Keeping a promise...

I told a friend a few days back that I would post a few pictures of my Addie Rose so she could get a good look see. Well, it may be a few days later than I had hoped for, but just a few, and for me, well, that's not too bad. I'm also including a few others that I like of Eva and cousins.

Texas.... here we are!

I dont' have much to say today... only this.... I miss Millville...

Not much like me, I have to say. Usually I love (or at least try to love) each new place we live. There is nothing wrong with San Angelo, TX. It's another interesting part of the grand USA, with its own regional culture and ideosyncrisies. What makes it different, is that we came here from Millville... a place I loved instantly. I miss my house with its huge yard and grand view of the Wellsvilles. I miss our lazy country neighborhood where we could go for walks and bike rides with ease and perfect enjoyment. I miss Linds and Helen. I miss Choteau... But, alas, I am here with the most important parts of my life. West and my girls. AND I should never let myself forget the pool out my front door. It could be worse. MUCH MUCH MUCH worse.... still, we all must allow ourselves a moment of homesickness before we sit up straight and enjoy life where ever we are to the fullest.

Now, I am going swimming.

:)

A pict I liked...

Whitney Pockets - Spring Break 2010!!!

What a wonderful time we had out in the desert during Weston's spring break. I have to say that is one of the best parts of being a student - an entire week of holiday. I don't know if I have mentioned enough lately how much Weston and I missed the hot desert while we were living in Montana, but, oh my, HOW WE MISSED IT!! So when time came for planning a spring break get away "going south" was on both our minds. I have wanted to show Weston the Whitney Pockets area since I worked down in that area on a bee catching field crew the Spring before we got married. When we checked the weather forecast and saw 70+ degree weather, our decision was made. And what a good decision it was, especially since we some how managed to con Lindsey and crew to join us. Promises of taco salad will do it every time. ....they brought the brownies.

I know we're not supposed to have favorites....

But I do and most likely, if you are reading this, you are one of them. I just played racquetball with Helen, which got me started along this line of thinking in the first place.

How many of you know Helen? She is wonderful. I could go on about her virtues for a long while. She is one of the very best friends of my life. She reminds me a bit of another wonderful friend of mine, Sus, especially in two specific ways. These two are the strongest, yet sweetest women I know. I love their truly incredible physical strength and wills that are competitive but always fair and supportive - and all of this paired with the sweetest voices.... You would have to know them to know what I mean. I sure do love them. And Sus, it has been far too long since I've seen you. Goodness, our babies have never even met!!

And then there are the writers and photographers responsible for two of my favorite web lounging retreats... crazysapo and midwestia. Liv and Linds also remind me a lot of each other in certain ways, and not just because they both take fantastic photos and could author very successful columns if that ambition should ever strike them. They are both stunning without even knowing it.

You know what, maybe that is what strikes me so much about all of my favorites - you are all so stunning without even knowing it.

My sister Jenny... yes she is stunning. A stunningly wonderful mother, sister, and friend. Not to mention her cooking.... :)

My mother, Dorothy Lynne Tippets Andrus. Stunning - like the sun, but humble as the smallest lamb.

My friends and sisters Kathy, Suzanne, Susie, Jessica, Amy, Beth, Hazel, April, Cindy, Michelle, Jill, Felicia, Stephanie, Johnna, Bonnie, Sarah, Meghan, Maren, Tessa... just to name a few. This list could go on and on.

But there is only once place where this list stops - and that is with Mac, aka Weston McClain Nelson. I just realized he is the only man on my list (well, excepting my Papa and brothers).. but that is how it is supposed to be. He's the only one I need.

Weston has a favorite quote by Nelson Mendela. He has me read it and reread it whenever I forget what I may have to offer this world...

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

That is what you all do for me - your fearlessness is the breath of freedom. Now then, can you blame me for having favorites.

...and one of the best things about a list like this is that it will be added to and added to for the rest of my life. I like that.

Motherhood

This is what it is all about....


And here are a few new picts of my girl Addie Rose.




If this isn't

Sisters

I love that Eva and Adwen are both mine and that they are sisters and that we three are Weston's ladies.

Sus - here are some sister pictures. Eva has been a weary participant in these picture taking sessions - but still we managed to get some cute ones. Adwen subjects quite easily. I have the feeling that won't always be!

Lindsey - yes, we are still moving to Cache Valley. We bought a house out in Millville and will be there on January 1. Happy New Years!

Any chance any of you out of towners might still be around then? I sure would love to see you. That reminds me, I need to send an email to Vince!!!- seeking forgiveness!! :)












These pictures are of Eva with her baby in her very own "wrap". Cutie. That is baby Susie, btw.

Meet Adwen Rose

We call her Addie Rose. She was born almost two weeks ago. I can't believe how fast time can go by. Today was actually Weston's first day back to work, and despite the sub zero weather, we are all actually doing pretty good. Eva is a bit bored, actually we all are, but that is what sub zero weather (-18) and no Papa will do for you... Tomorrow is supposed to be warmer, hopefully warm enough for a walk with a two week old bundled in your coat... I'm hopeful.

Little Adwen was born on the 2nd of December at 8:45pm and weighed in at 7lbs and 11 oz. She was 20.5 inches long. Her birth was quite the different experience from Eva's. It started with my water breaking around 1pm in the afternoon. Weston had actually just gotten home for lunch and I was walking up the stairs when a strongish contraction came on and then... tinkle, tinkle... it was just a dribble and I wasn't quite sure if I had just lost all control of my bodily functions or if my water was breaking. A few minutes later.... I was sure. It was my water. I called my midwife and though real contractions had yet to start, she asked me to please go to the hospital - Because I had tested positive for the group B strep, she wanted me there so I could get going on antibiotics. So, we got together all the last minute stuff and took Eva to a friend's house and headed to the hospital. Just a note... the hardest part of the whole day, emotionally at least, turned out to be leaving Eva... just about broke my heart knowing that things would never be quite the same again. It's crazy how such a wonderful thing as a baby can still bring with it adjustment and change that is hard... most things are like that I suppose. Anyway, back to the story... when we got to the hospital they put me on the baby monitor and I found out that I was having regular contractions, they just didn't hurt, so I hadn't noticed them and I was beginning to dilate. It went like that for an hour or so and my midwife got there and checked me. I was dilated to a three - which was bit more than I had been before. She finished breaking my water and then those contractions that hadn't hurt, started hurting. Unfortunately, I plateaued in my dilation for about two hours, I'm guessing. My midwife didn't like this - again, because of the whole group B strep thing. I guess because my water had broken before I had any antibiotics, the risk of infecting the baby was greater than it would have been otherwise. The contractions were quite hard and I wanted her to just let me go for a while, but she was obviously concerned... I'm still not sure what I think about it all. I at least agree that she was working in the best interest of the baby when she suggested some pitocin - just a small amount, she said, to get me over this lull. She did say that if I had not been strep B positive my slow dilation would have been a non-issue - but that wasn't the case. I couldn't get myself to say okay. I just lay there silently in consent. If it was best for the baby, then okay. So they gave me some. All I have to say about pitocin is that the pain it causes is far different from the natural pain of contractions, even the hardest contractions. And at least for me, it is much harder to cope with. After about an hour, I told Weston to tell the midwife I was done with the pitocin. So they brought her in and she checked me. Lo and behold I was dilated to a six. She told me, very enthusiastically, that she thought the baby would be born within the hour. "Really!!?" I throught. "I can do that." So on it went. Transition on pitocin was agonizing... with Eva the contractions came one right after the other, without a break. I shook and rocked, but I coped. With these contractions, I feel like I barely coped - only with Weston's help. They didn't come one right on top of each other, thank goodness, because they BURNED... oh my, so unnatural and so unlike a regular contraction. Anyway, the midwife came in and said that she thought I might be ready to push because of the way the baby's heart tones sounded... interesting that she knew because of that. I think I had only one more contraction before I needed to push on my own. I pushed through only three contractions and there she was - little Adwen had been born. Can you believe it? Only 7 and 1/2 hours after my water broke, the baby was actually here. I don't know if you all remember how long it took to get Eva here... but it was around 26 hrs, with the last three hours of that pushing! Wow. So, some parts of it were hard... but after she was born I felt great. I wasn't COMPLETELY exhausted, like I was with Eva. And the whole recoup was so much easier. It was wonderful, in fact - especially in comparison. Weston was so excited to have it go so quickly. It was just crazy. My midwife had assured me it would go quicker, but I didn't believe her. I thought we were talking like 15 or 16 hrs, and I guess I don't know how long it would have taken if they hadn't given me pitocin.... Who knows, all I know is 7 hours is very nice. I can do that! If it had been another 26 hr marathon labor.. well, I don't know... I'm just glad it wasn't!

So after it is all said and done, how do I feel about it? Well, I didn't like the feeling then, and I still don't, of having everyone be so concerned and therefore involved. I wish I hadn't needed the pitocin, because that part of my labor felt artificial and if there is ever an experience in life you don't want to be artificial, it is child birth. Still, the feeling of having your child placed on your chest for the first time can never feel artificial - because she is yours and she is beautiful, forever. So pitocin or not, it was wonderfully quick and the end result was Adwen, healthy and beautiful. To ask for anything more... well, what more could you really want?

Here are a few pictures of her, taken in the first 24hrs, while we were still at the hospital. She looks a lot more like an Andrus to me, than Eva did, especially with the white eyelashes and brows. She sleeps A LOT more than Eva did, so I can actually get things done during the day, and with Weston's help, the nights aren't even all that bad. Eva is doing well in making the big adjustment, and I'm doing pretty good... sometimes I wish I didn't have to be so split between them, time wise. But such is life. It's a good thing you don't have to split your love. There is always enough and to spare of that. With two girls like mine, that part is easy!