March 2nd

Vanderbilt is doing a great job with Cohen so far-----we have met lots of people this morning. Occupational and Physical therapy evaluated his condition and are going to give him therapy treatments 4 times per week. His hip ultrasound came back normal. They put off the MRI until after they complete the swallowing study tomorrow. The doctor that conducts the swallow study came by and gave him a bottle and evalutated him this morning, just to get an idea of what she is dealing with. Needless to say, he is worn out! He is sleeping like a log. I think the move has been much more traumatic for us than Cohen.
I have been trying to think of a good way to compare Baptist and Vanderbilt. Since I generally think in terms of school, I am going to give you that example.
My first 2 years of college were spent at Clarendon College in Texas. Clarendon is a tee tiny 2 year school in a small town in West Texas. It's the kind of place where everybody knows everybody.....a very family atmosphere. It's the kind of slow paced town where you create your own entertainment. (and we usually did that pretty well) There is no chain or big box stores like Wal-mart and Target for about 50 miles. We had a few sports and clubs, but not a ton of extra activities.
My last 2 years of my degree I attended Texas Tech University. For all my Tennessee friends, it would be equivilent to an MTSU. Pretty large city, lots of sports, clubs, Wal-Mart, Target, a mall...etc....
My point is I really loved the small atmosphere, but there were perks of the larger as well.
Some of the BIG perks here at Vandy are: Private room where we can use our laptop, cell phone, and we have a phone in the room. The Visitation-anyone over 18 can come with Justin and I and visit Cohen, anytime of the day. They NICU never closes. ALSO, CALEE CAN VISIT EVERYDAY FOR 30 MINUTES!!!!! This is the biggest perk so far! They also have "sleep rooms" for the parents, so I can stay in the hospital and be close to Cohen as much as we need too. I am going to stay tonight, as I think they will be doing an echo of his heart later tonight.
The downside is the loss of personal relationships. There are just so many people it will be harder to get to know the nurses, doctors, etc.

All of this being said, the most important thing is Cohen's health. I really hope that things get figured out soon, the ulitmate goal is for him to be HOME!