Happy Birthday, Big Boy

One year ago they handed me Matthew for the first time. I have had the most extraordinary love affair with him since that moment. He was the most precious and beautiful creature I had ever seen, and he has done nothing but stolen a little more of my heart every day. Matthew seems like such a big boy now, hardly a baby at all. He moves like a big boy; crawling, climbing, and cruising, and has taken a couple steps. He has a great appetite and is good at feeding himself and has even started using a spoon in his own hands. He is funny and inquisitive, and understands much of what we say. He likes to play games that he initiates like peek-a-boo, hide and go seek, or imitating others. He talks up a storm, and babbles, "mam-ma, dada, banana". He understands entertaining others and can fake laugh just to get people going. He is kind and sensitive, and likes to observe before he jumps into things.

As I sit here writing this on my last day of school I can hardly believe I made it to this point. I thought it would be impossible to leave him while I worked, but Matthew is very adaptable and has done very well with others to entertain his days. I am so looking forward to this summer. It will be very different from last summer. Last year at this time I was trying to survive on minimal sleep, soothe a cranky baby, tend to a dog who needed walking, and get a handle on balancing a baby, a husband, and my own needs. I feel like I have a whole new kid to get to know and enjoy this summer. Matthew does so much more now than he even did a few months ago that I feel like I get to meet a whole new person now- not just a sweet baby who eats, sleeps, and poops. I can see his personality emerging, and even though some things about him are things we have tried to mold in him, so much of him is just exactly who God intended him to be. I little bit of me and a little bit of his daddy, but uniquely Matthew.

When he was born everyone said Matthew looked like his daddy, with tan skin and dark eyes and hair. Then his hair fell out, his skin lightened, and his blond hair came in and they said he looked like me. Now after a year it is plain to see that he has his daddy's head, eye and face shapes, my profile, smile, and light eyes. It is funny how much he is like me and at the same time like Alex, when we look nothing alike. He looks like Alex as a baby and me now, so Aunt Lori joked that I now look like Alex as a baby! Alex's mom brought some of his toddler pictures this weekend and I will do a scan of them and a post to compare some pictures soon, because some of them are identical.

I never made a big deal about birthdays, and couldn't quite figure out why so many people made such a big deal out of them. Then I realized with Matthew it is a big deal. The birthday is really about remembering his "birth day" and what a once in a lifetime moment it was, how at 2:36 pm on June 8, a spectacular new life was started and the celebration of all that has happened in our lives in the past year. So tomorrow we will celebrate you Matthew, BIG TIME! So many people love Matthew, and you can't even believe what a impact of love and joy one little soul can make in the lives of so many people. It makes you realize that at one time in your own life you did that for others as well and you hope the path your life has taken lives up to all the hype. You are in for an incredible journey Matthew. You have already super-surpassed my expectations. I can't wait to see where this next year takes us, but I'm excited to see you smile at some many steps along the way.

Here's how big Matthew is:
22lb 7oz (50th percentile)
30in tall (50th percentile)
18cm head (75th percentile)





Here you are, all handsome after your first haircut. You were such a good boy too, no tears.



.