Dear Eternal Companion

Thank you for choosing me, way back when we were only 16 and 18. Thank you for deciding I was worth a second look, after initially being "too quiet". Thank you for the teasing and little pushes while we played ghosts in the graveyard outside Grandma Barrett's on that New Year's Eve when 2000 turned to 2001. Thank you for making my heart spin that weekend.

Thank you for letting me run away from my High School drama later that year, and take a short weekend trip to your house with my BFF, your cousin. Thank you for staying up all night talking about religion and all the crazy things going on in the life of a 17 year old teenage Mormon girl. Thank you for being the only Mormon boy I could ever talk to about life. Thank you for not making the moves on me that weekend, but instead showing me the kind of respect that a daughter of God deserves. Thank you reminding me what qualities I was searching for in the man of my dreams. Thank you for showing me that you were what I deserved.

Thank you for driving to Carnation almost every weekend for 4 months, so we could see each other. Thank you for staying worthy of serving a mission and worthy of our future together, worthy of becoming an Elder and to hold the priesthood. Thank you for leaving me for 2 years. Thank you for all the letters and emails and packages and the 2 phone calls during those 2 years. Thank you for getting to know me and letting me get to know you through letters. Thank you for loving me the whole time you were gone. Thank you for loving me when you came back.

Thank you for proposing to me only 3 weeks after returning. Thank you for wanting to get married in the temple. Thank you for buying me a ring that sparkled beyond all I had ever imagined. Thank you for surprising me with it and being all romantic-like when you gave it to me. Thank you for marrying me for time and all eternity. Thank you for taking me to Canada on our honeymoon. Thank you for working hard to support us as newlyweds when I couldn't find a job, and when I went to beauty school.

Thank you for the first attempt at starting our family. Thank you for standing by me when it didn't go as  planned. Thank you for being worthy of the Priesthood to give me a blessing that weekend. Thank you for trying a second time to start our family. Thank you for giving me our baby girl, Ry. Thank you for being worthy of being her father. Thank you for her blue eyes and her love of singing. Thank you for our second baby girl, Kendall. Thank you for giving her your crazy-ness, and sense of humor. Thank you for our baby boy and naming him Elijah. Thank you for his puffy hair, and dimples.

Thank you for being strong. Thank you for your never ending hard work. Thank you for doing all you can for us. Thank you for being positive. Thank you for being funny. Thank you for being sarcastic. Thank you for loving us. Most of all, thank you for being so ridiculously good-looking, I always knew we would make adorable kids.

Love,
Your Eternal Companion.

Dear Top 10 - In No Particular Order

#1- Do you remember taking his first pictures? Do you know that the card you made for mothers day from him surprised me? Did you know I cried when I saw it? Do you remember when he started to turn grey and was retaining fluid? Do you remember how puffy his chin was? Do you remember when you helped me hold my baby for the first time when he was 10 days old? Do you remember trying to tape up all his tubes so they wouldn't get yanked out? Do you remember when you came back from vacation, he looked like a whole other baby? Do you remember charting while you held him on your lap on the middle of the night?

#1- Do you remember when nothing in his body was working right? Do you remember when he peed a few cc's and we were ecstatic? Do you remember when we had to leave him at the hospital on Mother's Day, we went to tell him goodbye and you were at the front desk showing off his first teeny tiny poo? Do you remember we had waited 5 days for him to poo? Did you know that you were the first nurse I remembered when I came back? Did you know you made me more comfortable? Do you know you explained how sick he was in a way that helped us understand? Did you know you helped us feel ok with not being there those few first days because you were confident in the care you were giving him?

#1- Do you remember when I told you "the more you laugh at Dustin's jokes, the funnier he thinks he is and the more jokes he will tell?" Do you remember when I came into the room and was "sooooo done" with my best friend, the pump? Do you remember that it was actually everyday that I told you this? Do you remember when you wore two different colored shoes to work and had to cover them up with blue paper booties, so I took a picture? Did you know that picture still makes me laugh? Do you know that you taught me more about breastfeeding that I have known even after having two other babies? Do you remember when he practiced nursing for the first time, he grabbed my thumb and you said you will not forget that for a long time because it was so cute? Do you remember jumping for joy with me when he nursed enough to make a difference in his weight for the first time? Did you really throw away your grouchy pants for good?

#1- Do you know that I am sooooo glad you switched to dayshift? Did you know that even though you were only on that shift for a few weeks while we were there, I realized you are hilarious and I love that we are friends? Do you know that the first time I remember meeting you, I was having a really horrible night. Do you remember that you brought me a cup of ice water and that was the night I became addicted to the crunchy hospital ice? Did you know that I hated always having you crazy nurses get it for me, but I had to get my fill of crunchy hospital ice? Do you remember that you were there when he was extubated? Do you know that he misses your singing?

#1- Do you know that I love your Dansko's? Do you know that in the few weeks before he went home, you played a huge part in his success with bottles? Did you know I always felt ok leaving when you were there at night because I knew you would try your hardest to wake him up for a bottle? Do you remember when you had to stop his feeds because his tummy was kinda big again? Did you know that he discovered his cry that day? That he discovered how loud he could be when he was hungry? Do you remember when you were soooo close to putting his NG tube back in, then he surprised us all and took a full bottle and every bottle from then on?

#1- Do you remember when I bought that dang transformer, Iron-Hide? Do you remember when I sat there for 2 hours trying to turn the robot into the truck? Do you remember that even after those 2 hours, it still was half robot and half truck?  Do you remember when you helped me give him his first bath in his incubator? Do you remember that I had no idea what I was doing? Do you remember that I owe you money still? Do you think you will ever get it? :)

#7- Do you remember the day when our baby was born? Do you remember that time when you were super protective :) and wouldn't let anyone touch him? Did you know then how precious he was? Do you remember that weekend when there were only a few babies in his room and we found out you used to be a cheerleader? Did you know that was one of the best days we had in the NICU? Do you remember when we told you we had a top 10 and you wanted to be #1? Look at you now, you are only #7! Do you remember when we saw you "fast walking" in the parking lot and do you remember you gave Dustin a hug? Did you know that's when we knew you liked us as much as we liked you? Did you know that's why we brought you licorice? Do you remember when the charge nurses started putting you in other rooms away from us? Did you know it was ok because you found him a girlfriend? Did you know it was also ok because you got to help Cohen? Did you know you go to Hawaii too much?

#1- Do you know that you are crazy with all those Ironman's that you do? Do you know how much we loved spending time with you on the slow weekends? Do you know that you helped us have some distractions from the daily routine with all our conversations about normal everyday stuff we had in common (jobs, races, etc)? Do you know I think you are super smart? Do you know I ask a lot of crazy questions? Did you know that you always knew the answer to all my crazy questions? Do you know that your answers always made me feel better because they helped me understand? Do you know I was a little sad when you switched to nights because we missed you those last two weeks we were there?

To the Kimmel Family- Did you know that you were moved to room three because we needed each other? Do you know that after everything we have been through, we could never go on in life without the bond we will share with each other? Do you know how much we will always appreciate what you have been through? Do you know that we admire your strength?

To all the NP's, Neo-Natalogists, Secretaries, RT's, PT's, and everyone else who played a part in our little stint at the NICU- Do you know that you gave us a lifetime of happiness with our little boy? Do you know that you work miracles? Do you know you have the ability to change lives? You changed ours forever. Do you know how we could ever repay you for that?

Do you miss our snack drawer?

Love,
The Soptich's