Delightful Day in Durham

We are wrapping up what can only be described as a delightful day here in Durham. Although the day started out a little bit rough, with Claire having a few jerky, breath-holding seizures (you know, my favorite kind), she felt much better by lunch time, and all three of us were able to enjoy a pretty great day.


We met some friends for lunch at Elmo's Diner--a Durham institution that also happens to be the place I had my "last supper" before Claire was born last January. Lunch was excellent! I ordered shrimp and grits and shared a few grits with Claire. She spit them out. (I guess that's the Canadian in her!)



The friends we met have a little girl who is exactly one day younger than Claire. She was in the Duke NICU at the same time as Claire, and the two were roommates. Their little girl is adorable! Claire gave us a bunch of smiles, which, of course, always make me smile!


After lunch, we headed back to our hotel so Claire could nap while I did some work.


Then, it was off to Parker and Otis for coffee with Ms. Jan and Dr. Bob.


Brad and I met Ms. Jan last year when we traveled up to Durham to have Claire. Her church has an apartment that they make available to families who come to Durham for medical reasons, as we did, and the church was kind enough to let us stay there last December and January, while we were awaiting Claire and after her arrival. Ms. Jan coordinates the apartment for the church, so we got to know her quite well. She and Dr. Bob were also kind enough to have us over for Christmas dinner that year--Brad and I still talk about all of the fun we had that day!

It was so nice to see them and to catch up! (Please excuse Claire in the above picture. She was having a squirmy moment!)

I love Parker and Otis. It is part restaurant, part coffee bar, part speciality food shop, part gift boutique, and entirely unique! The tables are set up admidst antique hutches brimming with candles and lotions, shelves lined with jars of candy and giant lollipops, displays of cookware, cookbooks and lots of yummy sauces, mustards, and jams. It is definitely a great place to spend an afternoon while in Durham!


We were only there for coffee (although after eyeing the menu, I could have made room for a "second lunch" just so I could try the Turkey and Red Pepper Jelly sandwich or the Shrimp BLT). Even still, we managed to make an afternoon of it, and spent several hours visiting, browsing, and buying! (Yes, I couldn't walk away without purchasing a "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" lunch bag for Claire.)

Sadly, the owner has no plans to open a second location in another city like, say, Atlanta. (I asked.) So, for now, I will have to wait until we travel to Durham in order to get my Parker and Otis fix. It's probably for the best . . . If a place like this ever opened up in Atlanta, I would spend every Saturday afternoon there, and nothing would ever get done!

After saying goodbye to Ms. Jan and Dr. Bob, we headed to Duke University Hopsital to surprise some of our favorite NICU nurses! We managed to catch three of our absolute favorites, and it was so nice to see them and to catch up!

(Claire in the hallway on the way to the NICU.)

Then, for old time's sake, we had dinner at the Duke University Hospital cafeteria. It was the first time that Claire joined us there!

(Unfortunately, Claire was worn out, so she slept while we ate dinner. Being cute is hard work, after all!)

It seems so strange to think that it was exactly a year ago that Brad and I were spending up to 16 hours a day with Claire in the NICU and eating every meal in the Duke Hospital cafeteria. It seems like just yesterday!

Tomorrow, we're back at the hospital for Claire's cord blood infusion. We have to get up bright and early, so it's off to bed for me!