Sizes and Shoutout...

Hey all,

Well we've been cruising along lately and we're keeping with our "normal" pace.

The kids have both had their little scares and have both had their little successes too.

Currently Caroline is breathing on her own without the help of a ventilator.  She gets oxygen support from a CPAP machine that feeds it to her through her nose, but is doing all the breathing work on her own.  It's a big step and a lot of work for our little gal.  Her doctors said not to be surprised if she needs to go back on the ventilator again a couple more times, but they said it's very normal for preemies to go back and forth for a while as they get used to doing it on their own.

Logan has had some lung issues and remains on the vent for a while.  Apparently little girls develop their lungs 10-12 days earlier than little guys do.  (I'm sure there's a sexist remark here that I could make which would get me slapped by my wife and mother, but I'll resist)  He had a pneumothorax (partially collapsed lung) for a while and is recovering nicely since they got it all resolved.  He's also taken a bit longer to get the ol' Vogel bowels moving.  Of course, when they did get going... the docs and nurses were impressed!  A chip off the ol' block he is!!!

Ultimately, both are doing "normal", with no major setbacks so far (keeping fingers crossed).  Mom is recovering well... almost too well as we've had to scold her a couple of times about trying to do too much.

Sizes

Some folks have mentioned that it's a little hard to tell how small our babies are.  In retrospect, you're right... without some perspective, you just can't tell from a photo or two what 1 lb. and 2 lbs. 14oz. really look like.

So here's some photos to help you get an idea...

Here's Caroline with Dad's iPhone 4.
The phone stretches from her mouth down to her mid thigh if she were stretched out.
(Her knees are curled up here - not laid out.)
Sorry bout the headgear... they've got her eyes protected and her vent straps doubled up but she's smiling.

Here's Logan with the same phone.  He's (as expected) about 3x her size.
The phone goes from his shoulder to the end of his torso, as opposed to her.

So, as you can tell, they're pretty tiny... but strong.


Shoutout


My mother often reminds me that if I ever had any question that I married the right gal, it should have been answered when her work at Hy-Vee partnered with my beloved Kansas City Chiefs.  Through her work and it's opportunities, I've had the great pleasure of getting to know some of the folks in the organization.

They are a fantastic group of people and a world class operation.  (Of course, my love for the team may make me just a tad bit biased)

Imagine my shock this weekend when we were watching the game as any true KC Chiefs fan does - with the TV sound off and the Chiefs Radio Network blasting through the speakers - and we heard this shoutout from Mitch "The Voice" Holthus :

A great shock, an unbelievable surprise, and a true honor to have the birth of my children announced to the Chiefs Kingdom by the very best play-by-play man in the business.

Thanks Mitch!


We head into the weekend hoping to continue on our normal pace.

Thanks again to everyone for the wonderful support, loving thoughts, and caring prayers.  I'm a firm believer that it all helps greatly!

All our best to you and your families,

Mike, Melissa, Logan and Caroline Vogel