Meet Reggie

We hope that all our family and friends had a wonderful Christmas and that everyone continues to enjoy the holiday season.  We had dinner on Christmas Eve with close friends.  The girls decided to go to bed around 9:30 p.m., saying that if they went to bed earlier, morning would come more quicly.  We liked that reasoning!  However, I changed my mind when I was awoken at 1:28 a.m. by Lacey saying, "Mommy, Cassie want you to know that it's "Cwismas."   I had probably been asleep less than an hour.  I mumbled something and assumed the girls would go back to sleep.  About 10 minutes later, I really awoke because they were playing Mancala.  This game involves dropping rocks onto a wooden board.  "What are you doing?"  I called.  "Waiting to open gifts," they sang. 
"Go back to bed for a few hours!"  I replied.  And they did. 


We later had a day full of happiness and genuine surprises, including a new addition to the family.  Lacey won for having received the greatest number of surprises.  That would be because she can't keep a secret so she didn't know what anyone was getting!  I won for receiving the biggest surprise, which would be the part about the new addition to the family.  In case you're thinking a dog, it wasn't.  I will admit that the thought of surprising the kids with a dog had flitted across my mind for all of about three seconds. 


No dog.  Les surprised me with a robot vacuum cleaner. I never saw this coming. Les told Cassie, "Get Mommy the big box."




"Hmm, " I thought as I held the box, "A pair of boots?" Then, "Oh my gosh?! You actually bought the iRobot vacuum cleaner??!! What did you pay for this??!!!"


"Not much." said Les.


Well, whatever he paid, this little guy is worth it.  I set the box next to my feet and pulled out the directions.  "Must have initial charge of 16 hours. . . Oh, I'll have to charge it overnight.  We won't be able to see it work until tomorrow."


"Don't call it "it," Mommy,"  Cassie piped in.  "You have to give it a name."


"Well, if it's going to help me with the housework, it's got to have a masculine name!" I said.  We settled on "Reggie" because that sounds appropriately "buttlerish."


I eagerly read through the 35-page owner's manual.  The iRobot uses its built-in intelligence to clean the whole floor, under and around furniture and along walls.  It can vacuum wood, carpet, tile, vinyl and linoleum, automatically adjusting to different floor types.  It can allegedly detect dirt and clean more intensely in that area.  It can naigate around furniture and obstacles and won't fall down stairs.  I was kind of hoping that it could climb stairs and vacuum them too.  At least on paper, I was loving the little guy! 


I continued scanning.  "'Tip:  For best performance from the iRobot, make sure floor is relatively clean of clutter.'  I knew there had to be a catch!"


I plugged in the "docking station" so that Reggie could charge.  He came to life with a chirping sound, sort of an electronic purring, and indicated that he was fully charged!  I turned him loose in the front hallway. The little fellow seemed to be quite clever, navigating around the steps and the shoebench, and climbing on and off the rug.  He headed for a real test in the kitchen.  At first I thought Reggie wasn't doing very well.  Then, I realized that was only because he can't pick up dirt that is stuck to the floor.  Can I use the word "persistent" to describe a robot?


After getting to know Reggie a little better, I decided to give him a trial run under the bird cage.  This was Reggie's chance to earn his place as a permanent member of the household.   Well, not only am I going to let him stay, Reggie might even get his own place at the table!


Who needs a dog?  I'll never be alone again.  As I write, Reggie is snuggling contentedly against my feet.  I bet Reggie and I could walk down the street together leash free!  With some slight modifications, Reggie might even be able to sing to me while he works.  All in all, Les scores big with the robot! 

The girls dressed for church on Christas Eve.  The matching capes were surprise gifts from friends!

Pre-chaos

Opening gifts together - very civilized!

Julio and Gaby

The gang, minus the photographer

The dolls' annual Christmas pageant

Opening gifts with Gaby

Here are some videos of Reggie at work.  The first shows him cleaning the front hallway.  The second shows him meeting the cat and my former vacuum cleaner.