17 Jul Feeling Settled. Feeling at Home.

Life changed in an instant when David and Kristin Grover got the call that they had been matched with their adopted daughter two weeks before she was born. From diapers, baby clothes to a car seat, they scrambled to get everything ready including coordinating travel arrangements from Vermont to Texas to finalize the adoption.
After arriving to Austin, they found out their baby girl, Nora, had to stay in the neonatal intensive care unit for monitoring. They slept at the hospital for a couple days to stay close to her. When they realized she would be in the hospital even longer, they booked a hotel room. At this point, they were unsure when she was going to get released. In addition to dealing with their baby’s hospitalization, they felt unsettled while facing the added financial stress of lodging expenses.
The Grovers were familiar with Ronald McDonald House Charities but it didn’t occur to them that they could stay at the Ronald McDonald House. When a social worker at St. David’s Medical Center told them about RMHC CTX services, they were able to check into the House, unpack and feel settled in one place. Being at the House and having all their basic needs met – like meals, snacks and laundry facilities – allowed them to focus solely on their new baby girl. They finally felt comfortable.
“Having a place to stay, meals prepared by volunteers, eating out of an actual bowl and having drawers for our clothes had such significant meaning for us,” says David Grover. “Being at the Ronald McDonald House gave us some control and it felt more normal than being in a hotel. But more than anything, being settled and comfortable gave us more time with our baby and allowed us to bond with her.”