News from the day:

-The biggest item is Amy went to the doctor for the first time today. We got “official confirmation” of the pregnancy. She is seven weeks into it, which is a couple of weeks longer than I originally thought. However, we have a due date: September 25th. That's less than a month from Amy's youngest sister, Sara's, due date. It also marks another September birthday. Amy's is the 20th, Mom's is the 10th, and Jimmy's is the 4th. Anyone else want to pony up to the bar? By the way, we'll find out the sex of the baby in early April. We've got names picked out, but only close family members know.

-I have narrowed down the one downfall of being a reporter: Story ideas. I submitted seven good ones in the meeting this morning and they were all shot down. I finally nailed one down after the meeting. Thanks to Casey for letting me do one I actually wanted to. Sometimes I wonder what other people consider “newsworthy.” I must not follow that same definition some days. But, in retrospect, I hate daily story ideas. The insanity of them sometimes makes me want to switch gears.

-I finally built my Starship Enterprise out of Mega Bloks tonight. Mom Richburg gave me the set for Christmas, but it was missing a big piece. It arrived in the mail from the factory today, so I slapped it all together. I'm actually impressed with how it looks. I wish the Star Trek franchise wasn't in a rut. Enterprise got canceled, but I can't cry about it. I've only seen one full episode thanks to my work schedule. Next Gen was my favorite. I have the entire series on DVD, but I've yet to sit down and watch any episodes. I wish I could afford to buy the original series, but since Baby is on the way…

-All the boxes are finally out of the house. The office (soon to be nursery) is clean, and looks good. Too bad I'll be moving all the computer stuff into the guest room before long. Office… you were never even painted my crimson color. I just hope the shed out back holds up well in rain. It has yet to be fully tested, but this week could prove that different.

-I'm going to bed. I'm tired, and I've got to get up early. See ya later…

We had a great time tonight! Jimmy came up for National Guard duty this weekend and stayed tonight with us. We always try to give him a comfy place to sleep every month. Anyhow, it was a special Saturday because the annual Fat Cat Ball was held tonight, too. It's a fundraiser for the Lee County Humane Society. It was a ton of fun! Especially when I got to see a lot of my day-to-day contacts blitzed and with their hair down. It's nice to see them outside of work.

I had to accept an award on behalf of the station. Elizabeth had to go back to Columbus, so she had to eat and run. No one else showed up, so it was all me tonight. I'm really happy we were able to go. I found out Jessie will soon be leaving the shelter. I hated to hear that. She's been terrific to work with. At least Jack and Angie will still be there. Amy and I spent an hour there yesterday looking at dogs. We're hoping to adopt one soon. Wow… two babies?

Everyone is asleep in the house but me. I'm about to go to bed, but not for a few more minutes. Amy's going through some growing pains with the baby. She's frequently nauseated, and she has a sore tummy. That just means the wee one is sprouting new life and limbs!

I thought I would sleep in today, but I had to run to Columbus early this morning to get Amy her Valentine's Day gift. I told her I was going to visit a friend to try and cover it up. I hope she doesn't read this until after February 14th. So if you, Dear Reader, happen to talk to her between now and then, please don't let on.

We had a very weird incident at work Thursday. Our intern, who frequently didn't show up or call and seemed to make her own hours, was let go for said reasons. Well, I got to work and found out that she had been sitting in our parking lot for almost an hour. She was still there two hours after I got into work. Liz and I went out there to let her know she was now trespassing and needed to leave. Well, she left the parking lot and went right up into the next driveway and sat for another hour, constantly calling Liz's cell phone. She was really freaking some people out around the office, so Liz called our good friends at the Opelika PD. After a 10-minute conversation with them, she finally left. We have yet to hear from her again. Good thing, I guess. Kind of nuts if you ask me. She was very nice when she was at work, but it just got strange. I hope she's better, and she realizes that an internship is basically a job. You have to do things the right way and in the right time. That's a great way to get your foot in the door and get good references.

Well, I've had enough fun typing for tonight. I'm basically pooped now. Jimmy's got to get up at 5 to go back to his guard unit. I'm getting up with him to say goodbye and then it's time for church. We may or may not be going out-of-town for the day. If we don't, then I will finish putting stuff in the shed. That will clear out the house and allow us to get ready for baby!

G'night!

I made the announcement of our happy news here and on my site. I now fully realize that was a complete mistake because we hadn't told Dad and Mary yet. We were going to do it in person next week, but I got excited and jumped the gun. I put it on here.

So I get a call from Dad tonight. He didn't sound too happy that he didn't find out directly from us. I'll be perfectly honest. I was crushed. More than anything, I wanted to tell him in person. We told my mom and Amy's mom in person, and we wanted to do it the same way with him. The happiest news in the world for us, and we didn't get to do that.

Dad doesn't get on the Internet a lot, so I thought I was safe in putting it on here. Boy, was I wrong. A couple of other family members saw it, called him, and ruined the news. On one hand, I am mad at myself for even putting it on here. On the other hand, I'm mad this family member didn't clue in that Dad had not mentioned the pregnancy and then called him about it.

What's done is done, but I am just heartbroken that I didn't get to tell him myself first. I should've left it off, but you should've waited to see if he mentioned it. You should have at least gotten in touch with me before you told him.

Thanks.