In Just One Year

Happy 1st Birthday Matthias!

It is amazing what God has accomplished in your life in just one year...

At just one day old you looked like this:

At 2 weeks you were healthy & happy:

At 1 month you were sick & on the ventilator:

Your caringbridge site had 3,381 visitors and 346 registered visitors. The prayer support and love was beyond words...

At 6 months you were still waking up  2-3 times a night but happy & healthy and mommy was tired:

AND TODAY...

You are a 1 year old, walkin, jabberin, lil' rascal with 6 teeth, who sleeps 10-11hours a night, likes dancin to music, but loves to play catch and kick balls the best...no one would ever guess you were ever a really sick lil' baby on a ventilator and no one but God knows whatever caused it all to happen. 

Dear Matthias -
Wow! You are already 1 year old! You are such a miracle and a blessing to me. Thank you Lord God for my lil' boy, my first born son.
I love how you smile with you nose scrunched and your 6 lil' teeth that I can see, each one a different height.
I melt every time I hold you in my arms and I love how you love to cuddle into me and put your lil' pillow-top hands and arms around my neck.
I love how you already put your hands together when we pray before meals.
Your lil' cry and face when you cry can break my heart in a matter of seconds...

Your daddy and I have chosen two life verses for you that have been repeated several times as prayers for your life and the journey God has had us on as your parents in the past year:
Isaiah 11:2 "The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him - The Spirit of wisdom and of understading, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord."
Psalm 71:14 "But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more."

I hope and pray, more than anything in this world that you will one day come to know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and cling to Him and His Word more than anything this life offers you.  pray that you will personalize these verses to your life circumstances whatever they may be at every age and stage. The Lord God formed you for great and mighty things and he has already used your precious life for eternity.

Just as I say every night as I put you to bed: "Mommy loves you, daddy loves you, and Jesus loves you so much!"

Matthias, we belong to Jesus - I pray that we will all live our lives in reality of this freeing truth!

I love you,

Mommy