Drum roll please....

I had the baby! 

Charlotte Mae was born yesterday morning at 4:28am, weighing 7.7 lbs. and measuring 19.75" long.

(Click here to be taken to a photo slideshow.)

We're home, and everyone's doing well.  I will update later with a birth story, etc. Big hugs and smoochy kisses to everyone in internet land!

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Joke's on me!

I'm never having this kid.  I swear I must have the poshest womb in the UNIVERSE, because the babies just want to stay put.  Bryan says I must have an "abnormally long gestation period for a human."  Read:  you're an alien freak and you'd better keep that demon child in you as long as possible so I can skedaddle before it gets here.

*sigh*

Good news is, though, that I won the bet.  IN YO FACE, MOMMA!  I made turkey, stuffing, cornbread, rolls, green bean casserole, two (TWO) cheesecakes, chocolate chip banana bread, mashed potatoes, and german potato salad.  We also had a pre-cooked ham, and two store-bought pies.  Guess how much food got eaten?  Not very much.  Mom and dad were our only guests, and because of my dad's new BP meds he wasn't very hungry.  The other thing that sucks?  There's hardly any room in my stomach anymore, so *I* can't even gorge myself on the leftovers.  Dammit.

Yesterday was actually a very very awesome day.  Bryan was a tremendous help in the kitchen and around the house, Phoebe napped dutifully while the brunt of the preparation was going on in the kitchen, and my mom and dad were in excellent spirits.  The only thing missing was Marissa, and we have so many leftovers that having a "second" Thanksgiving is entirely possible.

Speaking of leftovers, I gotta run.  I hear a cheesecake calling to me.....

Reeeeeeeally.

I had my doctor appointment yesterday, and I decided that my doc is a QUACK.  Bad news is?  Baby's not here yet, and I'm getting increasingly worried that this child will, indeed, make its appearance at about 4pm on Thursday.  Crap.

My doc didn't schedule an additional u/s (ya know, to check amniotic fluid levels or anything), but he went ahead and scheduled me for an induction.  On Sunday.  I told Bryan that if the baby's not here by Friday I'm calling the doc's office and discussing alternatives with him.  I vehemently refuse to be induced... UNLESS there's a damn good reason for it.  I've been induced with both girls, and GOOD GOD IT SUCKS.  Plus, with Phoebe I was only dilated to 8cm when she was born, and that's just not right.  It's not going to happen again, sohelpmegod.

The doc didn't tell me whether or not I was dilated, didn't tell me whether or not I was effaced, but *did* sign the induction order with a little wave as if to say, "Bye!  You're not my problem anymore, so get lost!"  I just might end up having this baby in my bathroom after all.  The doctor DID tell me, however, that he couldn't guarantee that I wouldn't have the baby on Thanksgiving.  REALLY?  You PUDWANKER!  No freakin' kidding.  He made it sound like this kid should come with a 90-day warantee and a free tire rotation.  I soooooooooo almost bit him on the arm.

So.  I broke out of my boredom funk, and I picked up an old pattern book that has some cute (okay, so they're really ugly, but I DON'T CARE) slipper patterns, and I was going to get started on some Christmas gifts.  Well.  There are knit and crochet patterns in there, and there are some really cute knit slippers for little kids.  Like, Phoebe's age.  Like, they have kitties and bunnies and puppies on them, and they're really cute.

I read through the pattern, and lo and behold I actually understood what the pattern was saying!  Since it didn't seem too hard, I grabbed my handy SnB book for reference, and knit one up.  It came out way too big, but I learned that a) I was knitting in the back loops instead of the front, b) I was purling wrong, and c) I actually CAN knit.  So I made the slippers again, complete with knitted bunny heads and knitted bunny ears, and they fit!  And they're damn adorable!  And I CAN KNIT!  (can you hear the choir and the trumpets and the angelic voices singing "Hallelujah?")

Phoebe loves them, although she did try very hard to pull the bunny head off.  She wore them all last night, and I am so proud of myself (can you tell?) that I FINALLY figured out basic knitting!

Next up I'm knitting Marissa a pair of leg warmers, which should take me approximately 30 years, since I'm slow and knitting doesn't yield results as quickly as crochet.  After that, I think I'll tackle circular needles, and then I absolutely must have a pattern for knit wool longies for the babies.  I'm just so FREAKIN' ECSTATIC that I actually knit, like, an actual THING!!!! that I could pee myself.  And, if I get a little over-enthusiastic, I just might.

Oh, one more thing.  I had previously requested that people take down their links to my blog, but all those old dreadful drama issues seem to have dissipated (look!  alliteration!  I DID learn something from that ancient old English teacher!), so if you want to link to me feel free to do so.  Gowaaan.  Do it.  You know you want to.