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

Hello from Lev

Hi Marshall, 

This is your cousin Lev. I asked my mom to send this message to you for me. 

Hey man, I can't wait to see you. Your name sounds really nice. My parents found that one of the meanings of your name is a "Leader". I don't know what that means, but it sounds really cool.  My mommy and daddy tell me that you are growing and soon will be able to play with me. Maybe you can teach me how to email, because I am 9 months old and still don't know how to do that. How embarrassing is that? And maybe I can teach you to do cool things with your mouth like make funny noises and spit allover, it's really fun. I know adults don't really like it a lot, but they laugh every time. Or I can teach you to say "mama". This is a spacial work that brings special feelings to everyone. It makes me happy too. 

Well, I thought that I would give you an update on what is going on here, while you and your family are in the hospital. 

There is a special spirit of love and tenderness in our grammy's and grandpa Paul's house these days. Everyone says your name and the names of your parents a lot when they speak and pray. Even though I am still little and don't know a lot of things, I feel the strong bond in our family, their love and care for you and you daddy and your mommy. It's really nice to be a part of the Stout family, you and I are lucky. 

Last night grandpa Paul was making a special ornament for their Christmas tree. I wanted to play with it, but my mom didn't let me touch it. It's a star with some letters and numbers on it. I am pretty sure they mean your name and when you were born. Maybe when you get here to visit your grammy Teryll and grandpa Paul, we can talk them into letting us play with the toys on the tree. 

We read emails from you together with the family and sometimes my parents have tears in their eyes. I don't understand these adults, why they are crying. They could have any toy they want and they still cry. Who knows. I try to give them extra hugs and smiles. It's amazing what a smile can do. Oh, one of the things I learned was that to hug your mommy and daddy feels amazing. You gotta try it soon. I bet they want it a lot too. 

Anyways, my diaper feels kind of tight, I think I made some poop. I heard that you did too the other day. So, you know how I feel, I need to go get changed. 

I love you and hope you grow fast and can play soon. Also, I need help to keep these adults in line. I think together with you we will manage it just fine. 

Love you, 

Lev Samuel

ps. My family sends you and you parents hugs and kisses

Jenn

Dearest Marshall little,

You might be little but you have a BIG HEART, a heart that our heavenly Father gave you, a heart that is filled with everyone's love. You are a tough little guy who's gonna grow so big! So big that your mom and dad will have to carry you and hold you in their hands together all the time...Thanks to your dad, I get to see how you grow every day.

I will continue praying for you and your beautiful mom, she is an amazing woman and you are so blessed to be her boy!

With lots of love from Aunt Jenn who lives far away in Spain but think of you so closely.

Jenn

Aunt Kim

Dear Marshall,

I want to let you know that even though you are only 3 days old I love you already! We have been praying & fasting for you, you're mom & daddy. It is amazing what a miracle you are! I want you to get big& strong so that one day we can meet you in person. Tell your dad he is amazing &I know he will be the best father ever! I love you all!

Your great Aunt Kim :)

Janna and Family

Oh Dear Little Marshall,

You certainly are a brave soul and you are in our thoughts constantly and in our hearts and prayers always. We also pray for your sick mama! We love your parents so much!!

Our Heavenly Father must have a special work for you here on Earth with so many Angels he has sent to attend you (including your loving parents)!

Stay strong and hang in there through this rough spot and you will be using that body to run around and wreak all sorts of havoc some day :)

We love you and look forward to meeting you soon!

Love,
Janna, Paul and Family