DC - Day 2

We did a lot today!

I'm so tired, I'll let the pics tell the story!

DC - Day 1

Arrived bright and early in DC at 9:30.

I got quite sick on the plane. Had to use the barf bag thing for the first time.

After landing, we headed to the Metro where I almost threw my luggage on the tracks. We had been given incorrect loading directions twice. It had caused us to miss our train twice. Ridiculous.

Finally made it to the hotel. We took a quick nap.

We went to Ted's Montana Grill. While sitting there, our doctor called and told us we needed to pick up a prescription for some infection that could possibly affect the baby.

We rushed to Walgreens, but they were out.

We headed to Arlington National Cemetery. We saw JFK's burial site, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the Iwo Jima Memorial.

We headed back to the Metro and came across a CVS that did have the prescription.

We headed back to the hotel to meet my friend Erin.

Erin took us to her mom's house (where her family is staying) to hang out with her beautiful family.

We all then went to Mexican.

After that, we came back for some awesome blueberry pie.

Sadly, we had to say goodbye to Erin. She dropped us back off at the hotel.

I am now about 30 seconds away from hitting the hay!

Great great first day in DC!!

Pregnancy #3 Week 5

I am grateful for the sweet ladies I spend Wednesday nights with at Hopeful Hearts.  

After today, I'm especially thankful that they introduced me to Fertility Associates of Memphis.

This practice specializes in all things infertility.  

Whether it be the inability to get pregnant or recurrent loss.  

I had made an appointment for the end of March initially.  But, after we found out we were pregnant, we couldn't wait that long.  We had our first appointment today.  

I learned more in this hour and a half visit about miscarriages than I have from doing my own research in the past months.  You always hear people say that it was probably a genetic or chromosomal issue.

  Today, I actually was taught exactly what that meant.  

The entire staff was awesome.  I am especially in love with my doctor and the ultrasound technician.  She was phenomenal.  She was so smiley and cheerful.  I feel like heaven will be full of angels just like her.

This next picture may look like a whole lot of nothing, but it is a picture of hopes, dreams, love, and the future.  This is our little twinkle in the eye.  

That's a picture of our baby at 5 weeks.   

Of course, it's too early for a heartbeat, but the doctor said everything looked really good.  It's sizing out exactly as it should be.

After the ultrasound, I had some blood drawn and some other routine stuff done.  

The doctor wanted to see me in a week, but we'll be in Washington DC, so we won't be able to come back until Monday, March 18th.  To prove how awesome my doctor is, he gave me his cell number to call in case of any problems in DC.  I mean, have you heard of that ever happening?  Not me!

I am so prayerful that this pregnancy will stick.  My hopes are definitely up.  Michael says he's not quite ready to get too excited, but he did ask me my thoughts on a few names today.  That made me smile.

100 Things to Eat in Memphis: Arcade's Sweet Potato Pancakes

Today's stop on the 100 Things to Eat in Memphis Before You Die Blog takes us to one of the most legendary restaurants in Memphis.

The Arcade Restaurant

Mom, Michael, and I headed downtown for breakfast this morning.  

According to the diner's website, Arcade is Memphis's oldest restaurant.  It was founded in 1919!

And you can definitely tell it's been around a while...

The bathroom stalls even have ash trays in them.  No one uses them anymore, but it's a clue to the past of this restaurant. 

Another clue is the layout of the restaurant.  Don't you feel like you've stepped into a time machine?

Another cool thing about this diner is the many movies that have been filmed here.  Mystery Train, Great Balls of Fire, The Client, The Firm, 21 Grams, Elizabethtown, Walk the Line, and My Blueberry Nights have all filmed scenes in the diner. 

Now... to the food!  

The list says you're supposed to get Sweet Potato Pancakes.  And, I did.  

It was a really good breakfast.  Everything I want out of hearty Sunday morning breakfast.  The pancakes were sweet and fluffy.  The eggs and bacon were also great.  I was not that into the hash browns.  They were a little bland.  Other than that, no complaints.  

I will say that the atmosphere actually beats the food.  Also, this was not our first choice this morning.  We were trying to go to another location on the list, but it had an hour wait.  At Arcade, we were able to walk in and sit down.  That's not to say it wasn't crowded.  The restaurant was full.  The staff here clearly knows how to be efficient with their serving.  

Happy eating!  

-Corrie

Is Third Time the Charm?

I am writing this two hours after getting a positive pregnancy test.  This will be our third pregnancy in less than a year.  We've experienced two miscarriages. 

Yep, we got the double pink line.

I'm thrilled.  Thrilled!  It's like I've got on rose colored glasses.  Finally, I don't have to secretly want to punch every pregnant girl I see.  I don't have to find excuses to not attend baby showers.  I don't have to wake up every single day thinking about the last two pregnancies.  I AM PREGNANT!

On the flip side, I'm nervous as all get out.  I'm scared that in four weeks we'll be finding out we lost the baby.  I'm angry that I don't get to make one of those cute videos where we show us telling our parents, then watching it over and over again to see their excited faces.  (We've got one of those from the first pregnancy.  I can't even watch it without tearing up.)  I'm jealous that I can't be one of those girls who naively gets to enjoy every second of her pregnancy without a serious worry.

As you can see, I've got a mix of emotions.

I couldn't decide how to tell Michael about the pregnancy.  The first time, I framed a fortune cookie phrase we had gotten a few months prior.  It said, "A special gift is on the way to you."  The second time, I tearfully told him after he got home from work.  This time, I thought I'd communicate with the help of technology.  I texted him a picture of the pregnancy test.  I was standing right next to him when he got it.  His reaction was pretty funny.  He threw his phone up in the air and smiled.

I think we are both so confused about how to feel.  Once you've experienced two pregnancy losses, it's really hard to get excited about another one.  If we get too excited, and something terrible happens, we'll have such a hard time recovering.  We are both pretty matter-of-fact about it.

If we make it to 12 weeks, I think you'll see a change in our attitude.

I cannot wait to talk to Hopeful Hearts about this.  I know I'll be surrounded by ladies who know exactly how I feel.  It's so comforting to be around women who understand.

Please keep us in your prayers during this hopeful time!

Off to start my progesterone suppositories.  Yep, those sound about as much fun as they are!

Love,

Corrie

100 Things to Eat in Memphis: Sharon's

My latest place to eat on the 100 Things to Eat in Memphis blog is Sharon's Chocolates and Bread Cafe.  

One word:  Overrated.  

    

The list says to get bagels.  I decided to go for the poppyseed.  It was good, don't get me wrong.  It just didn't have anything special about it like other things on this list.

When you walk in, the place is pretty dull on the inside.  There's not many decorations at all.  It's open really strange hours, so maybe the owners don't really think of themselves as a restaurant.  I get that, but with it being that bland on the inside, I was expecting for the food to make up for it.  

The bagel was like any other bagel I've ever had.  Panera's bagels are just as good, if not better!  

Poppyseed Bagel

I will give the cream cheese some praise.  It was really good, but there were only two flavors, plain and vegetable.  

Cream Cheese

I guess I was just expecting more.  

I will say that the chocolate case looked phenomenal, but chocolates aren't on the list.  Maybe they should be.  

I'm sure this place has a great story and I'm sure the owners are great, I just wasn't impressed.  

The Chocolate Case and Bread Rack

100 Things to Eat in Memphis: Tao Too

As I write this, I should tell you that my tongue has still not completely recovered from the culinary adventure Michael and I just experienced.

We headed over to Tao Too Asian Eatery in Germantown.

It's the latest stop on our tour of the 100 Things to Eat in Memphis Before You Die Blog.

The item on the list:  Devil's Nest Soup

Yes, this is going to be spicy.  In fact, it's the spiciest thing on the menu, as the three fires indicate.

Michael and I decided to split the soup, because it was huge.  

Here's a look at my bowl.

The soup is delicious.  At first, I told Michael that I didn't understand the fuss.  It didn't seem that spicy. Of course, that was after one bite.  After about three bites, your mouth is ON FIRE!  My eyes started watering, Michael started sweating, I had to ask for a water in addition to my Diet Coke.  It's a great dish, but it does get to be incredibly spicy.  

This is what was left of the big bowl after Michael and I had filled our two smaller bowls. 

If you look carefully, I think you can see the devil.  This soup certainly was hot enough for Satan!

I asked the waitress how anyone is ever able to eat an entire bowl alone, and she told us that yesterday a man had ordered the soup and asked for EXTRA spices.  Say WHAT?!?!  I would have had call the fire department if I had eaten anymore of that soup.  

Anyway, we loved our experience at Tao Too.  The service is excellent, which is a breath of fresh air.  We had terrible service at the last restaurant we visited.  That restaurant has also been featured in my blog.  We were incredibly disappointed with our treatment at THAT place.

I'll be back to Tao Too, and if it's a cold enough night, I might order Devil's Nest again!

Happy eating!

Sesame Chicken - Thankfully, there were no fires on the menu next to this item!

The hottest dinner partner a girl could ask for!

The MANY waters and sodas we had to order.