need 8 hours.

On Saturdays and Sundays, however, Jim lets me sleep in while he watches Weezie. I do feel a wee bit guilty that he still takes weekend morning duties even though I've stopped working, but the flip-side is that I'm much more pleasant to be around when I've gotten a full 8 hours. I slept until 10:15 this morning - Heaven!

Like megmoo, I still look forward to weekends even though I don't go to the office anymore. It's not just the ability to sleep in; Jim's home and I love just putzing around being a family. We usually don't have anything too exciting planned - we'll visit with friends, hang out by the pool, that kind of thing. It's incredibly relaxing because there's no agenda we have to follow or appointment we have to make like we have to on weekdays.

LMAO

Since I've been on a health kick, I've been perusing various blogs about losing weight/getting fit/etc. From The Fat Man Walking site (one man's journey across the US to lose weight and to find himself), I found The Lost Hawaiian. Josie is freakin' hysterical. I started reading her archives from the beginning and am working my way back to current entries. I'm still in Sept. '05, but I think I've lost a few pounds laughing so hard.

Blah Blah Blah Blah....

I thought that I'd be blogging more once I became a SAHM, but alas that has not been the case. In pondering why I don't write more often, I came up with a dozen reasons involving all the quality time I'm spending with Weez (you know, like when I've fallen asleep on the couch while she's watching Elmo for the 5 billionth time). In truth, I realized that I don't post because I don't think I have anything to write that anybody would actually want to read. I mean, isn't that the point of blogging? To provide insight into your life while being at least mildly amusing?

In any case, I've decided to just blog without concern if it's actually interesting in an effort to use a few brain cells on something other than memorizing all the words to "Wheels on the Bus".

Which segues me nicely into today's topic - my life as a stay-at-home-mom. It's been about six weeks since my last day at work, and to be honest, I thought that I'd be bored to tears by now. I'm happy to say that I'm having a blast. It's not quite the same as managing multi-million $ IT projects, but it's still incredibly rewarding. While some things haven't changed at all - I still find myself having to deal with temper tantrums and cleaning up someone else's messes - the primary difference is that I go to bed looking forward to the morning when I can hang out with the Weez again.

Gotta walk the walk....

I just got a new workout video (Turbo Jam - similar to Tae Bo but with better music and choreography), and checked out the instructor's blog. She had a great post about raising our children to have good body images. Even before I had Reese, this was a concern of mine. To put it succintly, I don't want Weez to be as screwed up as I was. I still have my off days, but I am a thousand times better than I used to be. I remember being 25 lbs lighter than I am today, and lying in bed crying because I was "too fat". These days, I'm carrying 10-15lbs more than I'd like, but I'm not going to beat myself up over it (my trainer does enough of that for me, LOL!).

Anyhoo, she gave the following tips that I think all parents, especially those of young girls, should read:

1. Never disparage your own physique in their presence. (We all have body parts to complain about, but do it in the privacy of your own bathroom!)

2. In the presence of kids avoid negative words to describe someone, like “fat”, “huge”, “chubby”, “Lazy”.

3. Occasionally compliment your kids muscles, energy, strength, or healthy glow. Avoid comments about weight or negative reference, even of a joking nature with regard to their body.

4. Don’t allow the word “fat” to be used in your household unless you’re describing a paycheck. It’s easy. In fact, I remember my son, not sure what word to use, asking me, “What do we call someone who has a big, big, big, big body?” My reply, “Someone who needs to try Turbo Jam.”

5. Try a little spin control. Make a point to comment on how “unhealthy” or “weak” stars look when their appearance is obviously under weight, malnourished and skeletal. Conversely praise those who exercise, eat right and maintain a healthy appearance and have nice muscle tone.

6. Talk about foods that make you “energized and strong” and never declare you’re on a diet. Instead, announce you’ve decided to stick to a healthy diet, which means moderation, not deprivation.

7. Make healthy eating and fitness central in your life, but declare nothing “off limits”. All foods are fine, in moderation. When my kids want chocolate or ice cream or even french fries, I make a point of telling them it’s fine because they were so active that day. If they want more than their share I remind them that it may make them feel slow, sluggish and cranky.

8. When your children make a healthy food choice on their own, praise them and reinforce their choice.

9. When asked why don’t you want a particular food in the house, avoid condemnation, like “because I don’t want to get fat.” Instead try, “Because it slows me down” or “I just prefer food that helps me feel healthy”

10. Children often confuse boredom with hunger. When your child declares, “I want something to eat,” and you’re hunch is dull drums, get in the habit of offering an activity instead of a bag of junk. The trick is not to mention boredom or food. Instead, retort with an instant activity, “Hey, want take the dog on a walk with me?”

11. Lastly the best thing you can do for your children is to create for them a safe and supportive environment to develop their own self-confidence and unique identity. Allow them to fail and praise them for their courage to try. Don’t shield them from every heartache and life lesson. The number one common trait of those diagnosed with eating disorders is an overly involved, over-bearing parent. Yikes! May the force be with us!

Away from little fingers...

We're living in a highrise while our home is being built, and while I enjoy living here, we really miss our library. We put about 50 boxes of books in storage, but we've already accumulated more books than the apt. bookshelves can accommodate. Of course, this lack of space is exacerbated by the fact that Weezie has claimed the bottom two shelves of all the bookcases. We don't really have any more space to put additional shelving, unfortunately.

I ran across these cool bookshelves from Design Within Reach that might solve our problem. I think we can squeeze a couple in our bedroom, to which Weeze generally does not have access. The tall shelf holds ~90 books, and the short holds ~50. My only hesitation is the price - it's $250 for tall and $200 for the short (with a $25 discount on each if you buy multiple). What do you think, worth it?

No, I'm not a hypochondriac

I wonder if there's a special term for people who have hypochondria about their children...

I took Weez to the pedi today. After I explained her symptoms (low grade fever, possible ear infection, cough, runny nose), they proceeded to check her out. 97.4 temp, ears and lungs clear, not a single cough or sneeze during her exam. Oh, did I mention that there were two med students attending with the pedi? Oh, well, I'm sure it's part of their pediatrician-in-training education to learn how to deal with wacko first-time mothers.

The pedi did give me a prescription for an anti-tussive/decongestant to help with the runny nose and cough (I guess they took my word for it). Hopefully the runny nose will clear up before we leave Thursday. If not, I'll have to trust that my parents, who raised three daughters, can manage ;)

Cough, cough

Reese has had a low grade fever (99-99.2) on and off for the past week. Technically, that's not even a fever, and since she's been in great spirits, I've resisted the urge to take her to the doctor "just in case"...

OK, I confess, I tried to make an appt. with her pedi today since we're going out of town, but the office was closed due to the weather. Houston's currently having the worst flooding since Tropical Storm Allison, and we're expecting another 10 inches of rain tonight.

Anyhoo, I digress. Reese woke up around 10:30 tonight coughing a bit, so I gave her some cough medicine and put her back to bed. I hope I can get an appt. tomorrow, and I hope she isn't sick :( She always seems to get ill right when we're about to leave for a trip. Obviously I'm not upset with her for getting sick, but it's so hard to be away from her even if it's just a minor cough/cold. Poor Weezie...

Happy Father's Day!

I meant to wake up early this morning and let Jim sleep in. Of course, when I did manage to wake up, I found myself alone in bed, and it was 9AM! Jim had already gotten Weez up, changed a gigantic poopie diaper, and given her her morning bottle so I could sleep in. He's always done this on weekends and still does even though I'm a SAHM now. Just one of the reason he rocks! Weez gave him his gifts (an iPod RoadTrip so he can listen to his iPod in his car, and one of those terribly tacky fiber optic plant things. I gave it to him with the caveat that it had to go in his office and not in our home, LOL) Side note: OK, I know she should be off bottles by now, but I'm in denial about her growing up. She takes sippy/straw cups during the day, but I still give her a bottle in the morning and one at night. I haven't even tried to wean her off these bottles. I've been saying that I'll wean her at 18 months - that's just a few weeks from now. It will be harder for me than it will be for Weez, I'm sure).

We headed over to my SIL's for Father's Day lunch. I love going over there for family gatherings; she always invites my side of the family, and it's always so pleasant and relaxing. She has a beautiful kid-friendly home on 3 acres with a stocked pond in the back. A typical gathering involves copious amounts of delicious food, some people fishing, some people napping on the porch, kids laughter in the air as they run and play. When I think of 6,000 sq. ft. homes, I tend to think of cold, museum-like spaces, but my SIL has created such a warm, comfortable atmosphere - almost cozy, even! Dandy and Ong Ngoai got their presents - mugs with a pic of Weez (see inset) and gift cards to Academy. We gave them mugs of Weez last year, and I plan on keeping up the tradition. It'll be cool to see when they have a "complete set" in 18 years :)

Weezie had a wonderful time playing with her cousins and getting the attention of two sets of grandparents and her aunts (my sister joined us) and uncle. She used to be really reserved at family gatherings as she is whenever she's around people she doesn't see regularly. She's definitely gotten over her reservations - she was singing, dancing, and being her usual funny self today.

When we got back, Jim and I went for a run at the club after dropping Weez off at the club daycare. I just started a 30-day fitness regimen with a trainer - basically working out every day and giving up alcohol, rice/flour/potatoes after breakfast, anything fried, and diet soda. I also have a 2 cup limit on coffee (I'm a pot-a-day drinker), and no more ciggies when I have a drink (obviously since I can't drink). Once the 30 days are over, I can start incorporating things back in moderation. I've been on it a week and feel GREAT. I've only lost a pound, but one of the primary reasons I wanted to do this is to make a lifestyle change. I want to raise Weeze healthily, and in order to do that, I feel like I have to set a good example for her. Obviously I hope to lose weight, but I already feel that doing this regimen is worth the effort.

All in all, a wonderful day with my extended family and awesome hubbie. I know it's Father's Day, but I feel pretty blessed myself...

Reason #16 I'm going to Hell

I was trying to pick up around the house this morning. Although Jim said it's not "my job", I do feel obligated to keep the place in order while I'm a SAHM. Weez had other plans and was completely underfoot. In a stroke of genius, I handed her a clean Swiffer duster (one of those short handled jobs), and showed her how to "dust". She dusted contentedly, giggling away while I finished loading the dishwasher. Too bad they don't hire out chimney sweeps anymore - momma needs a new pair of shoes.

In an effort to keep the place tidy (which any mother of a toddler knows is impossible. Just call me Sisyphus.), I bought a Roomba. I love home/kitchen gadgets but had not gotten one since I was suspect of its claims. Several friends raved about them, however, so when I got a coupon in the mail, I broke down and bought one. I tried it out this morning; it worked fantastically... for 30 minutes. I called customer service, and they instructed me to leave the unit plugged in for 72 hours to charge undisturbed. It should then run for 2 hours after a 3-hr charge. If it lives up to that, I'll be a happy camper because it did do a good job on our hardwoods, tile, and area rug until it pooped out. Poor Roomba. Fingers crossed it'll work better after the 3-day jumpstart.