31 December 2023
VOLUME 11 – NUMBER 536
Owen Pope
This was a very special week. Being pregnant with my first baby boy, and being due right around Christmas time made the season one to remember.
I often felt drawn to think of Mary, the mother of Jesus, as Christmas drew near. I wondered about all of the things she must have been feeling. I thought of Christ as a small helpless baby born to a poor family who relied desperately on their faith in God and the promises of angels. It also makes me realize the amazing potential of my baby boy, and I am excited for the life he gets to live.
We went to the hospital on December 28 to try one more time to see if the baby would flip so we wouldn't have to do a C-section. The doctors gave me an epidural and tried to turn him, but he would not flip around, and they were pushing pretty hard. His heart rate started dropping so they took us in to do the scheduled C-section.
Owen in the NICU
The version (name of proceedure when you try to flip the baby) and the meds were pretty hard on me, and I was not really coherent mentally for the process. I heard them mention his red hair and remember them showing me him for a second before going to clean him. After that I zoned out and just remember wondering where Cougar and the baby went.
I was taken to a room to recover and eventually Cougar came in and let me know that Owen, our baby boy, was struggling with breathing. He was admitted to the NICU and we went to visit him as often as we could, while still trying to rest and recover from surgery.
There were a lot of mixed feelings. We were overjoyed to have Owen here, while worried about how he was doing, and sad that we could not all be together how we had imagined.
Endia’s first time meeting Owen
Everything changed for us the moment he was born. Our life shifted in a profound way the moment we took on the names of Mommy and Daddy.
Owen is incredible and perfect in every way! I know that the rest of our lives will be spent loving that he is here, worrying about how he is doing, and riding all the rollercoasters of emotions that his journey takes us through.
Cougar holding Owen
This week has been a little crazy because Christmas is here. I tried making Christmas more meaningful, because I haven't been a big fan since I left my family. I enjoyed it a lot more this year. I also had a visit with my family before they left for California for a funeral.
Endia and Cougar had their baby! I am so excited for them and I can't wait to meet him.
I also got to hang out with Riley this week. On Friday, I went to Nickle Mania with Riley, Crew, and Austin. We were there for hours. After we dropped Crew and Austin off. I went to Riley's house, because he invited me to go ice skating with his cousins. We waited for his older brother to come home so we could leave.
I only fell once and I screamed so loud that it echoed in the ring. Later, when we met up with his cousins before we left, I asked if they heard someone scream. They said yes, and when I told them it was me, they said it was really loud! After ice skating we all went to McDonald's and got some food.
Christmas morning
Yeah! Today is Christmas! We woke up and went up the stairs. We found lots of gifts and Poptarts on the counter. Then we found our stockings with tablets right next to them.
Then we went to the piano room, and I handed out the presents. I got a microscope from Monte, and I gave a nightlight shaped like a rocket with pictures of stars and planets to Joanna.
Merry Christmas!
Helping Jen move into new apartment
Wow! What a busy week. While everything else was happening, Jen also moved into her own apartment in West Valley this week.
Several of us helped her pack up the last few things and take them from Yarima’s place over to the new apartment. And I had fun hooking up our trailer to the Rivian for the first time!
I also had a fun top-secret adventure helping out Santa this week. Since Santa gave us two electric razor scooter bikes last Christmas, we have had trouble finding a place to store them. After seeing ads for Honda’s new Motocompacto scooter that packs up like a suitcase, I just had to get one.
Somehow, I secretly got our old electric scooter bikes sold on KSL.com, got them out of the house and to the new owner without anyone knowing, and then I even made a secret trip four-hour trip up to Logan to pick up the only Motocompacto I could find in the state.
I was excited when everyone, even Mom, was surprised Mom on Christmas morning!
Honda motocompacto scooter from Santa
This week was Christmas, and it was fun because we had Braden and Brooke here. We played a lot of card games with them.
Braden and Ashton planned the boys retreat because Caleb was home, and they wanted him to be able to go and have a break from all his treatments and cancer stuff.
While the boys were gone, London took, Me, Quinn, Joanna, and Ellie to the movies and we watched Wonka. It was a really good movie.
Christmas morning
We woke up on Christmas, and we went upstairs and I opened my present. I got a rocket ship light, and a tablet.
We all had food, we talked and then we played with toys. London took us to the movie theater to watch Wonka, and we got treats. Then for dinner afterwards, London took us to Chick-fil-A. I had a lot of fun. Thank you, London!
Boys retreat 83% finished with the game
Christmas this year was pretty unique, because two days afterwards, we did the boys retreat! Braden, Caleb, and I decided to surprise the boys this year by doing it in December, while Braden is here, rather than May, when we normally do it. We tried out the new full Lego Star Wars game, but unfortunately, we were unsuccessful at beating the game.
What was crazy is that everyone got sick while we were there! I say it’s crazy, when in reality it makes perfect sense that people got sick, seeing as we confined ourselves in a dark room, sat in front of a screen through all hours of the night, and ate nothing but corn dogs and meatball subs for three days, which had to fit in the tiniest mini fridge possible!
Kai started feeling bad first, and as he was resting for a while I stood up to check on him and asked, “Kai, how are you feeling…?“ Kai then threw up before I could finish the sentence. It was the perfectly wrong timing—Ha ha!
Yarima’s Christmas socks
Christmas was a lot of fun, with a lot of the usual family traditions, like watching a Christmas movie on Christmas Eve, everyone sleeping in the Bunkhouse, going upstairs together and seeing the stockings and presents, Yarima's crazy socks that she always gifts everyone, and a lot more. It was a lot of fun.
A gift that Braden, Ashton, Mom, Dad, and I did for the rest of the boys was one of our boys retreats. On the 27th we tricked the boys, telling them that we were going to an arcade to have some fun, while really we were headed to a hotel in Jordan Landing. The surprise was really fun.
The next three days went as follows: Lego Star Wars, junk food, all nighters, and being sleep deprived. It was a lot of fun. However, I think we all came to the agreement that for the next boys trip, we want to do something different.
Boys retreat at Hampton Inn
Also, this week Owen was born, and I'm so excited for Cougar and Endia!
And one more thing. After more than two months without being able to walk without crutches or a wheal chair and it not causing a lot of pain, I was able to do it! I'm glad my cancer treatments are working, but my hair has also started falling out and that has not been fun.
Kai and Troy sleeping at boys retreat
Today is Christmas and I am so excited. We slept in the Bunkhouse on cots. It was pretty comfortable. As we waited on Christmas morning to go upstairs, I was wondering if London was going to like my present.
When we went upstairs there were lots of presents, and I was happy. Our first stop was going to the living room. We got tablets, and the cover of mine was red. Later on in the day, we played Among Us with our new tablets.
After seeing what Santa brought us in the living room, we began to make our way to the piano room. I gave London a zen garden. I got Battleship Royal where six people can play.
Merry Christmas!
Bunkhouse on Christmas morning