New NICU, here we come!

WOW, what an emotional day. Ever have one of those days that you think will just be a normal day and whammo, it smacks you in the face like a ton of bricks? I think I cried more today than I have in several weeks. I'm sure it was a bit of denial that we really weren't going to make it to the new unit because we would be home by then and low and behold, here we are. It also is such a huge day for our NICU nurses and family and everyone was just glowing in excitement and so proud of the new place.

They moved the babies over according to seniority - which I thought was very cool. Little Baby Alaina (born at 1lb, 9 oz) was the leader of the pack. Then Cole was second, and his little friend Jack was right behind him. Sadly, I missed Cole's transfer but I arrived minutes after he had been wheeled into his new room. I walked in behind Jack and his Mom, through the line of cheering nurses that lined the hallway as each of the babies arrived to the new unit. Camera's were flashing and all of the welcoming nurses were clapping. It was a day to remember for sure.

The rooms are awesome - Cole is the first patient in Room 232. I have posted a few pictures of his new place. It took a couple of hours for the babies to settle down - many of them were overwhelmed by the noise and chaos during the move, Cole included. I stayed with him for a few hours until he settled in. Of course, I'll be back tonight as soon as the doors open at 8pm.

One of the coolest things is that there was a handmade quilt in his room when we arrived. It was made by an organization called The Angel Quilt Project. This wonderful organization makes quilts for NICU units, Childrens cancer units and regional Burn centers. The man who started the organization back in 2000 did so to let parents of premature children know that there are people out in the world who have faced the same conditions that we are facing now. The quilt is a gift for us to keep after we leave the hospital. All that they ask in return is a photo of our baby with the quilt for their scrapbook. You can see the quilt hanging on the chair in the room photo. It was specially selected for Cole by the nurses because of it's sports theme. It's cross stitched in the center and has a little baseball player on it. We will treasure it forever and Cole will always know how special it is.





And here is Cole, all settled in.