Hey everyone!

Thanks for all of your emails, facebook messages, myspace messages and phone calls. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to get back to everyone just yet, but know that I’m getting your messages!

Lucy is here! She was 8lbs 3oz and 20.3 inches long. She was born Friday, 11.28.08 at 4:30pm on the dot. She is an absolutely perfect baby and we are having so much fun getting to know her.

Having said that, Kevin and I are exhausted! I haven’t been online very much (compared to normal) and I haven’t been answering all my calls. Please don’t stop calling! Your call will be answered in the order in which it was received. We are getting our bearings, feeling our way around, and taking naps when able.

Here are some new photos of Lucy. I know many of you have already seen them at one place or another, but here is the place where I will always be keeping new photos.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shekira/sets/72157610622880090/

Keep checking back, I’m sure we’ll have more photos soon.

Anyway, just wanted to let you know that all is well and we are doing great. I can’t wait to talk to all of you guys about everything and hope that you get to meet her soon!

Love,

Shekira

No, Lucy has not arrived yet. It’s pretty frustrating to now be 4 days over due, uncomfortable, and stressed. So for everyone who wants to know where she is, she’s still in my gut and refuses to leave.

If she doesn’t get here over the next week, I have an induction scheduled for Dec 3. So no later than that I would think.

It’s getting difficult to respond to everyone’s inquiries, so as soon as I can, I’ll post another note and pictures and all that wonderfulness that comes with being a high tech mommy like myself. I promise I won’t keep her a secret!

Again, thanks to everyone who’s concerned about us. She’ll be here soon!

In the spirit of this week’s voting - I give you JACK OFF 2008. Yeah, I know, it’s after Halloween, so sue me. Take a look at the submissions below (click to enlarge) and put in your vote for the best submission overall in the column to the right. Voting will close Friday, November 7 at 6:30pm EST. We are playing for outright glory here, people! This year’s contestants are The Derryberrys, Jane, Lisa, and Chris and JD (entering together). Help us award annoying bragging rights for the next year!

Submission A

[Show as slideshow]

Submission B

[Show as slideshow]

Submission C

[Show as slideshow]

Submission D

[Show as slideshow]

Kelly, of Kelly Enters the 21st Century fame, has started a Preggo Pool for us. Now’s the time to be making your guesses on when Lucy is going to get here - you could be walking away with some cold hard cash. 45% of the pot goes to the winner, 45% goes to Kevin and I and 10% goes to the website that makes it all possible.

Place Your Bet

The pool will close Sunday, November 2.

Scoring:

• The player with the highest score wins the pool. Each player starts the pool with 1,000 points.
• Wrong Sex: -15 points.
• Wrong Date: -1 point per day.
• Wrong Weight: -0.5 point per ounce.
• In the event of a tie, the player with the highest score who entered their guess first will be declared the winner of the pool.

Things I have been asked so far:

Q: Have you started dilating yet or are you effaced?
A: No…and ew.

Q: Have you had any Braxton Hicks contractions?
A: No.

Q: When you were born, were you late or early?
A: I was 5 days late.

Q: Was Kevin late or early?
A: Kevin was 3 weeks late. Yeah, I’m serious.

Q: Has the baby dropped?
A: Not yet, but I’m told that it’s a little early for that still.

Some extra facts and trivia:

• As of today, I am 33 weeks, 5 days pregnant. For those that don’t know, 40 weeks is considered full term.
• Statistically, Tuesday is the most common day that babies are born.
• 4 our of 5 of my friends had their babies early. The earliest was 4 weeks early.
• My birthing class teacher said that babies are generally born in a 2 weeks before/2 weeks after due date window.

I’ll try to update with more questions I get asked as I get asked them. Keep checking - it could give you an advantage. Thanks, Kelly, for setting this all up!

Perhaps that is because there is SUPPOSED to be a debate tonight. Apparently McCain doesn’t feel he can multitask. The good news is that Obama plans to attend either way and if Old Man Caruthers still is feeling squeemish, there will be a town hall session for Obama.

This seems like a terrible move on McCain’s part, especially when Palin is running around giving national news interviews and sounding like a total idiot.

Couric: Have you ever been involved in any negotiations, for example, with the Russians?

Palin: We have trade missions back and forth, we do. It’s very important when you consider even national security issues with Russia. As Putin rears his head and comes into the air space of the United States of America, where do they go? It’s Alaska. It’s just right over the border. It is from Alaska that we send those out to make sure that an eye is being kept on this very powerful nation, Russia, because they are right there, they are right next to our state.

You can’t make this stuff up, people. Read the transcript and view the interview.

And finally, remember when Matt Damon said, “It’s like a really bad Disney movie. The hockey mom from Alaska… is the president. She’s facing down Vladmir Putin using the folksy stuff she learned at the hockey rink. It’s absurd.”

Now we can see what that movie might actually be like. I’m not a big Matt Damon fan and I’m not sure why he was being asked to speak about this at all, but his interview was truly what everyone has been thinking since she was picked to be the Republican nom. for VP. Well maybe not everyone, but I’m the only one who counts, right?