September 30th, 2005 At 3am this morning I had to go potty really bad. So with that first "go" of the day, I took a pregnancy test. And wouldn't you know, it came back positive. So Bill and I are in line to have a little one of our own next summer! We're at most two weeks along (and a little premature to be making the big announcement), but you all know how badly we've been trying, so I couldn't hold it in.

November 1, 2005 Yesterday was our first doctor's visit and it was purely magical! Since my cycles are irregular, the doctor ordered an ultrasound to determine how far along we are. And of course my calculation was exact! As of yesterday we were 8 weeks and 1 day. While we were having the ultrasound, we also got to listen to the heartbeat! WOW! This little "it" has got one fast ticker. 188 beats per minute. It's high, but the technician didn't seem concerned, so we aren't. So for now, we will call "it" what Grandma Happy called "it": Speedy Gonzales (of course until we know exactly what "it" is ). So without further delay...here is Speedy! There are three photos. One has no alterations, one that outlines the baby, and one that outlines the umbilical cord.

December 8, 2005 On November 28th we had our second doctor's visit. This one was pretty uneventful compared to the first one, but we did get a chance to hear Speedy's heartbeat again. The rate is normal for the age of the fetus (155 beats per minute), but we'll still call it Speedy for now. Everything is progressing nicely. I'm in that "feeling fatter than I already was" stage, but it's a happy "fat" stage for me. At least this time it's out of my control for the most part. Whew!

On January 5, 2006 we had our next appointment. My mom, Connie, was in town so she got to hear the little muffin's heartbeat too! It was cruising at about 160 beats per minute.