Colleen Stout

Dear Marshall--It was so good to hear from you again. We know it takes a lot of energy, but we appreciate your Scribe and his attention to detail, so we can grow along with you.

Of course we pray for you at every prayer, day and night, and sometimes inbetween! We know that prayers are answered too. We are glad you told us about Grandma Teryll, and we will include her too. We have long prayer lists!

We hope that all in the family who have to be out and about in this snowy weather, will be careful and not have any accidents. This is a winter to remember.

Love, 

Great Grandma and Grandpa Stout in Orem

Beth

Thanks for the update, Marshall! We're praying for you to be able to breathe on your own. I especially love the picture of Mommy holding you.

Kelly Israelsen

Go Marshall we are so proud of you. You are a very hard working baby with lots and lots of people praying for you and cheering you on. We are proud of your parents also for their strength and faith. Love to all.

Aunt Kelly

Lev

Marshall!!!! This is Lev! How are you buddy? Long time, no see, my friend! It's been what, like 10+9 months since I've seen you? Everyone's talking about you and showing pictures of you. You're looking good, but different than I remember you. I'm trying to tell everyone that the Marshall I know is big, strong, and always beat me in arm wrestles, but they don't get the telepathy thing yet.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I am super excited to see you again. I will show you all the coolest stuff. Hair pulling, drumming, making funny faces... though you'll probably have it all figured out by the time I see you.

Also, I must say that I'm impressed by your writing skills. My parents love the allusions to scriptures and the sweet details you include in your emails. The email you just sent was so good that both my parents were crying. When you talked about your mommy singing to you, my mom was crying so hard she had to hand the computer to my dad to finish reading. Nicely done! You'll have to teach me all your mad skillz. (That spelling is a New York thing. I'll explain later.)

Take care, cuz! We love you and we're praying for you all the time!

Love,
Lev

P.S. Isn't technology great?! Writing this email took LITERALLY no effort on my part.

Rebi Weidmann

Dear Marshall,

i'm so glad you're doing better, growing and gaining weight!! That is just great. it might not be comfortable for you or any fun but you prove to be a great fighter!! i mean your body exists like 30 weeks now and you're just so so strong already. that's just amazing! i always wonder if we had the opportunity to choose for ourselves what obstacles we want to overcome in this life. if it was that way you really are an ambitious child of our heavenly father :) he really has something special planned for you. actually, i know someone who went through something similar (not as severe though), but my husband was born in 32 weeks (that's much older of course) but he still had to be in an incubator. anyway, i am very grateful that he was born this early, because he was born in november 1988, if he was born on time, he would have been born in 1989. when i was 15 or 16 they asked me to help lead a youth conference for the young men and young women and they also asked my husband. if he was born in 1989 he would have probably not been asked that year and maybe a year later. and so we got to know each other and became friends from 15 years old until now and from now on forever. and you know, it gave me a lot of comfort to marry someone i knew long before, because he totally knew what he got himself into haha. anyway, i just wanted to say that things happen for a reason, maybe you can go on a mission earlier, or maybe a nurse in the hospital needs to see this miracle of life or something. but i am very, very proud of you!

okay, about that chocolate: please send me your address and i will send you some chocolate, and farmer croc (nerve food for your dad) and maybe your mom also wants something? let me know :)

all the best and a big, but tender hug for you marshall!
rebi

Hi from Nora

Hey Marshall! I guess I should introduce myself even though I feel like we already know each other (I've been reading your emails!) My name is NoraDiane Bailey, and we are cousins. I'm not sure if that's our exact relationship, but when I asked my mom about it she said I could just say we are cousins and its close enough. What's even cooler though is that we are only one day apart in age, so we are destined to be great friends! My mom thinks we probably waited together to come down to earth. 

I am so impressed that you have almost doubled your body weight and have gained four ounces! I have a long way to go before I double my birth weight. I have gained 7 oz but its a lot harder to do in your situation and I just think you're amazing! Oh and your leg lifts, you are so strong, I can't do that quite yet.

So my mom says you live at the NICU right now. My brother Luke had to stay there when he was born but only for a little while. My mom says miracles happen in that place, she says they will take great care of you.

My parents are both so impressed with how positive you are. Luke told me it can be hard in there with all the lights and the beeping how are you ever supposed to sleep?? But I know the hardest part for them was being separated from each other sometimes. I am so glad your mom is feeling better though and that she gets to stay with you a lot.

I heard you all got a new house too, so that will be really fun for you to explore once you get home!

We pray for you every night in our family prayers and we all love you! Make sure to keep us posted, we all love reading your emails, but especially me!

Love,
Nora