Family Picture from July 2015

Today is the one year anniversary of Malachi joining our family. I cannot believe that it has been a year already. There has been so much change and growth in him and in our family. I’ve tried writing this post multiple times, but cannot really put into words what it has been like to have Malachi in our family- especially to see the way he has grown over the last year.

Perhaps the biggest change is that Andrea and I have gone from being caregivers to Malachi to being “Mommy” and “Daddy.” In the beginning, Malachi stayed close to us because he was in a world that was foreign and around people who sounded and looked different than him. This began to change around January of last year. This summer, we’ve seen another big move forward in his attachment to us as parents. One only needs to see the smiles when he calls our names and gives out hugs. We are truly blessed!

While here is a lot of joy celebrating Malachi being part of our family, he also had to lose everything in order to be part of our family. Today, we are praying for Malachi’s birth parents. We do not know their names, bu God does.

Words probably cannot express the last year the way that pictures can- so here are some pictures of our journey over the last year.

Picture from Malachi’s file. This was our first look at him in May 2014. The picture was from earlier in the year.

Andrea’s first time holding Malachi on September 15, 2014.

Malachi at Fifer’s Fall Fest in October 2014

Bath time is one of Malachi’s favorite times! January 2015

Malachi received leg braces in May 2015 to help straighten and strengthen his legs.

2nd birthday for Malachi! (first with our family)

Even little hipsters need to brush their teeth before going to bed.