Help us give back!

Hi everyone!

We’re doing things a little different this time, and I’m (Melissa) writing the blog update.

Why you may ask? Well, this one is very near and dear to my heart, so it only makes sense that I write this one.

As Mike alluded to in our last blog update, we’ve got some exciting news to share with everyone.

We’ve been asked to be the March of Dimes Ambassador Family for Central Iowa this year. They thought we had an amazing story that needed to be told, and we’re honored and thrilled to be presented this great opportunity.

What does this mean? It means that they’ll be using our family and our story to help raise awareness and funding for the March of Dimes. We’ll also be leading the March of Dimes Walk for Babies on May 10th.

If you would have told me years ago that one day that we would have a 1lb and 2.14lb baby, I would have told you were crazy. Never did it go through my mind that I’d watch my tiny little babies struggle and fight for months to survive. That’s not how life was supposed to work for us – we were going to have full-term, happy, healthy, chubby little babies. We’d bring them home and spend time playing, loving and sharing them with the world. 

But, as we all know, that’s not how our story goes. We had the help of many, many others (doctors, specialists, nurses, therapists, family, co-workers, and friends) who worked tirelessly to keep our tiny little miracles alive and healthy and support us as we helped them grow. And today, after our tumultuous roller coaster ride, we have two happy and healthy 3 year olds. We were told by many in the NICU, that the fact that our babies are both alive is a miracle, let alone healthy. 

We know part of this is due to some divine intervention, and lots of angels looking out for our sweet babies. But we also know that it’s due to those who have lived this roller coaster before us, many who didn’t have the happy ending that we have and the amazing research that has been done to make sure no one else has to have that outcome.

And that’s why we’re beyond excited to help raise money for the March of Dimes. We have benefited directly from their research, which in our case, proved to be lifesaving to our tiny miracles. 

Whether through their education, their research, or the vast support they provide, the March of Dimes is truly committed to healthy babies for everyone – not just those who are born prematurely. I was personally amazed to learn of all that they do to help out families with "normal and healthy" babies. The reach of the organization is vast and incredibly powerful.

What are our goals?

We spent 138 days in the Mercy NICU (the average NICU stay is 7 days) and hope to raise $100 for each day we spent there. 

We are asking everyone, in the spirit of the March of Dimes, to donate a minimum of one dime for every NICU day - just $13.80 - to our team.

Further, we're asking that you share our team - on Facebook, at work, at church, with friends - with 13 other people and ask them to help us exceed our goal of $13,800.

We’d also LOVE for you to join “Team 138” as we walk for babies on May 10th. We’re hoping that many of our friends and family will walk along side Logan, Caroline, Mike and I, to celebrate our two tiny miracles. I’m sure Logan and Caroline will be providing all with some free entertainment along the way as well.

Central Iowa March for Babies

May 10th, 2014 - DMACC Campus in Ankeny

So please join us - either as a walker - or lend your support financially: 

www.marchforbabies.org/teams/team138

All of our best to each and every one of you and your families!

Mike, Melissa, Logan & Caroline Vogel

PS – a quick update on the babes…

Logan – also known as “Super Hero Logan” is doing great. He’s a smart little man, who loves the alphabet and likes to tell you what every letter in a word is. He loves to wear his super hero cape (normally only wearing a cape and Thomas the Train underwear) around the house yelling “Super hero to the rescue!”

Princess Caroline (she informed us she’s not a girl, she’s a princess) is doing wonderfully too. We’re thrilled to report that Caroline has finally made the physicians' growth chart for the first time in her life! She's in the 5^th percentile, but it’s a start. Her g-tube hole has closed and no longer requires a bandage. She’s got some upcoming eye and cardiology appointments that we’re keeping our fingers crossed also provide good news.