Back to the Future

This morning, I was holding Heather in the crook of my arm. Heather is not quite yet ready to feed by bottle, and so I had fed her by gavage (through the tube in her nose). She was contentedly snuggling down in her swaddle. I had just finished feeding Emily, which was a mixed success only in the sense that she is still trying to master the breathe-suck-swallow routine we all take for granted, and she had choked, the recuperation from which then robbed her of precious reserves of energy and she had had to finish her feed by gavage. Heather, in any case, was settled sweetly and warmly against my belly and had conjured some force of magic to slow the passage of time. When the nurse finally came in to ask me if I wanted to feed Caitlyn, I declined, because I have had such little time with Heather since her debut in this bright new world, but I felt a pang of guilt and more than a tinge of desire to cuddle and feed Caitlyn as well. As you might imagine after seeing the photo of Grandpa Bill and the girls in the previous posting, this might even be possible!


It is becoming increasingly clear now that, despite the brief setback she only recently recovered from, Caitlyn will be coming home in a week or two. She is bottle-feeding well, eager to try breast-feeding, her colour is good and she is stable. Another significant tell-tale is the nurses talking about transition, car-seat tests, etc. This is all, of course, very good news, except for where my nerves are concerned! There are still things to be done: vans to buy, reno finishing-touches (picture hanging!) to complete, yard work, etc. All of this would not be a concern except for the realization that dawned on me this morning -- that being, the nature of what our daily routine will likely evolve to be. Caitlyn, Emily and Heather are all on a three-hour feeding rotation. That sounds manageable until you realize that it take approximately a half-hour to feed each one -- leaving one and a half hours in between. That's great for daytime hours, except that where their appetites are concerned, they don't know night from day: this is a 24/7/365 operation! I'm just thankful that for these first undoubtedly and foreseeably exhausting months it will not be winter. At least, between naps, there will hopefully be the potential to escape outdoors for walks and fresh air.


Given the potential arrival of Caitlyn on the homefront, Jan and I are going to have to do some thinking about how and when to introduce Jennifer to her little sisters. A trip to the hospital, perhaps, in the next few days, barring any unforeseeable bugs!?! We are starting to wonder if keeping Jennifer in daycare in the period the girls are coming home is such a good idea. As fine a place as Jennifer's daycare is, it is an incubator for cold and flu germs, and every child is undoubtedly a fine vector for these pathogens. These viruses and bacteria would normally be relatively harmless to you or I, but they can be sources of serious infections in infants who, like our girls, have starkly immature immune systems. We'll have to give this further thought and perhaps consult with the neonatologists prior to any of the girls coming home.


Anyways, generally speaking, the news of the girls is so good that it is delightfully boring and uneventful. A simply marvelous yawn!


Hope you are all doing well and thanks for reading!


Cheers,
Jer