The Fraser Index

Well, big apologies to those of you who have been trying to follow along with our saga through the blog and have returned day after day to... no posts. Life has been pretty busy!!! Sleep, I hardly knew ya.

Heather has settled well into her situation here. On a day to day basis, we develop (probably normal) parental concerns about this cry, or that reaction, or this or that feeding pattern for each and all of the girls. Heather did worry us for a bit, because she was discharged from the hospital on the understanding that, if necessary, we would tube feed her. She came home feeding well, but then her enthusiasm for the endeavour waned somewhat, and we felt we would probably have to begin gavage feeding; however, after a recent visit to our amazing pediatrician, Heather decided that she would sort things out and she has been on a remarkable feeding frenzy, surpassing the dining achievements of Caitlyn and Emily. Even more reassuring, she has been growing at a very reasonable rate, which tells us that she is getting exactly what she needs. Heather has now surpassed the 8 lb mark! To think she was less than 3 and a half pounds when she was born... In any case, her two sisters are growing slightly faster, but that too is probably just fine.

Every day that passes, I see changes in the girls. Emily is turning out to be a fireball -- if she is mad, she will sure as heck let you know! She does have these wonderful happy moments too, though, where she purses her lips and makes cooing sounds. Charmed, I'm sure! Caitlyn is a wide-eyed wonder, taking in all the sights and sounds around her. She is incredibly curious and is patient to experience her family and environment. She loves to thrust out her hands and feel the world around her. Heather is a mature soul (even our pediatrician observed this), and patiently takes in everything around her. While all the girls are good cuddlers, Heather particularly enjoys a good snuggle on your shoulder; however, none of the girls likes Papa's grizzly, prickly unshaven face too much!

We have all continued to enjoy the company of Aunty Cindy (but particularly Jennifer), who has been cooking us meals, doing laundry, dishes and taking care of Jennifer. Thanks Aunty Cindy!

Anyways, this is just a brief catch up. I have to grab a shower before the next round of feeds (20 minutes!). I just thought I would share some numbers, in the fashion of the Harper's Index, to give you an insight into our daily lives!

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Number of babies:  3
Total number of children:  4
Total number of parents:  2
Parent to child ratio:  1:2
 Number of cribs: 5
Number of bassinets: 1
Number of rocker swings: 2
Number of bouncy chairs: 2
Amount of baby clothing: endless
Laundry loads, daily: 2
Number of baby feeds, daily:  24

Time per baby feed, including burping, etc.:  0.5 hours

Time between last baby's feed and next feed:  1.5 hours
Amount of time it seems between feeds: 30 minutes
Number of baby feeds between midnight and 8:30am: 9

Total time feeding babies, daily:  12 hours
Hours spent washing baby bottles, daily:  58

Average number of bottle sterilizer batches, daily:  6

Best money spent on a counter-top sterilizer:  $65

Number of diapers changed, daily:  24 +/-

Cost per diaper:  $0.45

Number of diaper bins taken out every 2 days:  1

Average bedtime for parents:  midnight

Average sleep per parent, per night:  4.5 hours

Average number of times our 2.5 year old says "I'm a big sister," daily:  10

Average time a shirt can remain "clean" in our house:  2 hours

Average time a shirt is worn, nonetheless:  8 to 12 hours

Odds of our 2.5 year old taking an afternoon nap:  1 in 3

Value of an afternoon nap for parents:  priceless

Lifetimes of happiness:  6

Cheers,
Jeremy