There's Something About The Atha Women. . .

. . . that makes them skeptical of things that stop pain. Like, they know it's going to hurt, but it's scarier to think that a little shot is going to numb them into not feeling anything whatsoever. What sort of crazy witchcraft is that?! I can see that dentist coming at me with that scythe-like thing, and then it disappears into my mouth but I can't feel it. I Can't Feel It!!! WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON IN THERE!?!? (And why a scythe thing? Why can't the soft spinning brush thing clean enough? You really need to use farm instruments on my molars? REALLY?)

It's not that they're like tough biker-chick-vampire-looking ladies gritting their teeth as they growl, "I love pain!" while hot wax drips onto their bare forearm for fun - they don't like being in pain anymore than a normal person does, but they don't like pain meds even more.

My mom gets root canals with no Novocaine, my grandma just got a biopsy done on her arm with no anesthesia, and my older sister used to bang her head with a hammer when she had a migraine to distract from the headache pain and focus on hammer pain.

Ok, so that last one is flat out crazy-town, but you get my point. Then my cousin's wife just went through 50 hours of labor with no epidural. Fifty. Two whole days, and then out came a baby half her size. She's not blood related, but still - she married into the right place, and her last name is Atha now, and we expected her to be tough to survive with this family, but that is some serious endurance Breanne. All the while she texted and facebook updated, like "I'm doing squats to get my water to break." Of course she was doing squats. And then she ran a 5k to get help dilate some more, and did bench presses to keep her contractions close together. Meanwhile, I'm bitching because someone ate my yogurt. Perspective is nice sometimes.

And oh holy crap were those 50 hours worth it. Sarah and Nels are so close in age to Becky and me that we were practically raised as siblings. So this feels like my sort-of little brother just had a baby. (And yeah I just cried while I typed that because - Nels has a baby! Oh shoot, now I can't stop. Well, it's not the first morning I've spent crying at my desk.)

Penelope James Atha



This one kills me.



Look at that footprint on his shirt!! SO CUTE!

*sigh*

Mazeltov you guys! She's so adorable!



(and just to answer what no one is thinking except me - no, they didn't name her after my cat. not that I believe them mind you.)