Matthias home for 1 year!!

We will have Matt dedicated at church this Sunday marking his one year home anniversary! We are calling it "Forever Family" day for both Esther and Matt as July 3rd and 4th mark their annivery of citizenship (day they stepped on US soil Esther 4 years ago and Matt 1 year ago) and the start of our lives together as a family. It is hard to believe a year has passed. Matt has grown physically, emotionally, cognatively, and brotherly:O) I recall our crazy summer last year when Matt was trying to figure out his new boundaries, learn English, taste new foods, and figure out his role in his new family. It was really a time of survival, chaos, and being flexible as we rolled with many aspects that were part of adjustment for all of us.


It is so fun to look at these pictures and see how this little boy has matured and changed. His glasses have changed his life dramatically as he is much more coordinated and loves to point out details in books he could previously not see. With how poor his vision was it is amazing how well he adapted and was successful at so many things. I believe that is just part of his "go for it" personality!
Matt also received tubes in his ears over the last year. The doctor described the stuff in his ears as "amber goo". Very technical, but said it was no wonder Matt was so loud...he could not hear very well. Again, it shows Matt's ability and aptitude to acquire language and communicate as well as he did. He is an overcomer for sure!! He loves to be the leader in anything that others will allow. He has quickly learned English and is making great progress on lots of difficult sounds for him each week in speech class. Some could call his budding leadership style "bossy", but I am sure the Lord has great plans for Matt's desires to be in charge.

Matt has learned how to be the littlest brother in a family with 5 kids. He loves wrestling with his big bros and fighting the "bad guys" as seen in the photo with his sister. We are trying to promote the idea of him attacking those dinosaurs and keeping them away from his sister princess instead of battling her. He loves to swing his pretend weapons with gusto and lots of boyish growls...we just need to make sure no one is near by :O)

There have been lots of medical visits for Matt this year and some surgeries too...not his favorite as you can see in the photo. But he really tries his best and always tells me how brave he is. His next event will be getting a specialized retainer called a palatal obturator which will give him a solid roof of his mouth for speech purposes until his cranial plate is large enough for his next major surgery between 7-10 years old. Matt really is quite brave and always shakes his doctors hands and can't wait to get his hands on any medical equipment they will let him touch.

Those of you who know Matt from New Day or here in the states...know he is busy and an explorer to the max! One of his funnest events this year was a fundraiser for the children's ward at the local hospital. It was called "The Big Rig" where kids got to get inside every large vehicle from garbage trucks to fire trucks, back hoes to police cars and push buttons, beep horns, and make things move with the help of the owners. Matt, who usually is being told to keep his hands from making poor choices, was free to try everything he could. He was sooooo happy!


I want to thank those of you who have visited Matt's progress over this past year and have continued to keep him in your prayers as he has grown and adjusted to life in our family of 7. Matthias - gift of God - is true to the name the Lord game him. We really cannot picture our lives without him. He adds spunk and personality to our family that some days just makes me laugh. He is known for his chatter style amidst any group of people with "hey, let me just tell you something..." and his same knock knock joke he likes to tell over and over...and then he comes up with phrases like "my mommy is the bestest and just loves me all day". How can you beat that? We love you Matt and are so happy to celebrate 1 year with you!!!