1/26/24 Matthew’s 1st Birthday

It’s hard to believe it’s been a whole year since Matthew joined Team Phelps on planet Earth 😆. It’s also hard to believe that it’s only been a year haha. I feel like a whole different person in many ways. This journey has been one of the most difficult and beautiful of my life, and as is the case with any new adventure in life…I’m sure it’s just the beginning of so much more.

Matthew has added so much light, love, joy, and strength to our family in his short life so far. And it is so incredible to see how much of that he already gives to everyone else. People are so drawn to him and they just love him instantly.

I have been so touched by the love given not only to Matthew but to our whole family- the selfless acts of service, kindness, and sacrifice have meant the world to us. We’ve had so many angels around us, and we are deeply grateful for each one.

It’s been a beautiful and challenging year and definitely one to celebrate. We decided to wait and have a big celebration when it warms up in the spring, so we spent the day at home just playing and snuggling. But even though it was a simple day, this kiddo was showered with so much love from messages, phone calls, FaceTime, visits, gifts, balloons, special deliveries, and lots of snuggles. It was the best!! ❤️ Thank you to everyone who helped make it such a special day!

This is what Matthew had to say about turning 1:

Matt got the sweetest call from Uncle Ben and Grandma Chris. For anyone who doesn’t know, Ben is my sister-in-law’s brother (and also my old boyfriend 😉). We have been close for years- ever since my brother met his sweet wife, Mara (who I immediately loved even more than my brother- sorry Ry 😆), and I’ve always felt a unique connection to her mom, Chris. Never quite knew why until I found out about Matthew’s diagnosis, but they’ve been special to me for a long time. And now we will get to watch our sons with their own special bond. Anyone who sees them together can’t help but melt. We love you Chris, Joe, and Ben!

I was having a hard time getting Mattie to smile. So Will came over to help…instant 😃

Since Matthew’s medical updates are less frequent now, we’ve decided to put the blog on hold and start an Instagram account for Mattie where we will share pics and videos of him, celebrate his progress, and give short updates. We may occasionally share lengthier updates here on the blog as well, especially in the summer when all of his tests are redone, but for now, we are going to try something new.

I’ve loved documenting our journey here and I hope it’s brought some smiles and joy to you as well. Thank you to everyone for loving our Matthew Lucas and for loving our family. We’ll see you over on Instagram at a_little_more_matt.