crib. check.

Today Logan moved up in the world. After tolerating an increase in his feeds (to keep up with his weight) he was weaned to his first "big boy bed" this afternoon. He seems to be doing well with his temps since then. He stays swaddled in a blanket while in his crib, so he looks like a little burrito in a huge crib, but we're happy. It's certainly less cumbersome to get him out to play. He had fewer alarms today, and most of them were very quick and self resolved. He's also grown out of some of his preemie clothes already! We had to retire our first onesie already today because his torso is so long. I can only imagine what we'll be dealing with when we try to account for his longish legs.

He enjoyed visits from Aunt Jenn and Uncle Curtis as well as the Campbells today. He's also excited to meet another new cousin who was born today. Dale and I splurged for dinner out at our favorite restaurant tonight and had a great time. We're looking forward to more of laid back weekend. We have just a bit of tidying up to do at the house and a little more unpacking to do. Other than that, we can relax and enjoy time with Logan.

Hope you're all well; thanks for checking in on us!

Love Dale, Michelle, & Logan

the roller coaster ride continues

So today wasn't so hot. It wasn't terrible, just not great. Apparently Logan set off his alarm more frequently than I realized yesterday, as he got his nasal cannula put back on today. He's doing better with it, so it looks like he needs a little bit more help for a while. He slept most of the day today (I think we wore him out last night : )

Tonight we had our third family picture taken; the family support specialist in the NICU came around and took pictures for us. We're excited to see them (turns out her camera is a bit more sophisticated than our cell phones -ha!)

I really mean it when I thank you for your prayers. They sustain us. At times, I feel like I have to physically and emotionally let go and we are surrounded by such love and support that I feel like we have a huge safety net that holds us up and allows us to keep moving. We know this experience will be filled with ups and downs, we continue to pray for the perseverence to trek uphill when God asks that of us.

Thanks for checking in!
love Dale, Michelle, & Logan

Rub-a-dub-dub

Logan's in the tub! He got his first bath tonight and loved it. He didn't fuss at all, and after we dried him off and swaddled him, he was completely content. Plus, he got his high flow canula removed today, so he actually has cheeks again. I found a dimple on the left side that apparently has been hiding beneath all of the tape. He did well off the high flow, and continues to set off the alarm once in a while, but nothing that's not to be expected with his prematurity.

We're slowly getting settled in to the apt and are trying to sneak in plenty of rest when we can.

Overall, we have great news today. Thanks for checking in!

Love Dale, Michelle & Logan

chunk monkey. . . almost

The calorie fortified feeds seem to be working well for Logan--tonight he weighed 4 lbs 5 oz! Of course, his weight fluctuates plenty and vary based on things like whether his diaper is dirty or clean. He is working a double chin, but still has long lanky limbs. He has one of his favorite nurses tonight, so we got to talk about all kinds of exciting things. . . like when he can move to a crib (perhaps in the next 1-2 days). . . when he can try his hand at eating (tonight! -- it stressed him out a bit). . . when we may be able to wean his high flow (we'll see. . . maybe soon?)

We're learning that Logan only tolerates one tiny change at a time. He seems to have one speed (slow and steady). . . I think he may have inherited that, and not from me.

All in all we continue to be pleased with his progress (the fact that he gets cuter every day seems to help). We're trying to hold on through the ups and downs, and are grateful that he's evaded any significant setbacks. We are also eternally grateful for our friends and family who help ous out. From help moving to a quick dinner to picking up a call for me, we're sure to miss someone, but we really do appreciate your thoughtfulness. We'll close on the house on Monday, so that will be a check off the list. We're also awaiting the arrival of a new niece or nephew anytime! We hope you're well. have a great week.

Love Dale, Michelle, & Logan

In this corner. . .

. . . weighing in at four pounds. . .

Little Logan tipped the scales tonight at just over four pounds and he got to wear real clothes for the first time. (and to think that we were excited about our new apartment. . .he totally stole the thunder tonight)

He had a good day; just a few alarms, most of them self resolved. We had a lovely time dressing him in his own onesie tonight. It was a lovely long time by the time we got it situated around his tubes and wires (have you ever tried to put on a onesie from the bottom??) but he was patient as always and didn't fuss a bit. Afterward he had some good cuddle time with mom and dad, so we took some pictures to celebrate the big day today. We took our second family picture, of which I'm rather fond.

We had so much fun at the hospital, we almost forgot about the piles of "stuff" we have to sift through & sort : )

moving day!

I apologize for the lapse in posts. With our move, we were without internet access for a bit. We're getting settled in to our apartment and are SOOO grateful for the awesome help we had to make it happen. If you need our new address, shoot us an email (addresses below) and we can get it to you. Our phone numbers are all the same. It will take a few days to get organized and a few more to find things we need : )

Logan was doing great when we peeked in on him this morning. He had a good night last night. We got him out of the box and he showed off a little bit for Grandma & Grandpa C. When I checked in earlier today, he was snoozing away. He's had a few alarms, but they seem to be occurring less frequently, and he can resolve most of them on his own. Which means. . . our baby's growing up!

I'm gonna catch a catnap (daddy says so. . I must be either cranky or emotional : ) then we'll go back up to see our little mister. He's pushing four pounds. . . tonight might be the night!

Much love to each of you!
Dale, Michelle, & Logan

dalesell@hotmail.com
michellechoutka@yahoo.com

"He's having a good day; we'll take those."

This is the update I got from the doctor as I arrived this afternoon. I wanted to shout "Woo hoo!!" but instead I smiled and said, "Yes, we certainly will." Logan was advanced on his feeds again today, and now he's getting extra calories added in, so look for him to bulk up soon : ) The nutritionist was excited, and so are we. He slept most of the day today, we're looking forward to a little bit of play time and potential "out of the box" time later this evening.

We'll keep you posted--

one down!

Logan is free of one line tonight. He had his umbilical IV removed today. Now he's getting all of his nutrition from the feeds he gets through the feeding tube in his nose. It's funny how removing one line makes such a difference when transferring him in and out of the crib. He lost a little bit of weight since last night, but that's to be expected a bit since he's not getting extra IV fluids. Plus, we're relying on him to work a little bit harder to regulate his own temperature, so that uses more energy. He seemed to have a good day, he slept well on several occasions today. We're grateful for that because it's periods of deep, uninterrupted sleep that allow him to develop and grow. After a nice cuddle session with Daddy, we're all ready to sleep well tonight. We hope you are, too : )

Just Chillin'

We just had to snap this picture of Logan tonight because it was so precious. He was so relaxed and it made us laugh. This pretty much describes his day. We went up on his feeds a tiny bit and he's just about where he needs to be for full feeds for his current weight. We're excited for that benchmark, because it will mean his IV can be removed! He's gaining weight; tonight he tipped the scale at 3 lb 15 oz. . . I'd say we'll celebrate when he hits 4 lbs, but I'm kind of leery of him growing up too fast already : ) We know that each ounce brings him closer to home.

There's also been talk of him wearing real clothes sometime soon, and perhaps weaning to a crib in the next week or so. We have much to be exctied about and look forward to, but of course we want him to be healthy and don't want to push him too quickly.

He enjoyed a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Sell tonight, and we appreciate their help getting us one step closer to ready to move. With that, we thank you again for your well wishes.

Until next time-
Dale, Michelle, & Logan

Good baby!

Logan was such a good boy today. He only had a few alarms, and most of them were self-resolved. We turned the bili light back on yesterday because his level crept up, but were able to turn it back off today. He continues to tolerate the increase in feeds, and our hope is that by Thursday, he'll be getting enough nutrition in his belly that we can discontinue the TPN (IV nutrition) and remove his IV. We had a GREAT cuddle session this afternoon; Logan snuggled in and didn't make a peep (or set off his alarm) for over two hours.

He has a few other tests pending that will need to be repeated so we can survey for problems as a result of his prematurity. We hope those will continue to be reassuring.

We're grateful for Becki and Allyssa's help this week and continue to look forward to our big move this weekend. As always, thanks for your thoughts and prayers; they sustain us during this hectic time.

That's all for now; have a great week.
Love Dale, Michelle, & Logan

Sunday--a day of rest

We had a good day yesterday. Logan continues to act more like himself. His ures are still negative, so the doctor this morning mentioned that we'd probably be able to discontinue the antibiotics after 72 hours. They're slowly advancing his feeds; he's on a continuous drip of milk into his tummy. So far, he's tolerating him well (and he's pooping :) I'm not sure of the plan for his CPAP. I guess we'll see. Overall, everyone is still very pleased with his progress.

We all got a little bit of rest yesterday. Daddy and Logan cuddled last night (and Logan's alarms didn't go off once!) We're still gearing up for moving weekend. We're not even close to ready, but we accomplish a little bit every day. Hopefully by Sunday afternoon we'll be packed up and ready haul. Becki and Allyssa are here visiting and spoiled us with dinner last night. Today, I'm pawning off my laundry and my dishes :)

Its kind of a rainy, drizzly day here. In honor of that, Logan and I had a great cuddle this morning! In other exciting news, my niece (my brother, Bryan & Laura's baby) should be arriving any minute!

We hope you enjoy your day. God bless you.

Love, Dale, Michelle & Logan

Aaaahhh

The day ended much better than it began. We had lunch with a couple of awesome friends, then relaxed the rest of the afternoon. I snuck in a nap, and Dale rested a bit, too. Most importantly, Logan settled down and slept well most of the afternoon. When we went back for his evening cares tonight, he was much more himself. He was sleeping soundly when we arrived, but the Logan who awoke much more resembled the handsome, mellow baby we've grown accustomed to. He only had two alarms this afternoon, so something must be working. We don't yet know what was causing him to feel so badly. He may have been brewing an infection and the antibiotics are doing their job. His caffeine dose was adjusted recently, and its possible he was ramped up similar to his mother on Diet Mountain Dew in the morning after a long call. Perhaps dropping back on his feeds helped, or perhaps his irritability this morning was because he was hungry since his feeds were stopped last night. Sometimes babes will have trouble tolerating the feeding tube in their nose/throat, so the nurse removed that this morning as well. As you can see, today was another lesson in humility; a gentle reminder that we are not in charge. Rather, we will continue to ride the tide, grateful for each day of improvement.

In celebration of the good afternoon/evening, we had some family time tonight. We got Logan out of the box and cuddled, and Dale was able to get some great pictures of him. I think he's changed so much already! Its hard to believe he's a week old. He's looking forward to Aunt Becki and Cousin Allyssa's visit tomorrow. . . let's hope for another good day!

Goodnight, and thanks again for your prayers.
Until next time--

Much love from Dale, Michelle, & Logan

Maternal Instinct

It's funny how this crept up on me. I kept telling the nurse yesterday that he wasn't himself. We got a call last evening, and they're thinking Logan's not-so-good day may have been from an infection. They restarted him on antibiotics and are running all sorts of tests to rule it out. In the meantime, they've stopped his feeds today and he's just hanging out. He seems to be a bit more comfortable, and he's not alarming as frequently as he did yesterday. Today sounds like a good day to rest and recuperate for all of us. Daddy's tired and Mommy's tired and tearful (stupid hormones!)

On a good note, after a therapeutic trip to the fabric store, Logan has a new isolette cover! It's also known as a blanket with his name on it. I lugged the sewing machine out last night and put it together. Granted, there are about a million other things that probably needed my attention first, but it was good to sit for a while and make something for him.

So prayer requests: (keep 'em comin'!) We hope Logan just had an off day yesterday and that the cultures all come back without any sign of a bacterial infection. That way, the antibiotics will be stopped in 72 hours. We also hope that his episodes of bradycardia (slow heart rate) will continue to decrease. We pray that Logan is content and comfortable, as its hard to see the little peanut when he's irritable and doesn't feel good.

Next weekend we will begin the first of our moves. Admittedly, I'm apprehensive, as it will be hard to leave our first home. Our apartment should be nice, however, and we should have just enough time to get settled in before Logan comes home. We pray for "organized chaos" this week as we continue to prepare to move.

I'm gonna run, the peanut's crying. Thanks for checking in on us.

Love, Dale, Michelle & Logan

Not-so-good day

We've begun the roller coaster ride that is the NICU experience. Please don't be alarmed, everything is still just fine. Logan and mommy had a little bit of a rough day today. He keeps having episodes of bradycardia (slow heart rate) for one reason or another (reflux, whimpy airways, prematurity, positioning,) and today he had several. They changed his feeds over to a continuous drip into his stomach, hoping that would even things out a bit. They're also going to check his thyroid labs to make sure his "driver" is working okay.

I spent the greater part of the afternoon with him, and we got to cuddle for a while, which always makes me happy. I think the isolette has a bit of a fishbowl effect, and that after watching him for a while, he appears much larger than he really is. Then, we get him out of the box, and he's still tiny little Logan. Its hard to hear the alarm go off time and time again. His episodes are quite variable--yesterday I think he had 1o total, and brought himself out of it each time. Today he had several more, with many requiring a bit of attention.

So, he's human. He has good days and bad days and alert days and tired days; just like anybody else. We know this will be a slow process and we continue to thank God for the good health he has been granted.

Aunt Jenn spent a couple of days this weekend, helping me out. We are eternally grateful for her selflessness, as its been quite a busy summer for her. I sent her home today so she remembers what her house and husband look like (she might be back tomorrow : ) Additionally, we are grateful to be surrounded by friends and family who love us and care for us. Thanks to each of you.

Until next time--
Love Dale, Michelle, & Logan

Good day.

Today was a big day for Little Logan! We have lots for which to be thankful.
-His bilirubin level was down, so we got to turn the light off and remove his goggles. Thus, we can see his face again!
-He's tolerating his feeds well and his volume was increased again. If he keeps it up, he may be on full feeds by the weekend or early next week. When that happens, we can stop the IV nutrition that he receives, as well.
-Dr. Anderson mentioned that we'll probably be able to start weaning his CPAP (the pressurized air he has running in his nose) in the next few days, too. This would take away his nasal canula and leave just his tiny feeding tube in his nose. . . we'll see even more of his face!
-Today is the last day of antibiotics.
-Once the IV is discontinued, he'll be able to get his caffeine orally.
-Oh yeah, and he pooped. . . a lot . . . all night long.

Dale has been back to work for a few days and seems to be doing okay with that. I plan to go back to work for half days next week; we'll see how that goes. This way, when Logan gets closer to coming home, I can take more time off to be in the hospital and prepare for his transition home.

Thanks for your continued prayers. We are exposed to other babies in the NICU who are very sick and we're thankful that, although early, Logan was healthy. We pray for the other fragile little souls who have a more difficult journey ahead of them.

Until next time-
Love from Dale, Michelle, & Logan

Good day.

God is good

I'm thinking of buying this book. We're close to getting to the point where there won't be huge announcements daily for Logan. This is where we like to be. I laugh because, I really do wish he would poop. He would feel better, and his bilirubin level would go down,and we could get rid of the silly light that shines over his isolette and makes him wear silly eye shades. But then I'd have to find something else to worry about. I had seen this book before and now it's a comical reminder that everyone poops, and my kid will too. Its easy to get tied up in tiny details that really aren't very important. I think its because we want to do something. We want to know exactly how to pray or what to watch for. We want to see improvement in each tiny detail of his life. In actuality, though, getting tied up in tiny details keeps us from seeing the big picture. We have a beautiful baby boy, and we have every reason to believe that everything's going to be just fine. We've learned valuable, life-changing lessons over the past 10 days and its nice to have a little bit of down time to soak it all up. I think I'm very much a different person because of this past week. I hope I've changed for the better. I'm in awe and I have 3 lb (now 9 oz) teacher to remind me to sit back and bask in God's goodness. I hope you'll take time today to do just that.

vanilla

That's the kind of day we had. Nothing very exciting happened (yaaaahooooo!--We LOVE those kind of days). The biggest thing that happened (aside from spending some quality time with mom and cuddling with dad for TWO HOURS!!) is that Logan seems to really like his pacifier. Not only does this help him self-soothe, hopefully it will help him coordinate his suck when the time comes to need that.

The nurse suggested today that I read to him. She said language development starts at 28 weeks, and since he was used to hearing me talk, it would be useful to read to him so that his speech skills aren't delayed. I figured the kid was enjoying the silence and the break from Talky McTalkerson. : ) Okay, so I'll read to him.

That's about it for now. We grabbed takeout for dinner and are hoping to make a very small dent in the mess that encompasses our entire house. Our thanks to the lawn mower fairy who took care of the lawn today!

Until next time-

Just when I thought. . . .

. . . . I'd studied every inch of him (there aren't very many of them) I noticed something new. He has a little cleft in his chin! Hopefully we'll get to discontinue the bili light soon and we'll get to see his whole face again. We stopped up for a bit last night; no major changes. He got to go down on his tummy (to help get things moving) and seeing that took him to a whole level of cuteness! I'll try to post again later today.

July 13th

Logan is having a pretty good day today (and so are Mommy and Daddy). He did well overnight. He's still having some apnea/bradycardia episodes, but nothing severe. Hopefully the CPAP and caffeine are working to help him through that. His IV access is through his belly button, so our hope is that it holds out until he is done with antibiotics (3 more days). He did well with his first feeds, and they increased the volume today. He seems to have a little bit of reflux, and perhaps that is contributing to his apnea/brady episodes. We're hoping his gut gets moving soon, as he hasn't pooped yet. Once he gets things moving, he'll feel a lot better.

We enjoyed a quiet morning as a family. We snuggled for a while, which was heavenly. Our nurse today is very thorough and did a lot of explaining, which helped to explain prematurity a little better. Logan's brain is doing a lot of developing right now. As a result, we as a family are adopting a "no touch, no flash photography, please" policy. We want to avoid over-stimulation, which may add to the stress he experiences and delay progress. That said, we don't mind having visitors. Please call ahead to see what the day is like. Dale and/or I can usually sneak away for a chat in the lounge, if its not a good time to lay eyes on the handsome mister.

As always, thanks for your continued prayers. Dale and I are doing our best to take good care of ourselves. I think Dale is going to try returning to work tomorrow, so we hope that transition goes smoothly.

Until next time--
Much love from Dale, Michelle, & Logan

Day of Life #3

I had to note this information in the title, because it seems like he's been here for weeks. It certainly didn't take the little mister long to sneak his way into every corner of our hearts. He had a pretty good night last night. He's having some trouble with apnea and bradycardia, which is to be expected for his age. This morning he was placed on CPAP (pressure to help him hold open his fragile airways) and he hasn't had any episodes since. He'll also be getting some caffeine (a coffee lover already??) for a few weeks so that he remembers to breathe. All in all he continues to do well.

His big news is that he gets to eat today! He'll get a teaspoon every three hours, which will be advanced as he tolerates it. Please pray that the feeds would go well, as this will likely encompass the "slow steady climb" part of our stay. We're also having some IV issues today, so we pray for no complications as he has a bit of a permanent IV site established. He's had a little bit of a rough morning with all of the changes, but he continues to soothe easily and seems to be very forgiving of the nurses when the have to poke and prod him.

Today will be the first time I'll be home in 10 days! I'm so excited to sleep in my own bed. We're preparing for the move, so I'm sure to find plenty of boxes and hope I can find the bare necessities. Thanks for your prayers during this transition.

Extubation!

Today was a big day for us! They took Logan off the ventilator this evening and removed his tube! We hope he does well through the night and won't need to have it replaced. His cheeks are a little chapped from the tape, but he sure looks better without it! Daddy got to hold him tonight, too, which made both of them very happy. We got to hear Logan's hoarse, pee wee cry and it was music to our ears. Tomorrow I'll be dismissed from the hospital, so I'm sure it will be an emotional day leaving him here. He's in such good hands; the nurses are fantastic and shower him with love.

Until next time,

Love from Dale, Michelle, and Logan

his future's SO bright. . .

Quick update (I know, I promise that every time)
Logan is doing well today. His chest xray wasn't great this morning, so they're going to keep him on the ventilator at least today. They've also placed him under the spotlight to prevent his bilirubin level from getting too high. Thus, he gets to wear snappy shades on his eyes--he looks like he's vegging out at the beach (I told him not to get used to it). Otherwise he's good. He'll probably have to wait another day before he's fed, so they'll start some nutrition in his IV this evening.

Every time I walk into the NICU, one of the nurses comments on his personality. I've heard:
-"He's got attitude."
- "He doesn't really like to take 'no' for an answer."
- "Really, he just likes to do what he wants to."
. . . I really don't know where he might have gotten that : )

Until next time,
Love from Dale, Michelle, & Logan

out of the box

We got to go down last evening after Logan's blood draw to hold him for the first time! It was the most wonderful feeling in the world. With his breathing tube, maneuvering him around is a little bit tricky. Hopefully, he'll be able to have that removed soon and we can get him onto Dale's chest, too.

Birthday Party

Well, we learned once again that we are not in charge of the master plan. Last night I developed back pain again and progressed into labor. After being up all night with slow, steady progression, Logan Dale entered the world at 6:06 this morning. He offered little warning, and the timing was just right to get the doctor, nurses, and NICU staff down the hall in time for his grand entrance. He weighed in at 3 lb 12 oz and is 16" long.

He was taken to the NICU and assessed by the team. There he was intubated and given a dose of surfactant for his lungs. He was started on prophylactic antibiotics. So far, he's been given a "thumbs up" for his behavior, and they're looking forward to extubating him, or removing the breathing tube, as soon as he perks up a little bit. He's currently a little sleepy, which may be a function of his age, or of the fact that he was a little "shell schocked" after his dramatic entrance!

He is perfect in every way. He won our hearts immediately when he opened his eyes and wrapped his long, lanky fingers around our index finger. Per the nurses, he's been acting appropriately and is doing well. We look for him to be admitted for a number of weeks (perhaps until his due date) and are preparing to run this marathon that is occasionally asked of new parents.

Dale and I are feeling well and had the chance to get some good rest this afternoon. We are flooded with thoughts and prayers which serve to sustain us on yet another adventuresome journey. Please keep them coming as we prepare in the next couple of days to return home without our baby as we trust him to the team here at the hospital. We are honored to be parents and are awed by the incredible gift of life which has been given to us.

Please hang in there with us; it looks like its going to be an awesome summer!

31 Weeks and Counting

As many of you know, Dale and I are preparing to take on new responsibilities as parents. We're anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first babe. As life goes, we took a little turn over the weekend. I went into labor at a little over 30 weeks. Luckily, "mommy instinct" led us into the care of great doctors and nurses. Currently, I'm admitted and on bedrest indefinitely, until Baby Sell #1 makes an appearance. I decided to create this blog to help keep loved ones posted with our progress and happenings. Plus, as you can imagine, sitting still in bed is a stark contrast to the lifestyle I'm used to. We are grateful for the friends and family who have stepped up already to offer support and encouragement; we appreciate you very much. We're learning to be humble and accept and ask for help, and we know your gestures of kindness will be immeasurable in the days to come.

Admittedly, I'm a little out of my element here in the blogging world, so I hope you'll forgive me if there are typos or if the pages are generic. (Hopefully I'll have lots of time to develop a "skill" for blogging : )

So here's the rundown:
We enjoyed a nice fourth of July weekend and had time to spend with both of our families. On Sunday, July 5th, "mommy instinct" indicated that something was wrong, so we returned to Omaha. After some investigating we realized that I was in labor and progressing. This bought me admission to Clarkson Hospital. By Sunday evening, we were able to stop contractions, but my water broke incidentally. I was administered steroids to help baby's lungs, and I was maintained on magnesium sulfate for 48 hours, to prevent contractions. The medicine made me feel awful, admittedly, and I apologize to those of you who tried to call or visit, as I know I wasn't myself.

On Wednesday, July 8th, I was weaned off the magnesium (hooray) and granted bathroom priviliges (= a shower!) Currently I'm laying low, and I promise I'm abiding by the doctor's orders! I have a little more energy than I did the first few days. My mom and sister have been insanely helpful (thanks!) with helping me out at the bedside. I remain on antibiotics as well as a medication for blood pressure and to prevent contractions. The game plan for now is to try to prevent labor and delivery until 34 weeks, which is 3 weeks from today.

Certainly, we're taking things day by day and are grateful for every hour of "incubation" that we achieve. Baby has looked great on the monitor (which monitors his/her heart rate) and I've been feeling well--no more contractions!

I'll try to make future posts a little shorter, but I wanted to catch you up to speed. Thanks to each and every one of you for your prayers, well wishes, and offers to help out in one way or another. We are insanely blessed with a wonderful support system.