We noticed that Adrian was pulling himself into a standing position a couple of weeks back, so we started holding his hand and walking him around. He loved it! So it was only a matter of time before he figured out he could walk on his own.
Dillon and Jason wanted to update everybody on what they’ve been up to over the summer. So they grabbed some photos and put together this little web page:
Enjoy,
Mark
Adrian James Hampton
Born: 9:56 AM, 5/25/07
Weight: 6 lbs 10 oz
Length: 20 inches
Here’s a video of Adrian after his first bath at the hospital (there is no audio on the video):
Angie went to the specialist again last Monday (April 30th) and had another ultrasound performed. Everything is going very well. They estimate that the baby weighs just over 5 pounds now! That’s almost twice the size of Jason when he was born! Angie is due on the 12th of June, so we’re down to just about 5 weeks now.
Here’s a photo of her/him:
Over this past weekend, I decided to “re-grout” our upstairs bathroom shower. There happens to be a lot of tile because it’s a stand-up shower area with a “seat” that’s also tiled. Considering it’s a small bathroom, the shower is a pretty decent size. Unfortunately, this means that over the 5 years that Angie and I have lived here, certain areas of the grout have started to change into a horrible brown color. We’ve tried all different types of cleansers, bleach, bleach “pens”, etc., but nothing has solved the problem. So we decided to re-grout.
During a visit to Home Depot, two workers there told me flat out that it’s impossible to re-grout (or “grout over grout”). They told me it would never stick. So I left there and went to Lowe’s (yes, I wanted to find someone who would give me the answer I wanted to hear!). There, I met a guy who seemed to know a bit more about tile and grout. He pointed me to a product called SpectraLock by Laticrete that is actually an epoxy mixed with grout. You buy the “liquid kit” in a bucket, which comes with two rubber gloves, a sponge, instructions, and two liquid packets. And you also buy the grout in any color you wish. The grout comes in a carton, not unlike a half gallon milk carton. The package estimates that you have about 1 hour of work time after you first mix all three products together. I found that it started to get difficult to spread the mixture after about 30-45 minutes.
While spreading the grout, I found the process rather tedious and it took a while to cover an area (this could probably be to my lack of expertise, though). So rather than cover the entire shower (as originally planned), I opted to focus strictly on the areas that needed it most. After about 3-4 hours (one hour of which was waiting) of spreading grout and cleaning up with the water/vinegar cleaner solution, the results were pretty good. The SpectraLock product is also supposed to “never need sealing,” which (if true) should be a huge benefit when cleaning the shower in the future.
Here’s a link to the product at the Lowe’s web site, in case you are interested. The grout cost about $10 and the Liquid Kit was about $20, so for a grand total of $30, it’s a nice cheap way to make your bathroom tile look new again.
For the past 3 or 4 years, I’ve been keeping my passwords in a free program called PassKeeper. It met my needs at the time, but over the years, I’ve amassed quite a collection of accounts that require passwords: bank accounts, network accounts, web store accounts, computer accounts, wi-fi router admin accounts, email accounts, etc. Of course, in the beginning I would either use the same password for all, or some variation of that password. The problem is that over time, some accounts expire and require you to choose a new password. So unless you go across the board and change all of your account passwords on the same day, you’ll end up with many different passwords. Plus, many companies require you to choose a “strong” password now, which makes it harder to keep using variations of the same original password if it was something like “mybirthday” or “mypetsname.”
So I’ve had my eyes open for a new password management program for a while now. Just the other day, I literally stumbled upon KeePass Portable. This program is my new favorite. It does so much.
First you choose a “master password” to get into the program. For that, you can use your old standby if you wish. Pick something you won’t ever forget. Then, the program allows you to create groups for your accounts. For example, I started out with two main groups: Work and Home. Beneath each group, you create subgroups like Homebanking, Windows, eMail, Internet, Web Stores, etc. Within each subgroup, you create an account for every password you need to remember.
It would be great if that were all it could do. But it will also “rate” the passwords you have chosen as you enter them in. The scale runs from a reddish color (for a crappy password) to deep green for “really strong” password. And it will auto generate strong passwords for you, if you wish. The beauty is that if you ever avoided using strong passwords because they were hard to remember, you can now just use this program to drag and drop the password into the password field when required. So you basically never have to remember your password again!
The program is self-contained, so it can run on a portable USB drive (it’s ideal for that, actually). This program will even work on an iPod! Or you can “install” it on your computer and keep a shortcut to it on your Desktop. You can configure it so it minimizes to your System Tray (down by the Windows clock) so that it’s out of sight, but always ready for you when you need it.
By far, its best feature is the “auto type” or “auto logon” feature. When you have all of your accounts and passwords entered, you can press a simple keyboard shortcut when you arrive at the web page login screen and the program will type in your Username and password, and press “Enter” for you! I’ve used it on eBay, Amazon, Google, Yahoo, MaximumPC, and a few other sites where I have accounts and it works flawlessly every time.
All of your account information is stored in an encrypted database file that you can backup by simply copying it to another drive or device. Since the file is encrypted, it’s close to impossible that someone else would be able to open it. However, for the truly paranoid, you can also enable an “Encryption Key” feature (in addition to the password) that will require the presence of a software-based encryption key before the program will open your database file.
Best of all, the program is free! Did I mention that already? You can read all about the program here:
KeePass
I downloaded my copy from the Portable Apps web site:
Portable Apps
What are you waiting for? Check it out!
I still enjoy a good bowl of “kids” cereal. Yes, I’m a 36-year-old kid. I enjoy Cheerios, Life, and Rice Krispies, but I also love cereal like “Cap’n Crunch” (with or without Crunch Berries), Cocoa Pebbles, Cookie Crisp, Golden Grahams, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, and the list goes on. Recently, we (Angie and I) purchased a box of Honeycomb cereal and I noticed that the texture was different. The taste was like cardboard. I thought we had purchased a stale box, but Angie said she didn’t notice anything.
So a couple of weeks later, we bought another box. This time, she mentioned to me that something seemed “off” with the cereal. Sure enough, it had the same craptacular taste as the last box we had purchased. I looked it up on Google and found out that a bunch of people are complaining about the fact that Post Cereals has changed the Honeycomb ingredients. They’ve added something called “Bran Blend” that is supposed to be healthier for you. Well, they weren’t so concerned over the past THIRTY YEARS about making a healthy version of Honeycomb, so why start now? or better yet, why not make a “New Crappy Honeycomb” cereal and sell it along side the “Classic Honeycomb” and see which one sells more?
Read this blog about the subject…
http://antibike.blogspot.com/2006/11/big-big-taste-part-2.html
Angie’s cousin recently told me that Trix cereal is now advertising its “new sweetened puffs” cereal. I just saw this commercial yesterday on Nickelodeon while the boys were watching TV. NEW!? Then I remembered that I had purchased a box of Trix a couple of years ago and thought they were disgusting because they had changed the taste and they were making them into “fruit shapes” (no more sweetened “puffs”). Why mess with the cereal in the first place? And now they are back to making classic Trix? Idiots!
If you want to complain about Honeycomb, you can do so at the Kraft Foods web site:
http://www.kraftfoods.com/main.aspx?m=contact_us/cu_form1
Later, all.
As some of you may know, Angie’s blood test in February had come back with a high AFP count. This usually points to an 80% chance of the baby having a serious neurological disorder such as spina bifida. So we scheduled a visit with an ultrasound specialist and had an in-depth ultrasound performed. Results were positive, though inconclusive. We were told that since nothing out of the ordinary could be seen, the likelihood of a neurological disorder was about 10%. So we had gone from chances of 1 in 10, to 1 in 100. To be absolutely certain, though, the doctor recommended we have an amnio done. We had already ruled this out before, so the doctor suggested re-running the blood test and taking it from there, which we did. Results were a lowered AFP count, but still elevated above normal levels.
So we had another in-depth ultrasound performed about 4 weeks after the first one, and this one also turned up nothing out of the ordinary (and believe me, it wasn’t for a lack of looking). At this point, the doctor told us that in his opinion, the elevated AFP level is due to some bleeding that must be occurring around the placenta. He said that in his experience it’s nothing to be concerned about, but he’d like to see us on a 4-week schedule and then begin non-stress testing at 38 weeks. So basically, everything looks good with Baby Hampton right now.
Here are a few ultrasound pictures that I’ve been meaning to post for a while now…
UPDATE:
Dillon has been fully potty trained for at least a month or two now. Jason still has issues with going Number 2, so he pretty much wears his Pull-Ups full time. We put Dillon in regular underwear with a Pull-Up over top at night, but he is usually dry in the morning anyway.
We’re going to re-double our efforts in the next couple of weeks to get Jason done, if for no other reason than we’d like to have a few months of no diaper-changing before the next baby arrives in early June. Changing Jason’s poopy diapers has really gotten old and we’d both like to see it become a thing of the past.
=Mark=
Dillon seems to be completely potty trained now. He does #1 and #2 on the little potty AND the “big” potty. He even recently started to do #1 while standing up and aiming into the bowl.
Jason, on the other hand, is great at doing #1 on the “big” and little potty, but just won’t relax enough to do the #2’s. However, last Sunday morning while Angie was out to breakfast with Grandmom, Jason told me that he had to go potty and he did a #1 and #2 on the little potty. I made a big deal about it, clapping my hands and cheering him on. I even placed a call to Mommy so she could praise him, too. He actually cried during this for some reason. And then literally 5-10 minutes later, he told me he had to go again, and he did another #2 in the potty! I thought this meant we had crossed over into “Potty-trained” land, but apparently not. The rest of the week, he continued to go #2 in his pull-ups or underwear, no matter which we tried.
So that’s where we stand right now. One guy all the way trained, and the other guy about 75% there. I’ll tell ya, it’s a major difference when these guys go to the bathroom on the potty as compared to changing “poopy diapers” all the time. Cost savings are a big deal, too, but just the time we save not changing diapers and trying to erase the nasty “aroma” is huge. Oh, and they both wake up dry in the morning. We really only had one accident that caused wet sheets (Dillon), and once or twice they’ve each woken up with a little wetness in the pull-up, but that was at the beginning of the training (the week after Christmas ‘06). They’ve really made the adjustment quite well, and only occasionally have to get up in the middle of the night to pee.
Baby #3 is coming along nicely. Angie went for an ultrasound on Tuesday, January 16th. Everything looks normal. They estimate the baby’s weight at about 11 ounces (Angie is in the 19th week). We’ll try to keep everyone updated…
Dillon and Jason had a very nice Christmas this year. They also had a very hectic schedule and hit a few milestones along the way.
First of all, the crib gates are down, so they are now sleeping in “Big Boy” toddler beds (finally). Secondly, we began potty training on December 27th. Yes, two days after Christmas! Wednesday and Thursday were both extremely long days for Angie and I, but we got through them (all we did was focus on potty training both days). But by the weekend, they were waking up in the morning dry and going on the potty first thing before breakfast. And during the day, they are doing great. Dillon is pretty much “done”; he goes on the potty for Numbers 1 and 2 now. Jason doesn’t have much of a problem going Number 1, but he seems freaked out at the concept of going Number 2 on the potty. He usually tells us once he’s already started going in his pants… but he’s getting close! We’re looking forward to not buying diapers for a few months (since we’ve got baby #3 on the way in June).
Anyway, back to Christmas. The boys got a lot of stuff from us, from Santa, and from family and friends. Here’s a partial list: a Thomas the Tank Engine train set and play table; Radio Flyer tricycles; remote control NASCAR racers; remote control Buzz Lightyear vehicle; V-Smile video learning console and Finding Nemo game; underwear; dinosaurs; new bed sets (Disney’s “Cars” theme); roller skates; a trampoline; a barn with tons of pieces to it; some books; two cars that play loud music and “dance”; two little cars from Disney’s “Cars” movie; and lots of clothes and other little toys that we stuffed in their stockings.
We spent Christmas Eve at Mom Mom and Pop Pop Hampton’s house, and then we woke up at home and had breakfast with Mom Mom & Pop Pop (and Uncle Ryan). Then we traveled to Elmer, NJ for dinner with Grandmom Alice and the rest of the crew (Bob, Seth & Donna, Cole, Great Uncle Seth & Great Aunt Ann, Helen & Burton, The DeGeorges, etc.). After Potty Boot Camp closed on Thursday evening, on Friday we visited Grandpop Ken and Nan, Uncle Jake and Uncle Ian. And we went back to Grandmom Alice’s for a Bachowski gathering on Saturday.
It was a very busy week…
Go Eagles!
Mark
Yes, Angie is pregnant again! We won’t find out the sex until the baby is born in early June (Angie wants it to be a surprise).
We’ll post an ultra sound photo as soon as we get one. We should be going for one in mid-January!
Mark
This is the first post in the Mark section.
I will post blog entries here on subjects that concern me personally. Like, for example, the fact that I recently accepted a new position at Parkway Corporation in Philadelphia, PA. I am no longer doing Help Desk/Technical Support. My official title is Manager, Operating Revenue Systems. I will be performing project manager duties, contract negotiations, dealing with problems as they arise on our field equipment, etc. Some of the perks: I have my own office, I got a pay increase, I report to a different Supervisor, I can still park in the corporate office building for free (most other employees have to park a few blocks away if they want to park for free), and I got the “Manager” title.
This position is more “business-facing” than my old Help Desk job, so I’m looking forward to working on projects that directly affect the business. Currently, we are working on a vendor switch over that will take months to complete due to the amount of locations that we operate. But I’m excited about seeing it through.
Until next time,
Mark
Thanks to everyone for making the twins’ 3rd birthday so special. The boys loved seeing everyone, of course. And since we split the parties into two events (one on Oct 28th and one on Nov 4th), they had a lot of excitement for over a week. Their nursery school celebrated their birthday on the 7th, so they were allowed to bring a special snack (of their choosing) to class. Angie chose ice cream cups. Of course, we found out later that they didn’t even eat any of it!
On Sat. the 11th, the boys went to Gymboree in Cherry Hill to attend Jessica’s 3rd birthday party. Jessica is in Dillon and Jason’s nursery school class. They had an absolute blast running around the room, playing with the toys, tumbling down the slides, climbing on the monkey bars, and playing games with the hostess. The especially liked playing with a large parachute that the hostess brought out for some special activities. And just when they were getting a little antsy, the hostess marched them into a little side room that was set up with a nice long table where all the kids could sit and eat pizza and cake. The 1 and a half hour time was perfect for the kids, we thought. Next year, we may do something similar for our boys.
That’s it for this posting. I hope you are enjoying the changes to the web site. I’m honestly going to try to stay up to date with the pictures and stuff from now on. Ha ha.
Mark