Sydney Elizabeth

Sydney's baby blessing day is coming up on August 2nd.  For those of you who don't know, a baby blessing in the LDS faith is an ordinance performed when a new baby is born.  It isn't something required.  It is more of a gesture of bringing your child before the Lord and asking for blessings for them in their life.

Before that happened, a friend (thanks Natalya!!) reminded me that I was going to write about why we picked the name for our daughter that we did.  So for your reading pleasure....

The story of how we picked the name Sydney really isn't that interesting. I like the reason we picked Elizabeth much better.

When I first met my daughter, she was feisty. That's what they hope for in premies...especially undersized premies.

The NICU nurses brought her around to me after they checked her out. She was breathing on her own...she had been screaming on her own but had calmed down. They warned me how small she was and then showed her to me. She was all bundled up with a hat on and her little face was grumpy. Like,"Hey lady, not cool. Not. Cool."

I immediately knew she would need a spunky name. Something feisty.

Aaron and I tossed around a couple names. Pipper. Skye. We even called her Harper for a few days. The name Harper reminds me of To Kill A Mockingbird. One of my favorite books (written by Harper Lee). But it didn't quite fit.

The other name that had been tied with Harper was Sydney. It was the one Aaron preferred. Every Sydney we had know was a spunky active girl. So I let Aaron have his pick. After all, I'd gotten the middle name I wanted.

Zach's middle name is his dad's first name. That's a family tradition on both sides. And my family would pass down mom's middle name as the eldest daughter's middle name. But I wasn't an eldest daughter and Alise didn't hold that much meaning for me (I thought about Alisabeth but I'm not Utah enough...thank goodness).

But I wanted it to be a family name. My favorite family member by far, is my Aunt Elizabeth.

Okay...she's not my "real" aunt. But she's the realest aunt I've ever had. Our family met her in Thailand. She was a nomad, like us, and she taught English at a school there and she went to church with us.

I actually don't remember when we adopted her. She seems like she was always there in my memories of Thailand. Coming to holiday dinners. Sitting with us in sacrament. Telling us her funny and amazing stories. She was at my graduation and I still treasure her gift (and the playlist on it). When I visited Thailand on my holidays from college she would take me on special trips. She was at my bridal shower and I think of her every time I cook because she got me all my pots and pans. No matter where she travels now, she's in my family.

She was so much like my mom that it felt so natural for her to be there.

In some ways she saved me from giving up on myself and the LDS church.

I received so much negative feedback from my peers at church. It seemed like they would always point out how I was failing to living up to the standards that were set. Loud and irreverent. Too flirty and worldly. Immodest and not like them at all. Not righteous.

They would make comments like,"Katrina, you only have a couple month to finish your personal progess. You probably aren't going to make it."
One time a girl pointed out that my nails, painted, red and black, "even looked like I worshipped the devil". Most comments I don't remember but I remember how I felt. I remember crying on the car ride home.

Young people (all people really) can be mean and thoughtless. They had no idea that they were slowly eroding away at my desire to come to church and my willingness to even try to live the Gospel.

Then my Aunt Elizabeth became our Sunday School teacher.

We were studying the New Testament and she made me feel like I had valid things to say. She treated me like my thoughts on the scriptures mattered.  She told us about the mission she served and encouraged us to go and teach the Gospel. I started reading the lessons the week before class so that I could participate even better. Once I even got to teach a lesson to our class.

Aunt Elizabeth helped me see that I could be a disciple of Christ no matter what anyone else thought of me.

Then she did something that changed my heart and testimony forever.

Our ward had a trip planned for the nearest temple. The Hong Kong Temple. We were all so excited to go. Temple trips were few and far between because of the distance. It was the only trip like it the 5 years I lived there my high school years. This trip was a big deal. Even for the kids who could only do baptisms.

Aunt Elizabeth asked me if I would be willing to do the baptism for her mom. I can't even express how tremendously honored I was. The experience ended up strengthened my testimony of the importance of work in the temple in ways I hadn't grasped yet in my young life.

I remember praying so much right before going to the temple that morning. Praying to be worthy. Praying to have her mother accept the work that was being done. Praying to have the Spirit with me.

It was the first time I ever felt any connection to the person I was being baptized for. I realized all of these people are someone's beloved family members who they want to give the gift of the Gospel to. Suddenly some of the weight of this important temple work became clear to me.

I remember my Aunt Elizabeth outside of the font watching the priesthood holders perform this sacred ordinance and I realized that her mother's spirit was inside the room with us also watching. I felt the Holy Spirit so strongly around us and I'll carry that sacred experience and testimony with me forever.  Having an experience like that is something that can never be taken away and I'll never let it be diminished. 

Together outside the Bountiful Temple years later after going through together

My Aunt Elizabeth changed who I was and redirected my path. She strengthened me in the Gospel and she gave me the chance to improve myself without any judgement. 

She is a strong woman. 

She's an independent woman. 

She's a funny and intelligent woman. 

She's caring and kind.  Powerful and loving.

I want all of these qualities for my daughter. So I gave her one of the most strongest names I know. 

Elizabeth.