Dominating the news last week were critiques from both side’s of the political aisle, analyzing the first 200 days of President Obama’s Administration with regard to health care, the economy and foreign policy. As is usually the case with political analysis, the grade the Commander In Chief received was more dependent upon which side of the aisle the pundit represented, rather than an actual review of quantifiable measurements. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a comprehensive list of objective measurements that we as citizens could review and then draw individual conclusions as to the state of our Union?

In the spirit of bi-partisan politics, I am providing a list of objective measurements from the first 28 days of my son’s life so that you may decide how things are going in our family.

Diapers changed: 392

# of blowout diapers (up the back): 27

Wet wipes used: 1176

Tubes of butt pasted spread: 3

Ounces of breast milk expressed: 576

Weight gained by baby: 2 lbs. 6 oz.

Hours accumulated in Daddy Brad’s sleep deficit log: 112 hrs.

# of baby toots louder than mine: 35

Irritable comments made to friends, family and co-workers due to sleep deprivation: 35

# of times the 3 year old sister drew on baby brother’s head with ball point pen: 1

Amount saved for college fund: $16

# of deep knee bends done to soothe late night crying: 25,478

Meals delivered and/or prepared by family and friends: 42

Moments of gratitude for having a healthy baby boy: 2,419,200