Ronald McDonald House Charities Weekly Baking Challenge

It’s difficult to talk to you about the Ronald McDonald House Charities February 2024 weekly baking challenge without telling you about my son’s birth story and why Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) means so much to us.

Boone’s Birth Story

I was so excited when I found out about Ronald McDonald House Charities’ weekly baking challenge in February 2024. I have a very special place in my heart for Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC). When my son, Boone, was born in June 2021, he had the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, which caused him to be acidotic. That picture that most moms get of their newborn baby on their chest, looked a lot different for me. Directly after birth, I could tell right away something wasn’t right. He didn’t cry, I remember wondering where his little voice was. Don’t most babies cry after birth? I had to watch from my bed as nurses and doctors swarmed the little stand where my quiet baby lay. Boone was taken to another room without much explanation while the doctor stitched me up for what felt like a lifetime. I kept asking what was wrong, but nobody would give me or my husband a straight answer.

Finally, the pediatrician came in to tell us our newborn baby was acidotic and that they wanted to fly him to the NICU in Denver for a “cooling treatment.” She said he was fine and that his acid levels were high directly after birth, but they had gone down. This treatment was a “better safe than sorry” protocol and didn’t hurt the babies. My husband and I agreed to send him to Denver. However, I would not be able to go on the plane with my husband and Boone until after I had been discharged from the hospital. MY. WORST. NIGHTMARE.

The Silver Lining

Once I was finally stitched up, I was able to see Boone. The only reason I got to hold my son before he left on the airplane was because I did not get an epidural. I have never been so thankful in my life. They wheeled me into the room which contained my sweet newborn son and a thousand wires all over him. Once again, he was so quiet. That’s all I remember. Before I knew it, the plane arrived, and it was time to say goodbye. My mom arrived at the hospital to stay with me for quite possibly the worst night of my life. My husband and my son flew to Denver without me.

I didn’t sleep a wink that night. The doctor came in early the next morning to discharge me and I was frantic to get out of the hospital. I signed all the paperwork with a blank space next to his name. My husband and I didn’t even have time to finalize our son’s name before they left. As soon as I was discharged, my mom and I hopped in the car and headed to Denver as fast as we could.

Arriving in Denver

By the time I arrived, I was a wreck. My husband was Superman and took care of me completely knowing I had nothing left in my tank. We went to visit our son as soon as I arrived. Let me tell you, nothing breaks a mother’s heart quite like seeing her newborn baby attached to every wire and monitor that could fit on his tiny little body. I felt defeated, helpless, and exhausted.

One Very Long Week

We spent a week at the NICU in Denver. Every single day was hard. We went through so many tears, so many prayers, and morphine. That was the worst part. They gave our sweet baby morphine to make him more comfortable during the “cooling treatment.” On the 5th day at the NICU, our doctor came in for morning checks and I nearly fell to the ground when she said, “Let’s start treating this little guy like the full-term baby he is. It’s time to go home mama.” I nearly dropped to my knees in relief and happiness.

Ronald McDonald House Charities

This week was one of the most difficult weeks of my life. I had so many things to worry about, but the one thing I never had to worry about was a place to stay. RMHC provided us with comfort, kindness, and peace of mind during the most difficult time in our family’s lives. We were able to stay in the RMHC in Denver entirely for free the entire week we were there. Not having to worry about finding a place to stay, let alone paying for a place to stay in Denver was a relief I’ll never be able to describe. Sometimes, we don’t understand how important a charity like this is until we go through something traumatic ourselves. Then we are reminded just how amazing the world can be.

Giving Back

Since our stay in Denver at the RMHC in Denver, we’ve made continuous donations to the organization every month. I just hope that I can be a part of providing hope to another family going through difficult times.

February Ronald McDonald House Charities Baking Challenge

As you may already know, I LOVE to bake. Not only that, but my son is also the one who inspired me to begin baking. We often find ourselves in the kitchen making some new delicious baked goods. He inspired me to create Baking with Boone. When I found out Ronald McDonald House Charities was holding a Facebook charity event where you bake for February, you know I was in! What better way to raise awareness for a cause I love, than doing something I love to do with my son? Please head over to my Facebook page to learn more about donating to the Ronald McDonald House February baking challenge. You can also donate directly to Ronald McDonald by going to their home donation page; https://rmhc.org/donate.

Week 1

Week one was cookie week. We made lemon rosemary ricotta cookies. Click HERE for the recipe.

Week 2

Week two was your favorite kid friendly Valentine treat. Boone and I made red velvet Valentines cake balls. Click HERE for the recipe.

Week 3

Week three was bread/pastry week. We asked everyone on Facebook what they would like us to make and pretzels were the winners. We made Rosemary Parmesan Pretzels, a recipe from Baker by Nature. I have made these pretzels before and they are DELICIOUS.

Week 4

Week 4 is Cake Week. We decided to come up with our own cake recipe and made apple spice cupcakes with spice cream cheese frosting. Click HERE to see our recipe.

We earned a total of $933 for this fundraiser!