Since her twin boys were born prematurely six weeks ago, Amanda Logan has been driving 90 minutes each way from her home in St. Mary's County to Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis.
Her boys, Anderson Seth and Andrew Scott, have spent their entire lives in the neonatal intensive care unit there, where doctors and nurses can keep a 24-hour watch on the boys' fragile health.
Usually Logan packs herself a lunch, which she eats while driving to or from the hospital. So she was happy yesterday to eat a free Mother's Day lunch for parents with babies in the neonatal intensive care unit, courtesy of Morton's The Steakhouse in Annapolis. She and other moms feasted on cheeseburgers, salad, cheesecake and chips. They also received a gift pack of Morton's grilling salts, an oven mitt and Morton's grilling tips.
"My lunch is usually peanut butter and jelly, or turkey and cheese," said Logan, who is a massage therapist. "It's not as good as this food. No cheesecake."
Her husband, Andrew, a Prince George's County policeman, sat with her in a hospital conference room. He visits their babies, who were born three months prematurely, three or four times a week.
Overall, about 15 couples and 10 hospital staff members took part in the Morton's lunch. Each meal had a retail value of about $50, according to the Annapolis Morton's manager, Chad Lipson.
The idea for the meal came from Cheryl Knauer, Morton's media representative. The restaurant wanted to do something special for Mother's Day, which is traditionally one of the chain's biggest days. Knauer suggested free meals for moms (and dads) at the hospital.
"Other moms get to celebrate by going out for dinner. Many of these moms can't go out," she said. "I wanted to help them celebrate the day as they should."
Knauer can relate to the experience. Seven years ago, her son Elijah was born with a condition that significantly slowed his growth; he spent the first eight days of his life - including Mother's Day - in the intensive care unit at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson. He recovered and is now a normal first-grader.
The Anne Arundel Medical Center opened its remodeled neonatal intensive care unit 18 months ago. The unit has space for 26 infants; it now hosts 20, including three sets of twins and one set of triplets.
The Annapolis Morton's opened about seven months ago. Lipson said that despite the sluggish economy, which has led to declining revenue for many restaurants, the restaurant is doing well.
