RMH Rocks!

*I will post a blog explaining why we're at Ronald McDonald House, but for now, I just want to share what a blessing they are!

I need to give a major shout out to the Ronald McDonald House in Tucson. I've heard stories from families who have stayed at a RMH, and it has always been very positive. Now that I'm one of those families, I just wanted to share what a blessing they have been to us over the past few days.





When the social worker at the hospital mentioned RMH, I didn't think I would qualify because we don't technically have a child in the hospital. She told me that she has set up adoptive families with them when there has been room. Our situation was a little different, but she thought we'd still be eligible. She sent the referral over, and they accepted me (Matt and CJ weren't here yet). I headed over to sign the necessary paperwork and take a tour of the facility.

I literally choked up as she walked me throughout the building, sharing the different amenities offered to families. If you've not been involved with RMH, I'll share some of the amazing features:

*Our room (and meals - breakfast, lunch & dinner) is $15/night. The night before, I had paid $90 for a shady hotel and mediocre breakfast just up the road. In addition to meals, they have two community refrigerators where they store all of the leftovers so that we can snack if we get hungry at random times.

*The room has Tempur-pedic beds, which are very nice! They also stocked the bathroom with every toiletry item we could possibly need.

*In the room, they left a blanket and stuffed animal for kids who stay. Even though we don't have Alex yet, they said we should take an extra for him.

*When we checked in Matt this morning, they took CJ back to the toy room and let him pick out anything he wanted. It was literally a large closet filled with brand new toys. He chose a very large John Deere tractor.



*They have a full play room and outdoor play area for kids, which kept CJ busy all morning.



*They have free laundry machines for us to use as we need.

*The manager came over to us this morning and gave us a box of individually wrapped cracker packages. She said she knew that we'd be in meetings and that we'd have a long drive home and CJ would need some snacks along the way.

*When I asked them about fun family activities in Tucson (since we're here until Monday), they mentioned the children's museum and the zoo. Without hesitation, one of the staff said "Oh, let me get you one of our family passes." While they couldn't find the zoo pass, they gave us a pass for all of us to get into the children's museum.

*Repeatedly, we've been told not to worry about when we're checking out. They've told us a bunch of times that we're welcome to stay as long as needed (although I will be anxious to get home).

I'm sure there are many more examples I could give you, but these stand out. While we've had a hard time accepting that we are deserving of this, it has been such a blessing to not have to worry about some things. It has allowed us to focus on what we need to focus on. They have truly tried to make it feel as close to home as possible. I've already looked up the RMH in Las Vegas, and hope to find ways to help them in the future.

For any adoptive moms reading this - if you are placed with a birth mom that is a good distance from your home, check with your agency/attorney, or the hospital social worker, to see if you can get in at a local RMH. Sometimes you aren't sure of how long you'll need to remain in the area, and it's nice to have your lodging and meals taken care of.