Surprise! And Welcome!

If you're here, that means you now know our big secret. The secret we've been struggling to keep for the last several weeks.

We're having a baby!!!!

Just ONE baby, for those who are keeping track :) After a couple of years of fertility treatments, we weren't sure at first if we were going to be handed two for the price of one, but an ultrasound on 11/6 confirmed there's just one little monkey hanging out in there.

So you probably want details, right? Let's start with due date. We're thinking mid June. Somewhere between 6/18 and 6/20. Although 6/21 is Father's day so I suppose I'd be okay hanging in there until then.

When did we find out? Well I got my first positive test on the morning of 10/9/08. Except I told Karl the test was broken and that wasn't really a second line. Thankfully he made me test again a couple of times, and by the third positive test I was sure enough to call my doctor. We confirmed with a blood test on Friday, and another blood test on Sunday to make sure my hormones were doing the right thing. It is also possible I took several more home tests because it really didn't seem real.

We had our first doctors appointment on 11/6...which just happens to be my father's birthday. Karl and I decided we wanted to wait to tell everyone, but man was it hard not to spill it all on the phone to my dad. On Dad's birthday, we heard the little monkey's heartbeat for the first time...154 beats per minute! The ultrasound tech, Jaci, (who has become my favorite over the past couple of years) pointed out that Monkey was standing on his head and had little arm buds and a tail that would later become legs. She also send us home with some pictures, which included the one we sent out with the customized M&Ms to announce to our families.

Things we know about Monkey so far: He likes chips and salsa and tyson chicken nuggets. He doesn't like that his mom sometimes forgets to eat breakfast. He gets revenge by making me very very sick. He's also not big on the smell of Walker's dog food.

By now you're probably wondering why I keep calling the baby Monkey, and he. Well, the HE part is a force of habit. Obviously we have no idea what we're having. And we don't plan to find out. Well, I don't THINK we plan to find out. Karl has other ideas :) The HE comes in part because Karl calls the baby Stan (like Flat Stanley). The monkey part is all me. When I was little my stepdad called me Monkey. Now I'm having a monkey of my own. If you ask me, Monkey is a very cool nickname...and he did start off with a tail!

So I think that catches everyone up on the big stuff. Our next appointment is next month. As it turns out, we'll be having an ultrasound while my Mom is visiting over Christmas. How cool is that? And by then the monkey will look more like a baby..and less like a monkey. As soon as we have more pictures we'll be sure to share here.

It's been so hard to keep this secret from everyone. We're so glad you'll be able to join us for the rest of this crazy ride. Check back often before baby updates!

Happy Thanksgiving!