Lesson, home, and wait...

Hey everybody.

I am a moron.

Learned a tough lesson last night.

Gave Mr. Logan a bath at 10:30 pm.

Might as well have dumped a can of Red Bull Energy drink on top of some Frosted Flakes and topped the bowl off with a scoop of coffee ice cream.



He liked his time in the bath.

He was all sorts of awake until about 2 am.

So much for my brilliant plan of a relaxing bath, a warm meal, and a quiet start to the night.

Yes, this also means that Logan is home!

Some of you may have been tipped to this from Melissa and my Facebook accounts... as a couple of photos leaked out on there on Sunday.

We were released with Logan on Saturday afternoon.  He is on a small amount of oxygen and that means he is also wearing the home monitoring equipment.

He had a bit of an adjustment on Saturday night - new noises, new environment, etc - but handled it pretty well only up every hour or so and not too fussy.

We all recovered a bit on Sunday and on Monday had a few firsts:

Logan's first visit back to the NICU to see his sister Caroline.

Dad's first experience with a full-blown Logan meltdown, unable to determine why he was so upset.

Which also led to the ultimate determination that it was time for Logan's first "Boogerectomy" and a happy child again.

It's been a busy few days filled with some lessons, but we're doing well.

Caroline has been growing - she's up to almost 5 lbs. and has graduated from her isolette to a "big girl crib".

Her lungs are still our biggest holdup and the docs are pushing her to wean from her oxygen support.  We're making progress, but it has been pretty slow going.

We still anticipate at least another month for her in the NICU and likely some prolonged oxygen support for her when she's released to go home.

That's also the reason that Logan has to remain pretty isolated and can't have visitors.

As long as he's a healthy kid, and isn't exposed to all the bugs out there (cold and flu season is all over the place right now), he's able to go up to the NICU and visit Caroline.  If he gets sick though, our otherwise hectic schedule of visits, feedings, and all becomes nearly impossible for us to manage with him required to be at home.  

So as much as we'd love to bring the little guy out to meet each and every one of all of you... we'll have to postpone introductions until we're in the clear health-wise.  And then you'll get the chance to meet both of the dynamic duo!

And with that... on to the photos!!!

Caroline's new crib - living in style!

It's got some clear sides and a very comfy mattress.

Gives our gal a chance to really relax and grow!

Got my warm winter hat and a stylin carseat for the ride!

Some day I'm going to weigh so much that both of them will have to pick me up!

Who needs a coat, when your whole seat's got a cover!

Logan's very first steps outside of the room.  Hasn't been out here since Nov. 5th.

Mom and our escort Nurse Robin head down the long hall to the door of the NICU

Carseat heading into "Locked and Loaded" position.

Mom thinks I'm pretty cute.  I'm so excited, I'm asleep.

Some post- trip snuggle time with Mom on the couch. 

Ready for my first night in my bassinet.  

And that's it for this update!

I hope this finds you all happy, healthy, and in the best of times with you and your families.

All our very best,

Mike, Melissa, Logan, and Caroline Vogel

Delay, delay, and updates.

Hey there everybody,

Sorry for the delay in posting an update... we had the very best intentions on revealing a big surprise for you all... but there's been a delay.

No, we're not in ongoing negotiations with Pampers and Similac for exclusive marketing rights to this blog.  But if anybody knows anyone from any of those companies... we're willing to listen.

There was a chance that Mr. Logan was going to be headed home this weekend and we wanted to announce it with a splash.  Unfortunately though, he just wasn't able to meet all his benchmarks in time to do so.   So... we continue to wait.

It may be later this week, or it may be closer to his "official" due date at the end of January.

Overall, the kids are doing well.  Both have had some ups and downs, but we continue to make good progress.  There's a lot of stuff to cover, so hang on... details below.



Caroline - She's just passed the 4 lb. mark and is even beginning to have arms and legs that look like little baby "chubby limbs" as opposed to the thin little pencils she started out with.

As you can tell, she's gotten bigger compared to the phone
she used to be the same size as.

She's still on the nasal oxygen - the Vapotherm - which provides constant levels of pressure and warm oxygen.  Just after Christmas, she had pretty well maxed out her levels on the Vapotherm and was approaching the point where she would require going back on the ventilator.  The docs decided to give her another round of steroids and she has responded quite well so far.  She's currently at about half of the settings on the Vapotherm and they're pushing her to wean off of it.  She's gotten her eyes checked and has passed with flying colors.

Logan -  Logan's getting big.  He's past the 8 lb. mark and measures over 20"long.

Logan's torso used to be the same size as the phone.
Now he could probably eat it.

After a week or so with some oxygen coming from the wall unit (the very lowest level of oxygen support), he kept pulling his nosepiece out.  So, the docs figured he was trying to send a message and let him go on room air alone.  He's been doing pretty well.  He still has some dips in his levels when he eats and occasionally when he's in a position he's not used to - in a rocker or a carseat - but he's getting better at it.  If he can keep those levels high for several days straight, he'll be able to come home without any oxygen tanks or monitors.  We've got our fingers crossed.  We had a bit of a scare with him on the 31st.  He had a regularly scheduled head ultrasound and it showed a spot on one side of his brain that looked suspicious.  The early indications were that of a "PVL" which essentially means that there was a section of the brain which had been without oxygen for a while and had diminished and died.  Obviously we were extremely frightened by this diagnosis, as even a minor PVL can lead to slow development of motor skills (walking, coordination, etc.) and a major one can lead to conditions like cerebral palsy.  Thankfully, our NICU docs were skeptical of the ultrasound reading and calmed our fears, assuring us that even if he did have one, the one that registered on the ultrasound was tiny and uncharacteristic of typical PVL's, that we should wait and see.  Two weeks later, we've had a followup ultrasound and I'm happy to report that there is no evidence of the PVL.  It was just some random ultrasound shadow that had shown up and given us concern.

This brings me to a point I'd like to make about our incredible doctors, nurses and staff at the NICU.  They are truly fantastic.  They are hyper-cautious - attentive to the very slightest change in blood pressure, temperature, or oxygen level, yet are able to do so with great care for the concerned parents of NICU babies.  It's truly a remarkable talent and one that I am happy they have.  We've come across some scary situations in our few months with them, and they continue to pull us through with reassurances and comforting kindness.  Without them and their incredible knowledge and compassion, our time could have been miserable wrought with fear.  We've been blessed to have them guiding us along this journey.

And with that said, on to the photos and some videos...

Mom got to hold them together over Christmas.
Caroline slept... Logan couldn't quite figure out what the
heck she was...

They fell asleep together and held hands.

Uncle Nick visited from Colorado over Xmas!

Since you've seen some video of Logan, I've added 2 videos of Caroline to even things out.

Here she is pulling her favorite trick to annoy the nurses- pulling out her nose tubes and setting off alarms.




And here she is working over her pacifier...  Somebody so small has gotta be hungry - she's going to eat like a champ!

The interlocked hands form an impenetrable grip on the paci.
Only a fool believes they'll be able to steal it away from her.

Got to wear pants for the first time ever!
Hopefully she's not doomed to a life of pantsuits...

Caroline stylishly cheered on the Hawks for their Bowl victory!

When Logan sleeps... he sleeps hardcore!

Logan finished a full bottle and was rewarded with
the opportunity to watch some playoff football with Dad!

Logan had a pretty rough case of diaper rash.
The nurses propped him up and aired him out for a few hours.
The rash cleared up, but his shame will live for a long time.

Logan is learning how to sit up and maintain his oxygen levels.
That means some time in the rocker!

That's the update for now... I promise the next one will come sooner than this one did.

All our very best to you and your families!

Mike, Melissa, Logan and Caroline Vogel

Accommodations, the Holiday Spirit, and Care...

Hey gang,

I hope that this note finds you all happy, healthy, and not too crazed by the holiday spirit.

Our little ones are doing pretty well.   Logan has taken quite well to his feedings and is now topping 5 lbs. and Caroline has more than doubled her body mass in her short time on this earth and is now a whopping 2 lbs. and 4 oz.

Now some of you may remember reading that the 5 pound mark was a big milestone and it indicated that one was close to heading home with the folks... and you're not wrong.  But there is more to it.  The NICU has a firm set of criteria that all kids must meet before they are sent home and while we've passed the general weight requirement, little Logan has quite a bit to "learn" and develop before he's close to packing his bags and moving out.  I'll fill you in on all the milestones on a later posting and as we're closer to our checkout time.

All indications still point to a late January release date for Logan, and a bit later date for Caroline.  But it's all up in the air and the kids could surprise us!

Many of you have asked what our accommodations are like in the NICU and so I took an opportunity to snap a few photos for you.  As you can see, they're not to shabby and decked out with the Holiday Spirit.

Here's the door to our room.  The photos are from our delivery day.
I'll add more down the door as we progress.

Some Holiday Decorations above their whiteboard.
The whiteboard sits above the two nurses stations and has the name of our nurse
and all sorts of good information.

The decorations are from my dear Topeka High School friend Erin (Rooney) Doland.  She sent the kit to  Melissa when she was on bedrest to help her pass the time.  Well... we delivered a bit earlier than expected, but the decorations really help spice up the kids' room and the nurses and staff have all commented on it.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that Erin is an accomplished blogger and author.
Find her site here: http://unclutterer.com/

Here's a perturbed Melissa.  I'm guessing she wasn't prepped to have her pic taken.  Oops!
You'll notice she's wearing a mask.  We do that if we feel like we have any hint of a cold/sniffles/cough.
The kids are so susceptible to any sort of infection, we try to be extra cautious.

Here's their tree.  It's a little bit Charlie Brownish, but does the trick.
The ornaments are small KC Chiefs helmets from my cousin Jen and jingle bell snowmen
with Logan and Caroline's names, which they got from Grandpa Chris and Grandma Linda.

So we've got a really cozy space.  We are there every morning for the doctor's rounds and Melissa stays after I head off to work.  We then head back after 5 and spend the evening helping with their cares and getting some good "Twin Time".

As you all know, Logan was able to sport some "Big boy" clothes in his new open-air "Big boy" bed.  Well the nurses didn't want Caroline to get jealous or complain to Mom and Dad about preferential treatment, so they let her try out some fancy duds.

I'm beginning to think that in some 15 years, I'm going to wish that my little fashionista wasn't introduced to such nice duds at an early age.

Logan's new open air bed has been great.  It means we have easy access to him and certainly makes changing his diaper and moving his wires much easier, as we don't have to navigate the tiny holes of the isolette.

It has, although, left him wide open to some drive-by-smooches from his Mom.

All swaddled up with no defenses, our hero is powerless to defend himself
from the onslaught.

But he's got a secret power!!!
He threatens Mom with a daily limit of 6, or he'll yank out all his hoses.  Again.

And we'll finish off this post with a couple of treats...

SANTA!!!

Santa visited the NICU and Caroline!  She was on the Nice list.

Santa had to have a chat with Logan.  After some of the Naughty presents
he's been leaving Mom, Dad, and the Nurses in his diaper he really had to
talk his way onto the fringes of the Nice list.  We're crossing our fingers that he
doesn't get any coal in his stocking.

And finally, I shot a little more video.

Here's Logan getting checked out by Megan, one of our fantastic nurses.  He's not fond of cold stethoscopes, but doesn't put up too much of a fuss.




So that's it for this update.

We'll have another update after the craziness of the Holidays passes.

Our very best wishes to all of you for a wonderful and safe holiday season with your loved ones.

Mike, Melissa, Nice Caroline, and Maybe Naughty Logan.

Roids... big boy clothes...

Hey all,

I hope you all had a great weekend!

There's not too much news to update you on... our progress has been slow and steady.

Just the way we like it.

Caroline has reacted well to her steroids.  She's off of the ventilator now and is breathing with only the assistance of the oxygen through her nose.  The doc's have been careful to warn us that as the steroids move out of her system, the little ones can need to go back on the vent for a while (they just get too tired doing all the work on their own), but that it's normal for this to happen.

Judging by her latest photo though, I think she's plenty strong!

Just kidding folks...

But if you look at her arms here, she may have some definition going on...

She'll be beating up her brother sooner than we think!

As for Logan, he's been progressing well.  He's pushed past the 4lb. mark and has been growing pretty consistently.  He's beginning to be able to regulate his own body temperature, so we may be moving him to an open crib from his isolette soon.

This also means that Mom gets to dress him in clothes - something she's pretty stoked about.

Here he's wearing a preemie-sized onesie.  And he's still got A LOT of room in it.  Probably could smuggle his sister in there if he wanted to.

He's making good progress, but still has a bunch of growing and developing to do before we're talking about bringing him home.

Which reminds me...  I was riding down the elevator the other morning to head to work and a woman got on board carrying her carseat.  There was a HUGE baby in there.  I asked her how old the baby was... her response?  2 weeks!  They just got their 2 week post-delivery checkout.  

The kid was only 8lbs.  Just a normal sized baby.

It was a mild reality-check for me that all babies aren't tiny like mine.

But just wait until they cross paths in 6th Grade.  We'll see who's the tiny one then!!!

So that's the story from us here... slow and steady progress.  There haven't been any ups and downs lately (fingers-crossed) but we're still aware that we're riding the roller-coaster of the NICU.

Melissa and I are looking forward to the holidays - especially the chance to introduce Logan and Caroline to their Uncle Nick!  We have even decorated the NICU room with a tiny little tree so Santa won't accidentally miss the twins.

Thank you to everyone who has sent us notes and cards and such.  They help pass the time when we're in the NICU room in between diaper changings and kangaroo care.  We do love hearing from you!

All our very best to you and yours!

Mike, Melissa, Logan & Caroline


P.S. - I'd be remiss if I didn't share the fun photos of the kids rooting on our Chiefs against the Donkeys this weekend!

So it's not a real helmet- only an ornament -they're still rooting for the right team!

So it's not a real helmet- only an ornament -they're still rooting for the right team!

Turkey Day, Get a grip, & GQ

Hey all-

I hope that everyone had a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.

For us it was a great chance to have relatives in for a visit, get some much-needed catchup sleep, and stuff ourselves with turkey and all the fixin's!!!

We cheated a bit this year, ordering in a pre-cooked meal from Hy-Vee instead of cooking our own from scratch, but that we were able to break bread with our loved ones (minus the two who are still doing their own "cooking from scratch") made it a joyous occasion.

As you can see from the photo, we had to adapt a little bit on the seating arrangements- opting for a two-tiered approach to dining together.

Clockwise from L to R - Grandma Linda, Grandpa Chris, Mom,
Grandpa Jim, Dad, Grandma Carol

The weekend also provided a great opportunity for Great Grandparents and Great Aunts to visit!

Great Grandpa Laverne, Great Grandma Theresa & Mom

Mom, Great Grandma Theresa, & Great Aunt Lori

Our schedule remained pretty much the same over the break- mornings and evenings in the NICU with the kids.

Caroline has just begun a round of steroids to help her with some lung development.  After a strong start, she has plateaued a bit and the docs want to keep her going strong.  I warned the nurses that she could be prone to fits of "Roid Rage", but they assured me this would not be the case.  She's grown to 1 lb 10 oz. and continues to go up on her feeding amounts and handles the digestion of such quite well  (Sidebar- I'm going to be off of any form of pesto for a while.  I suspect that this will just be the first of many poo-related aversions I'm going to develop)

Logan has grown well too.  He's up to 3 lbs. and 8 oz.  He's been getting milk supplemented with high-protein formula and aside from a few stoppages (he's related to his Grandpa Chris) he's been handling them like a champ.   Since he's on a regular vent, unlike his sis, he's been hogging all the kangaroo time lately as Mom and Dad have been alternating days with him for an hour or more each night.  He's strong too.  Didn't like lying on his side on Thursday morning and turned himself over onto his back.  Surprised the nurses that he was able to do that.

We continue to hear from the docs that the kids are moving along at a normal pace for the NICU world and their nurses continue to ask to be back taking care of them, so I assume that means that they've behaved themselves while Mom and Dad aren't there.

As we continue along this journey - just 3 weeks in - it's amazing how far we've already come.

And here are some photos from this weekend:

Miss Caroline was very alert and awake on Friday morning,
so we spent some time interacting with her before we
changed her diaper and such.

She has a killer grip - strong like a vice.
She always is hanging onto something, her bedding, a tube or wire,
or her bedding.  It's funny to think about now, but she would always
hold her umbilical cord in our ultrasound photos.  

Logan may be prepping for a career in modeling.
He's got the pose.  

But something tells me we're going to have to
work on getting him a better headshot.
His "Blue Steel" needs some work.
(Zoolander reference)

Well that's it for our update.

We hope that you all had a wonderful holiday and have made it back safely whence you came.

All our very best,

Mike and Melissa Vogel

Goat, Kangaroo and a Ring

Hey all,

As we approach the 2 week birthday for the twins we wanted to give you a quick update on how they're doing and share some stories with you.

The twins have been doing pretty well and Melissa and I have worked our way into a bit of a routine for spending time with them, getting Melissa her rest and recovery, and allowing me to get back to work.

We've continued to have our ups and downs on the roller coaster.

Caroline's been fighting an infection and hasn't felt well, but appears to be responding to the antibiotics and will hopefully be back to her squirmy self by the end of the weekend.

Logan's been doing well, he's off of the ventilator altogether and only relies on some forced air for his breathing support.

That has let us begin to hear from the little guy.

He's not one to enjoy it when we or the nurses change his diaper, take his temperature, or move him around.  And he'll give us a little cry.

We took this video as he was coming down from a good fuss, just whining about having been messed with.

We present - Logan the goat.

We have also been spending as much time as possible as kangaroos.

The doctors and nurses have introduced us to and encouraged us to spend at least an hour a day as kangaroos for each of the children (when they're stable and feeling well).  This means we hold them, skin to skin - usually while they're getting a feeding, and provide them a warm comfortable environment.

There's been a lot of research that shows that this does a great deal of good for the kids and truly helps with their growth and development while in the NICU.

It also makes for some good photos.

Melissa with Caroline

Logan's fighting to stay awake with Dad

Caroline sleeping with Mom
She gets to wear a hat and a coat b/c she needs help staying warm.

And finally... we spend quite a bit of time up in the NICU.  It's actually quite nice - equipped with a couch and a barcolounger.  Free Wi-Fi.  And an especially great staff who works great with the kids and does a wonderful job keeping us informed of every little change, twist, turn, and simple update.

We keep ourselves busy up there, we're encouraged to help out with the little tasks - changing diapers, taking temperatures, moving monitor patches, helping with bath time... and so on.  

But it's also given us a bit of time to take some photos.

Here's a shot of each of the kids playing with my wedding ring.

Caroline could probably wear this on her arm...
if I could get it past her huge hands.

This would be a tight fit on Logan's wrist.

That's it for the update... we'll have another one for you after Thanksgiving.

The twins won't get to have turkey and stuffing this year, but we'll be able to share some great time with the grandparents as they're coming to town.

Our very best wishes for a safe and happy holiday for you and your families.  Thanks again for all your loving support and heartfelt prayers.

Mike and Melissa