Noel is four months old today. Here is his latest photo. We couldn't get him to smile on the chair, but when I took a few more pictures, he did, so I'm including one of those. He and Dominick are having their respective checkups on Thursday, so I'll post Noel's stats then. I really hope they don't both have shots, or I will be in for a fun day!

Only six days until the big floor refinishing job starts. Have I mentioned how excited I am? We are saying goodbye to the dull hardwood with its darkened, discolored areas; gashes and paint spots left by the previous owner; white ring burned out of the floor by a leaky container of deck cleaner (that was us, I have to admit, three weeks after we moved in); water spots from wet shoes and spilled drinks; tricycle marks; and small stains where the deli turkey Dominick was choking on landed after I administered back blows. And no more ghastly faux stone carpet in the entryway. It will be pulled this weekend. Last night, we finished removing all the old flooring in the kitchen down to the hardwood beneath. We discovered that there was a layer of original linoleum (1936) under the cheap vinyl (c. 2000). The linoleum was pretty cool, actually. The architectural conservator/historian in me made sure to keep a small section for documentation. We still have a lot of packing to do, so after we watch Idol tonight (please let it be Antonella's last week!), it's back to work.