Double Digits Part 2

I can't begin to explain both the joy and sadness I feel knowing today Matt is 10 years old!  I'm sad he's growing up too fast which only means I'm getting older.  But I'm mostly feeling joy today as I look back at old pictures and see this incredible transformation from baby boy to "little" man.  While he may be taller than most boys his age and while he is one shoe size away from my size 10 feet, he is still my little man.  

Last night I had the best time telling Matt about the day before and day he was born.  His story had a crazy beginning.  Zach was barely 7 months old when I found out I was pregnant with Matt.  I was supposed to go down to Virginia for a few days but I remember getting up and feeling awful!  I was incredibly nauseous.  I couldn't think why this could be.  I called my mom and told her I didn't feel well enough to drive and she jokingly asked if I was pregnant.  My world came to a complete HALT!  I stopped breathing!  I couldn't bring words out of my mouth.  For some reason I had a spare pregnancy test and decided to prove her theory wrong.  OMG!  It was positive!  I was nursing - I couldn't get pregnant!!  

Tom was an interning at the Montgomery County D.A. office at the time.  I called him balling and balling!  I think I just blurted it out in between my sobbing.  I wasn't sobbing because I was pregnant but because this wasn't the plan!  Tom was still in law school.  I had a SEVEN MONTH OLD!  But my tears quickly turned into laughter.  It was an oopsies.  But what an awesome oopsie to have, I tell you.  

About 8 months into the pregnancy, the doctors noticed I has a little big for 8 months.  Since I wasn't exactly sure of the timing of it all, they decided to do an ultrasound to make sure I wasn't further along.  The first thing they noticed on the ultrasound was that he was breech.  And as they looked a little deeper they noticed something about his brain - he had an enlarged cisterna magna.  Come to find out the cisterna magna helps control balance and coordination.  The following week I was down at CHOP for a fetal MRI and high resolution ultra sound.  We met with specialists and geneticists.  They concluded this was only really a marker and that he may be a little clumsy, but that is really about it.  

So a few weeks later I'm on the operating room table for a C-section.  The doctor makes the incision and the tugging begins.  I can't feel a thing but Tom remembers them pulling, tugging, pulling and tugging.  The table was being rocked back and forth and Tom remembers the doctor saying "Whoa!"  That isn't exactly the thing a parent wants to hear at that exact moment.  The doctor then tells us he is a little bigger than they thought.  And is was in deed.  He came into this world weighing 11 lbs 1 oz and was 22 inches long!  The nurses joked they could always tell who he was because he was the only one who didn't look like he belonged in the newborn nursery.  

So here's Matthew David Joachim through the years:    

These are TEN things we LOVE about Matt:

1. He is SUPER smart! He is and has always been a math whiz kid.  He is in enrichment math and loves numbers - especially sports stats!
2. He LOVES sports - playing them, watching them, and talking about them.  Matt would rather watch ESPN over any other TV show or movie!
3. He works HARD!  While he excels in math, he has had to work really hard in Reading Comprehension.  After years of practice, tutoring and hard work he finally got an "A" in Reading and a score of "4" (which means above grade level!)
4. He is a GREAT debater!  He can argue with anyone (especially his dad) and surprises most with his insights.  There just may be another lawyer in the family.  (While it drives his mother crazy, it makes his dad proud!)
5. He is a SUPER DUPER BIG BROTHER! (And younger brother, too!) He loves playing, teasing, and helping his sisters.  He asks Sara multiple times a day to give him a hug.  She is catching on that he really wants one and isn't just teasing.  He gets down on the floor and plays games with them.  He lets them pounce  and tickle him.
6. He can't WAIT until the day school gets out so he can get his own cell phone!
7. He LOVES being outside.  He doesn't care how hot or cold it is or who is out with him.  Unlike his siblings, he isn't a big TV fan (unless it's sports related) so he rather being doing something outside.  He is a GREAT baseball player, AWESOME soccer goalie, WICKED skier and surfer, and is getting better everyday at basketball. (The boys got a basketball hoop for Christmas and they shoot hoops everyday!)
8. He has the best smile in the whole world.  It's a cross between mischievous and pure happiness.  Ladies, beware! (Especially Natalie! - Matt is going to kill me for that!)   
9. He gives the BEST hugs!  He is a pretty strong kid and when he wraps his arms around you and squeezes tight - just make sure you can still breathe!
10. Matt is an all around INCREDIBLE kid! He is warm, kind, and thoughtful. He looks after everyone around here.  He likes to joke around but also has a tender heart.  I think that's what I LOVE most.

We love you, Matt!