#166 Ronald McDonald House

Brief Mia update for anyone reading this blog who hasn't seen an update lately: Mia is doing very well. She was 4 lb. 8 oz. when she was weighed last night (Mar 3). She's still working on eating all of her bottle every time, but her stamina is definitely increasing. Once Mia is consistently taking 100% of her food by mouth, we will come home.

While we're down in Des Moines, Tess and I (and Lanie when she's around) are staying at the Ronald McDonald House. We were eligible to stay here because we have a child in the hospital and received a referral from a doctor. The Ronald McDonald House has been an enormous blessing for us. We stay in a room that's much like a hotel room: there are two queen beds and an attached bathroom. (Side note: Our bed at the RMH is probably nicer than our bed at home. We have not been suffering at night.)

But the Ronald McDonald House is not a hotel. In addition to lodging, we also get food there. Some individual or group volunteers to bring dinner every night at 6:00. (And no, we don't eat pasta every night. There's a good variety of meals.) Leftovers and a bunch of other food are on hand for breakfast and lunch and snack breaks galore. There are a couple of playrooms to help keep Lanie occupied. There's a laundry room in the basement where detergent and dryer sheets are provided. And for all of these services, RMH suggests we donate $10 per night. (I think I spent about twice that much my first day here when I ate three normal-sized meals in the hosptial cafeteria.)

In short, we are incredibly grateful for the Ronald McDonald House. There's not enough room for us to stay in Mia's room at the hospital. A hotel would be way too expensive. Driving nearly two hours each way to commute back and forth from Kanawha would be brutal. If you've ever donated to RMH (or even dropped some change in one of those collection boxes by the cash register or drive-thru at a McDonald's), thank you. It's a huge relief not to have to worry about taking care of ourselves while we're looking out for Mia.

Now if we could just do something about the creepy Ronald McDonald statue in front of the house…

Grace and peace,
BMH