Springtime Fun!!

We have been having so much fun together this spring!! You've gotten to try lots of new things and we have been playing outside a lot. I love being with you- no matter what we are doing, but especially swinging with you. I think that is probably your favorite too!!




We also did some frog-catching recently. It was my first time catching a frog!! It was so exciting and so much fun chasing that poor little frog around!



You also went roller skating for the first time this spring!

We always get back up again!!!

And we've had lots of other adventures I will write about in another post. Love you sweetheart!!

"Fearfully and Wonderfully Made"

"For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139: 13-16 NIV)

Matthew, when you were around 18 months, we had you evaluated for developmental delays. There were things you should have been doing, particularly in the communication department, that you couldn't do. Mommy and Daddy wanted to get help to you and Mommy wishes I had done it sooner. The first person we met was Mr. Mark. He was like your case manager and always made sure that you got what you needed. You always got excited when he, or any of your therapists for that matter, came over. You started speech therapy with Mr. Josh when you were 20 months old. Around 22 months we added Occupational Therapy with Miss Corey and Miss Beth. Later on, maybe around 2 1/2 or so,we started seeing Miss Kristine, a social worker, who helped with behaviors and things like that. You always worked really hard with your therapists and made INCREDIBLE strides. By the time you aged out of the program at your 3rd birthday, they were ready to discharge you anyway because you had done so well! At this point you still have some delays and Sensory issues. And at your 3 year evaluation you were diagnosed with PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder- Not Otherwise Specified). You have had to work harder than most kids to learn to talk, communicate and do other things. You have worked SO hard and Mommy and Daddy and everyone around you are SO proud of you. You are a little fighter, my friend, and you are coming out on top. Always remember that there is no challenge that you can't get through with your family's love and support and most of all GOD. Mommy and Daddy and maybe other friends and family can share stories on here of challenges that God has brought us through. And I definitely have some! But that's for another day, precious. For today, Mommy just wants you to know that you are my hero for continuing to persevere through all of your challenges. And I want you to know that your family will always be by your side. And most importantly, God will always be by your side. Nothing is impossible when you have God by your side. He created you just the way he wants you, and he created you the way you are for a purpose.

Here is a picture of you and Mr. Josh

And here you are with Miss Corey

Matthew, never forget all you've accomplished in your short, young life. Your family is always here for you and God will be with you always. You continue to be my inspiration and give me hope. Thank you.

I found out I was pregnant!!

Haha, I guess I should have started with pregnancy rather than birthday, as the start to your story, but oh well.

Matthew, I found out I was pregnant with you February 21, 2006. I took a home pregnancy test around 5 am and found out I was pregnant with you! Oh my goodness, I was sooooo excited! I ran in our room and jumped on the bed where daddy was sleeping and woke him up and told him. He was so excited too and we drove over to Noni and Pa's house (yes, at 5:30 in the morning) to show them the positive test! Everyone was so excited! Daddy called Nana and Papa to tell them and I called my friend Shelli. All this was around 6 am! We were soooo escited! I got to tell your cousin Emily. Later in the day I called my grandparents (Great-Nana and Grandpa, Grammy and Great-Papa) to tell them and they were so excited too!! What a great day that was!

Not the best picture, on my cell phone, but here's the positive test!

I really didn't have problems while I was pregnant with you. Some trouble with hormones and fatigue but all that cleared up after first trimester. But NO morning sickness! Yay! Thank you for that! My doctor appointments went well and your due date was set at October 30th.

Not too long after we found out I was pregnant, we went to Arizona to vsit Great-Nana and Mommy's Uncle Ron and Aunt Suzanne. You got to go to the Grand Canyon while you were in Mommy's tummy! And Daddy and I bought you your first stuffed animal- a black bear. Daddy and I love black bears.

When I was 19 weeks pregnant I was at work and a customer asked when I was due. I was so excited that I was starting to look pregnant and I went home and had daddy take my first belly picture.

Not too long after that picture, the next week actually, we found out you were a BOY! We already had your name picked out, Matthew Kirkpatrick, so we started calling you Matthew right away. Your name would have been Anna Hope if you had been a girl. You were also measuring three days ahead of schedule and they re-calculated your due date to October 27th.

We started feeling you kick right about then too! It was so exciting! It was a long hot summer, being pregnant with you! Near the end of the summer I developed really bad sciatica and had to stop working.

In September you had two baby showers! They were both so much fun and you got lots and lots of stuff!

Yummy cake!

Good friends

So September rolled on and then we moved into October. During this time we got everything ready for your room. We chose "Zanzibar", a safari theme for your nursery. It's funny because you pick a theme for your child's nursery without knowing them at all! Now that we know you we would have gone with a transportation theme. Cars, trucks, trains, planes, etc! Oh well. We liked Zanzibar anyway!

And you kept getting bigger and bigger!

Daddy and I thought you might be an anniversary baby- we celebrated our 5th anniversary on October 13th, but no, you waited! Daddy and I were both born early- 2-3 weeks before our due dates and we felt sure you would too. Nooooo. As your due date got closer and closer I felt sure it would pass us by and you would be late. We took this belly picture not knowing if it would be our last one or not.

So that was October 24th. Then the 25th passed uneventfully. Then the 26th came. Started out like any normal day. Got up, had some breakfast, went back to bed, daddy left for work. Had some soup late morning and threw up. Hmmm...something isn't right. Then around noon the cramps started. I labored at home for the afternoon and finally called the doctor around 3:30 or so. Daddy came home from work to get me and take me to the doctor and I saw him around 4:45 or so and he sent me straight on to the hospital. The next few hours of labor were not plesant ones, but you don't need to know about that. Mommy would do it all over again in a heartbeat for you! Noni, Pa, Aunt Carrie, "Aunt" Shelli and Lizzy all came to see Mommy in the hospital. As it got later into the night, everyone went home except Daddy, Noni and Pa. Daddy and Noni were in the room when you were born. It was awesome! We all got to see you enter the world! You were born at 12:40 am on October 27, 2006- your due date! You were 9 pounds and 21 1/2 inches long. A big healthy boy!

The day my world changed forever

Hey buddy!! I started this blog to tell your story. Someday you can take over and continue to tell your story, but I'll start it and show you all the wonderful ways God is working in our lives and all the fun and wonderful experiences we've had together. Maybe even some of the not-so-fun ones. But this is your story, boo bear.

So let's talk about the day you were born. You were born at 12:40 am on Friday, October 27th. You were 9 pounds and 21 1/2 inches. You had a little bit of a complicated birth. You had the chord wrapped around your neck and had inhaled meconium. Mommy was very weak for a number of reasons, but finally you came out to greet us! Dr. Wolf held you up briefly and then you were wisked away. Daddy and Noni went to be with you, but then Mommmy started having some problems and Daddy came back to be with me ( I kinda made him- he really wanted to stay with you!). But anyway, your Noni got to be the first person to hold you! Then Daddy got to hold you. Then Daddy took you to the door where Pa was waiting (Pa stood outside the door for the whole 2 hours of delivery that it took!) and Pa got to hold you. Everyone got to hold you but Mommy! Finally Mommy was taken care of and at 1:20 am, forty minutes after you were born, Daddy placed you in my arms. I can't explain the rush of emotion that I felt. I remember it as if it were yesterday. It was instant love and protection and just everything. I never wanted to let you go. And I cried and cried (happy tears of course!)

Pa caught our first moments together on the camera

You nursed for a long time and then they took you to the nursey. Mommy didn't want to let you go!


Daddy went with you to the nursery. Here is your first bath.


You LOVED being under the heat lamps!

The next day you got lots of visitors!! Here are Noni and Pa with you.


Aunt Carrie

"Aunt" Shelli and Lizzy came to visit you

And your Nana, Papa and cousin Emily drove all the way from Mississippi to come see you! And your Aunt Sarah drove all the way from West Virginia!

Everyone was so excited to meet you! It was an absolutely wonderful, perfect day! You have such a wonderful family who love you sooooo much and love each other sooooo much! You are a very very lucky little boy. We have lots of pictures of your first few days in the hospital with Mommy and Daddy, but I have run out of time for now. I love you precious!