My little Kobe!

Matthew is enjoying basket ball though he misses soccer. How cute is his team!!! The coaches and "buddies" are wonderful and make it fun!

The All Stars and their coaches and "buddies"!

And he did it!!!

Score!

He may be the littlest guy on the team but he tries hard!

Great job Matthew! We are so proud of you!

My little "All Star"

Until soccer season starts up again we thought we'd try basket ball with Matthew. I mean (I have zero sports knowledge) it is basically the same theory as soccer right? Get the ball to the opposite side right? Anyway, he enjoyed it though not as much as soccer. Could he be any cuter? So his uniform is a little large too!!! :)

Overall he understood the game and had fun.

That smile.......

Yay! Matthew made a basket! He was so cute, he started jumping up and down yelling "I won, I won!"

Great job handsome boy! We love you!

New Years Eve Fun!

We decided to take a trip to Wrightwood for a few hours of fun in the snow. Matthew was so excited to go. We got to the bottom of the mountain in great timing, then it took 1 1/2 hours to drive 2 miles to the tubing area! Yikes. We had a few mishaps but Matthew had a blast! He is begging to go back and have a "sleep over" at the snow.

Matthew and Kiran....little adrenaline junkies!

Such fun!
*****
I haven't posted pics in awhile and didn't take many either. December was a difficult month. Christmas was hard, Matthew was really having a terrible time and has been since early December. The past few days however have been great and I think Matthew is finally getting back to himself. He is such a sweetie and it is hard to see him so off and struggling, it just doesn't seem fair. He works hard and is the best boy ever. We love you sweet pea and are proud of you.

Christmas thru the years....

My precious boy has grown up so much...I can't believe he is not a baby anymore. It has gone by too fast...sometimes I just want to slow the clock down.
Here is a stroll down Christmas card lane.

2005


2006


2007


2008


2009


2010

Our sweet, beautiful boy! We love you so much, I hope you always know that.

Hard Times

I finally uploaded the photos from the end of season soccer party. It was such a great experience for Matthew and I feel like he really benefited from it. I am looking forward to spring soccer!

Our awesome coaches who made it so much fun!
We love you coach Jon and Joe!

Matthew was so excited to get a trophy!
*****
So, keeping things real, it has been 2 of the worst weeks I can remember. I was hoping the new meds would help but things seem to get worse by the day. I feel like I am watching Matthew unravel and I can't do anything to help. I imagine it is difficult to be in his skin right now. The meltdowns, insomnia, rigidity is wearing on us right now. Please say a little prayer that the doctor is able to find the med/dose that will help Matthew get back to his sweet, happy and sunny self.
I HATE autism!

Matthew is in love!

Can you say head over heels? Matthew just adores his Pandy. Pictures say it all!

Nothing like a wet puppy kiss!

Matthew has been so patient and gentle with his Pandy.

He begs to snuggle with Pandy every night.

Pandy is crate trained but we let him stay in bed with Matthew until Matthew falls asleep and then move Pandy to his own crate next to Matthew's bed.
Truth be told it has been a brutal few weeks. We had a change in Matthew's med and the fallout while the doctor tried different meds/doses has been exhausting. Meltdowns every few hours and behaviors we haven't seen in a long time. Of course the person it is hardest on is Matthew, and Pandy has been a great source of comfort to him. After 2 weeks of upheaval I think the doctor has hit the target....I don't want to jinx it yet so I will just save it for another post.

Matthew. you are such a wonderful boy and we love you so much. We are proud of how hard you work. Your smile fills my heart!

The newest Sumida!

Today Matthew's dream came true....he got a miniature schnauzer puppy! His very favorite (and lucky for us a great dog for an allergy sufferer) type of dog too!

It was a very big decision but Matthew has such a love for dogs and wanted one so badly. I didn't want a dog but felt that it could provide him so much of the companionship he doesn't get from peers. I have seen him connect with dogs in a way he doesn't connect with people. Heartbreaking sometimes but I hope this will build that bridge.

We took him to visit the puppy to make sure he didn't have an allergic reaction. This was his face when he laid eyes on the puppy. We told him that the breeder was a friend and that the puppy was hers. Didn't want to break his heart if he had a reaction and we could take the puppy.

So today.....that puppy became his! We went to pick him up the puppy and when we got back, we put it in our room. We sat Matthew down, told him how much we loved him and had him close his eyes. When he opened them...

He was so happy! I told him initially that he could have a puppy when he is 10. He kept saying, "that is my dog? Am I 10 now? I can keep him?" He was overjoyed!


His smiling face made my entire year! He was gentle and sweet with Pandy (he named the puppy himself) and spent the entire day side by side.

I love you sweet pea and am elated beyond words that you are receiving such joy from your puppy!

Puppy Love!