And they walked right out of there!

little logan in the lifeship shortly after his arrival

Little Logan was born unexpectedly and quite accidentally on November 20, 2011. That was just 26 and 2/7 weeks gestation and a full 97 days TOO EARLY! I remember sitting with Diana a couple days after Logan arrived and cancelling her up coming dr's appointments and prenatal classes and basically her entire third trimester. She had the cutest little pregnancy journal that she'd been keeping and just like that-BAM- she was done being pregnant! And launched into being worried and anxious and nervous about the fragile little human being struggling to survive in the lifeship at the NICU.

February 20, 2012 was a RED LETTER day! Logan and his parents walked right out of the front doors of the Children's Hospital at Legacy Emanuel.

dad worked hard to make logan a

special outfit to wear home

3 months or 13 weeks or 93 days in the nicu

no matter how you count it; that's alot of

prayers and sleepless nights

and let's just say

"they lived happily ever after"

There's nothing better than bringing a perfect baby boy home from the hospital. Logan checked out at 6 pounds 5.2 ounces! And he's still growing and it's ALL GOOD!

Let's have one more cheer for the little fighter; "Way to go, Logan!"

And now for Mom and Dad; "Hang in there guys! Enjoy the ride."

resistance is futile

granny and little logan

Everyone knows I'm a low key trekkie. I think Gene Rodenberry was nothing short of genius and he really had a great imagination when it came to the universe and all those alien life forms.

the queen of the borg from

star trek: the next generation

The other day when I arrived at the Lifeship, I was a little surprised to see Logan sporting a new IV connection and it was coming out of his head! As Katie so cleverly explained; the "cranium vein is very pronounced" so it's a good choice when trying to inject medicines intravenouly. ( or assimilate the human beings into the "collective" baha)

...and i couldn't help but think of the borg!

Logan looked like he'd definitely been tampered with. He actually scratched his face until it bled as he was trying to pull out the IV. What a fighter!

But the IV antibiotics have done the trick and Logan is definitely on the upswing. Go Logan!

logan sleeping like a log after his

afternoon bottle; just a trooper.

Logan's doing well. He's moving out of the lifeship and heading for the mothership in the very near future! And we couldn't be more pleased.

what a difference a day makes...

So Logan had a couple of crappy days. The surgery was tough enough but then developing an infection was definitely a BIG step backwards.

But there is a funny story about "the surgery team". These guys really are a TEAM. They travel around the hospital together and sort of march in unison as they go. They wear matching uniforms (you know, the surgical scrubs-not the cute scrubs) and carry notes everywhere they go.

The day after the surgery, "the team" came by to check on Logan. "He looks great," they beamed. "We did a great job!" (Smiles and high fives all around.)

The next day, it was pretty clear that Logan wasn't feeling well. He was uncomfortable and those private parts (below the diaper line) were SWELLING... Logan's nurse suggested we call the surgeons back. They arrived and promptly dismissed our concerns. "I'm confident it's irritation from the diaper..." said the captain with a smile as his team nodded conclusively. "He'll be fine."

The nurse winked at Diana as the team marched away. "They'll be back. They won't want Little Logan to mess up their statistics."

By Sunday night things were definitely deteriorating. Logan was swollen right out of his diaper and not happy about eating or sleeping or anything... (RED, HOT, SWOLLEN, ROCK HARD and SORE) The team conceded that it could be an infection and perhaps a broad spectrum antibiotic might be in order. That meant an IV. Then came the morphine, the feeding tube and the really, terrible, horrible day that put everyone on edge- (including the team).

By Tuesday night the repair and the cranial IV had provided some relief. The team all nodded in agreement that Logan was on the mend and they had, in fact, done another awesome job. "Hey but wait a minute," Diana exclaimed plaintively. "You're the ones that thought it was diaper rash. Don't be so smug." The captain replied smugly,"Oh, I'm sure it was initially. But he's doing great now. No worries."And the team marched off to deal with another pressing surgical matter while Diana sat shaking her head and muttering something like, "sure Dude; diaper rash; whatever."

BUT what a difference a day makes! (and broad spectrum antibiotics, combined with draining and irrigating the wound). Logan was feeling so good by Wednesday morning that the feeding tube was removed and his regular bottle feeding resumed. He slept well and cooed appropriately for all the caregivers to enjoy. The neonatoligist came by this afternoon and said, "That's how he's supposed to look. Good job, Logan. You'll be outa here in no time."

(unless of course there's another little hiccup)

little logan looking a little more like himself this afternoon

little logan enjoying some cuddles

logan drank his whole bottle and passed out

for almost a full four hour nap;perfect

we were almost out the door....

Last week Thursday Logan underwent a "little procedure" to get him all ready to go home. He had a couple of little hernias that needed repair before he could leave the hospital. Now I say the hernias were little because Logan is little but the fact is that they were humongous and needed to be repaired before he could go home. The surgery team assured us it was a very simple, run-of-the-mill, "ho-hum" operation. "We do this all the time on tiny babies; there's NOTHING to worry about."

As we were learning about the procedure, the surgeons explained how particularly uncomplicated and low risk the whole operation was. It was going to be "in and out" just like the burger.

Then it would be a day to get feeling better, a day to do the carseat challenge (that's when the preemies prove they can sit in a car seat and breathe at the same time) and the next day was the trip HOME. It was an exciting time and Logan was doing so well. No tubes, leads or wires anywhere and feeding from a bottle just like a regular baby boy.

little logan looking awesome and

ready to go home....

little logan chowing down

logan: the master of "suck, swallow and breathe"

Oh right, and the surgeon mentioned that there was like a 1% risk of complications but not to worry because it was just 1%. Diana looked at me and muttered something like, "yup, there's a 1% chance of going into preterm labor at 26 weeks....don't talk to me about 1%"

And then they wheeled Logan down to the operating room......

Today is Tuesday; the day we were supposed to bring Logan home. We're huddled around the lifeship watching Logan enjoy some IV antibiotics, a little morphine and the occasional tylenol. The surgery team came by this morning and repaired the repair; drained, irrigated and packed the infected incisions. AND assured us he's on the mend.

logan with the crazy IV in his head...

that's right; IV in the head

all his viens are blown from all the previous iv's

...and one more go with the feeding tube since he's feeling so sick

afternoon nap with the feeding tube and IV

but feeling better by the minute

The infection was a 1% speed bump and Logan refuses to be bumped so we've got a new schedule and we're sticking to it!

A five day course of antibiotics, the car seat challenge and then HOME!!

Go Logan, you little CHAMP!

the incredible shrinking duck...

When Logan first arrived, it was difficult to truly understand his size. Weighing in at just under 2 pounds and only 13 inches long, we knew he was tiny but how tiny is that?

When Diana and I went shopping in the "Baby Boutique" a few days after Logan's birth we found the perfect tiny toy for the perfect tiny boy. And we proceeded to measure Little Logan "by duck".

little logan measured 3 ducks long and

about one duck wide

"the duck" looked like a sizeable

toy next to our tiny boy

Imagine my surprise when I saw Logan man handling the poor little duck the other day! It would appear that the duck has shrunk considerably since we purchased him.

go Logan...

Truth is; Logan has grown! The duck remains small and Logan is turning into a little slugger. He's almost 6 pounds and getting longer every day! Yay, Logan!

Surprise! it's a beautiful baby boy...

Little Logan's arrival was a bit of a surprise. His fragile beginning also left us (his family and friends) anxious and unsure about how things would all work out. But the last few weeks have been miraculous as Logan has figured out how to "suck, swallow and breathe" and has mastered the art of growing.

little logan chowing down

When he was born, his skin was very thin and fragile. The doctor described it as wet tissue paper. If we touched him, we could peel off his skin. Not to mention that we could see through his skin! When the doctors or nurses wanted to insert an IV or some kind of line, they literally brought a "trouble light" and shone it on his little body so they could see where his veins were.

logan really small: fragile

and "wired up" for support

(he needed alot of help)

Then there was the sunglasses and the tanning bulb to try and get his skin to improve (code for heal and grow). The weeks under the light, in the humid controlled environment of the lifeship helped him become a little more "thick skinned" and ready for life in this world.

logan under the lights

As his little body struggled to heal and grow and develop, his little fan club watched closely for any signs of improvement or progress. He started to get bigger and he was able to maintain his body temperature. His lungs healed and his skin got thicker. He could tolerate touch and clothing for short periods of time.

logan trying clothes for the first time

logan learning to "suck" with the

"monster binky" while wearing clothes!

And then the other day amidst the hustle and bustle of all that is NICU, a beautiful baby boy miraculously appeared!

In the place where anxiety, doubt, fear and aprehension had reigned for so long, Grayson and Diana found a perfect baby boy!

logan wallace michel

over 5 pounds and gaining everyday

Way to go, little buddy!