2010 News Letter

Well it is 16 days into the New Year and I am just now starting to write my 2010 newsletter. Last year was one of those years Stewart and I felt we could not have been more blessed if we had wanted it. We are truly grateful to our Father in Heaven who opened the windows of heaven and poured His blessings upon us.

At the end of the year 2009 in December I got a great job working as a receptionist at a Pediatric Dentist office. The Dentist was newly opening her practice so when I was hired they had only been opened 3 months. I quickly learned the duties of the front desk and enjoyed my time there. Working there was by far one of my favorite jobs I have ever had. Also in January Stewart started the second half of his first year of Medical school at West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine (WVSOM) in Lewisburg, West Virginia. He was blessed to finish out his first year with competitive grades and the desire to still pursue his medical degree.

In February we learned we were expecting our first baby. This news came as a shock to us at first, not that we did not want to have children, but we learned a couple years back that the likely hood of us becoming parents were slim. So to learn that we were expecting was a miracle in and of itself, one we were grateful for. For me the pregnancy went smoothly. I was worried my becoming pregnant would hinder my newly found job; I was fortunate though and did not have morning sickness. In fact I carried our baby very well with little to no complaints and was still working the day before I delivered.

Shortly after we learned I was pregnant we learned Stewart had Celiac disease, meaning his body is allergic to wheat. That meant that I had to revamp my cooking to be wheat free so that Stewart could eat. I never realized just how many foods have wheat in them. It was a struggle at first but we are leaning and Stewart’s health is improving.

In the summer Stewart and I were able to take a month and fly back to Idaho to be with our families. Since Stewart and I live in the south east corner of West Virginia now, the nearest temple to us is 5 hours away. Needless to say we did not make it to the temple very often. So while we were in Idaho we took advantage of the temples there and went 8 or 9 times during our month stay. We enjoyed visiting with our families and catching up with them; we miss living close to them.

When we returned from our summer vacation, I went back to work and Stewart used his time off to explore the hiking trails of West Virginia. He was asked to serve as the Young Men’s President in our ward, shortly before we went to Idaho, so he did some needed planning for that as well. In August he returned to school, this time starting his second year of medical school. He is anxious to get this year behind him so he can move out of the classroom and into the hospitals to practice what he has learned.

On October 1st, Stewart and I welcomed our daughter, Sophie Lucille North, into this world. She was born breech, necessitating a cesarean delivery (C section). We are so blessed to have Sophie in our home; it truly feels like she has been apart of our family forever. She is currently 3 months old and loves to coo, smile, and is just learning to pick up toys to put in her mouth. It seems like she is constantly changing daily. We love her so much, and we are richly blessed because of her.

In November we learned that Stewart and I will be moving 45 minutes west of our current location to a hospital site in Beckley, WV. This is the location where Stewart will do his third year rotations. We look forward to the move and putting down new roots, we are sad however to be leaving the wonderful people in this area we have come to love as family.

Finally, in December, we took a trip to Clarksville, TN to spend Christmas with my cousin Kent Stowe and his family. It just so happened that my baby sister Emily was serving in that exact same area as a missionary for our church. She was given permission to spend Christmas with Kent and his family, so Stewart, Sophie, and I made the trip to TN to visit her… the only catch, she was not expecting us. We surprised her at a baptism she had on Christmas day. We were blessed to visit with her for about 4 or 5 hours and she got to see Sophie (the only other family member to see Sophie has been my mother who came for 10 days to help me after she was born). On our way home from Kent’s we stopped in Gatlinburg, TN and went to an aquarium, our first family vacation.

We feel sincerely blessed as we look back over the past year. We know that we have a loving Father in Heaven who has met our needs and has blessed us with a few of our wants. We have grown a lot being apart from our families. I am sure one day we will look back over this time with great fondness, and remember it as a time we grew closer together as a family and strengthened our trust and faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Much Love
Stewart, Becky and Sophie North