Can it Be??

Can it be??? Our Matthew is 5 years old! I feel like just yesterday, I was preparing to head to the hospital, not knowing whether he was a boy or a girl. When he came out and Brian brought him to me, my first thought was, "Can this be our child?" I was so use to Patrick with all of the white blonde hair. Not this child! Matthew had a full head of black hair. And I mean a full head, not just peach fuzz. His start to life was a little rough, having jaundice which required lots of pokes and prods and many trips to and from the hospital. Then at five weeks old, he had a serious case of bronciolitis, which scared me to death. Brian was already in Connecticut, and the boys and I were in Michigan at my parents' house. I called Brian and told him to catch the first flight of the weekend because I honestly didn't know what was going to happen to little Matthew. I remember watching him on the living room floor on his blanket, gasping for air to breath. On our way to the ER that night, I grabbed him out of the carseat and put him in my lap (yes, I know- not safe, but I felt I had to because he couldn't breathe). Luckily, with the help of a breathing apparatus and some other tricks, Matthew came through and got better. It was a scary beginning though.

From the day Matthew came out, sleep wasn't a problem. We braced ourselves for the worst because his older brother didn't know what "Sleep" meant. However, this little guy was an angel when it was time to sleep. He never minded being put right into his crib. He slept straight through the night by about two months old. He also never took a pacifier or a thumb, so when he woke up in the middle of the night, we didn't have to go stick the darn thing back in his mouth. Matthew knew how to put himself to sleep. We were in heaven. Of course, our three year old still wasn't sleeping through the night, so we were up anyway, but it was still nice to have an infant that slept. To this day, Matthew still sleeps well, still naps when he knows he needs to, and will put himself to bed when he is tired. He has been know to fall asleep at 4:00 in the afternoon and sleep all of the way through to the next morning.

His hair slowly turned to blonde at six months. It never fell out, just became very highlighted with tips of blonde, and eventually all of it changed. He weighed less than 20 pounds at his first birthday, and he stayed tiny until he was about 3 years old. Now, he weighs 38 pounds and is 43 inches tall. He was a little peanut for the longest time. To this day, he still won't eat cheese. What kid doesn't eat cheese? He won't go near it, unless it is shredded parmesan on pasta. It makes packing lunches for him very difficult!

We recently learned at conferences that Matthew is a leader, and other kids look up to him. His teachers called him calm and confident (now who does that sound like?????) He knows what he wants and has no problem asking. He is a good listener and good role model. Maybe Matthew is leader in school, but in this house, there is one person who Matthew does follow, and that is Patrick. He admires him, looks up to him, wants to be just like him, and is lost without him. There is a line that Matthew always says...whatever he says, he follows it with, "Right Patrick?" He says this as if Patrick has the final say in everything. He seriously thinks his brother is the coolest kid!! I think the picture at the top of this blog sums it up perfectly!

Matthew loves to use his imagination. He plays very well on his own, building legos, playing with his webkinz, and building puzzles. He is obsessed with Star Wars and Indiana Jones. His interests are space, rocks/crystals, volcanoes, and the outdoors. His favorite shows are Discovery and Animal Planet, and he loves to read the Kids National Geographic Magazine with Patrick. His sense of adventure is huge!

While he hasn't been to as many states and ciities as Patrick because he is three years younger, he has done so much in his five years of life. At three years old, he got on a plane to Japan, still wearing diapers. Today, he is a smart little boy with a winning personality who has been to Guam, Australia, and soon China. Oh and he is not in diapers anymore (he was out of them right after we arrived here) He is posiitve most of the time, always looking to cheer everyone up and look at the bright side of things. I must say his smile is contagious. He gets excited about the smallest things. He can find a rock on the side of the road and be excited and happy for the rest of the day.

Most of the time, when Matthew gets down, he is sad because he can't keep up with Patrick. In a previous post, I wrote about how he just couldn't wait to be 7 so he could reach the number "5" on the elevator. He still can't reach the "5" but he is getting closer. Matthew is a sweet little boy. He loves to sit with us on the couch and cuddle. He always tells me that he loves me so much that he can't get enough of me. (I know he'll grow out of it, but I will take it while I can get it.) He still smiles as wide as ever when I pick him up at preschool. He is in a good mood most of the time, except of course, when he is tired. He is considerate to others and has many friends. Matthew is funny, and he is always making all of us laugh. Even when Patrick is pouting about something, something Matthew says will make Patrick laugh. Just tonight we were all on the floor playing Clue Junior when Matthew decides he is going to take his gloves and put them on his feet to look like a duck. We all busted out laughing.

Sometimes Matthew seems like such a big boy to us, yet other times, we realize how young and innocent he still is. I tucked him into bed tonight and realized it was the last kiss and hug I would give him as a four year old.. ...ahhh sighhhh....
We love You!!! Happy 5th birthday little guy!!