Toilet Time

Our toilet needed some repairs.  Brad bought the necessary parts, and also decided to try one of those water-saving flushing devices.  It's got two different buttons to use less water or more water.  Both the boxes were sitting in the bathroom.  They were noticed by Henry who proceeded to be so fascinated by the flusher that he decided to carry the box around the house, as well as plead with any grownup within earshot to please, please let us fix the toilet today.  He did this for about a week.  He brought it to dinner (it was clean, okay?).  His little engineer's heart was in love.

The big day finally came.  Toilet repair day.  Henry was ecstatic.  He and Brad proceeded to fit the new parts into the drained toilet tank.  Then disaster struck.  The new flushing mechanism would not fit in the toilet.  And to top it off, the flushing button that replaced the handle just wouldn't work with the toilet and the lid.  It was almost too much to bear.  Tears were imminent.  Brad and I discussed using the flusher in the downstairs toilet, and Brad almost made the fatal decision to put that repair off until another day.  At the last moment, with a very solemn, almost-crying-but-not-quite-because-he-wouldn't-let-himself boy following him up and down the stairs between the two bathrooms, Brad decided that this would have to be The Day.  The consequences were too severe to not accomplish what they had set out to do. 

I am happy to say that the parts fit in the downstairs toilet, and we are enjoying the use of a better-working toilet upstairs, as well as a water-saving toilet downstairs.