Version 2.0...

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(click on the above picture to enlarge)

Since some of our other attempts at cleverly revealing our exciting news verbally to folks have apparently been too subtle to make sense, here's the direct version, for those who are struggling to interpret the above picture. Kate is pregnant, due on May 3. And we're absolutely thrilled!!

We confirmed the pregnancy during Phase 2 of our Double Vacation in August, while we were in Williamsburg. All physiological signs were pointing in that direction, but we wanted some hard data to make sure. So, we brought along the extra pregnancy test that was leftover from the twin-pack that we bought before Julia (since we only needed one last time). However, we discovered that pregnancy tests expire after a year or so, which made it seem a bit unreliable.

We then embarked on a scavenger hunt around the greater Williamsburg area, trying to find a cheap, unexpired pregnancy test. Everything at Wal-Mart and Target just seemed too dadgum expensive, so we slipped into the Dollar Tree for some frugal comparison shopping. Amazingly enough, they had one available, and true to the store name, it cost one dollar. They couldn't sell it if it didn't work most of the time, right?

Of course, the question lingered about why one pregnancy test costs $1 and others cost $15 or more. The answer quickly became evident, after we compared the testing process. The classic (but expired) EPT test was that basic "pee on a stick" method, simple but effective. The dollar version required higher level thinking skills and tremendous manual dexterity. My chemistry degree was surprisingly helpful, as we used pipets, burets, beakers, and Bunsen burners. All we had to do was collect the sample, mix it with two parts vinegar and three parts bleach, boil it for seven seconds, remove the amino acids, collect the remnant in a test tube, hold it in my left hand with salad tongs while standing on one leg in a hailstorm, and get struck by lightning twice. After that, the answer was revealed to us only 128 hours later. (My wife is a gem for tolerating my frugality, isn't she?)

Well, maybe it wasn't quite so cumbersome, but after muddling through the more complicated process of the cheap test and using the expired brand test as a back-up, we got two confirming results that Kate was pregnant. That put an extra-special glimmer of joy on the tail-end of our vacation together.

Kate has had several doctor's appointments so far, and everything appears to be progressing well. The first trimester has been rather miserable for Kate, with a rather constant state of nausea. But as she's turned the corner into the second trimester, the past week has been much better and we're hoping this becomes the new normal. We enjoyed the surprise of finding out Julia's gender at birth, so we're planning the same for the next one. We're awaiting May with great anticipation and excitement as we move into this next expansion of Team O!!
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