Happy World Down Syndrome Day! – The Malone Family

This month marks some significant milestones in our family life. I thought it would be very appropriate to share them on this day in which we celebrate those who are born with a little something extra.

It was one year ago this month that we welcomed Ethan into our home for the first time.Hard to believe it has already been a year! So many of you know and remember how tiny and frail he was, just sixteen pounds at six years old. He has doubled his weight in the year we have had him. This little boy, who would not play with toys and didn’t want to be touched, now is into everything, and loves to be tickled and held. Ethan has overcome some MAJOR sensory issues this year, including, taking a bath, learning to eat from a spoon, drink from a cup, and wearing socks , shoes and glasses(for the most part 🙂 ). He has also made a full recovery from his colostomy pull through, and has fully functioning bowels! We love watching the little miracles that take place before our eyes with this precious boy.

March 10, we celebrated Matthew’s 9th birthday, again where as the time gone? It was the third birthday celebrated since becoming a part of our family. Matthew is continuing to develop and grow into a big boy. This year he realized we were making a fuss over his special day and he loved every moment of it!! He is currently working on going up and down the stairs independently. He is more in control of his impulses to scream out and chew on his fingers, he will stop when corrected. He is listening well to books, and is playing more appropriately with toys. Music is still his all time favorite, he has songs he really likes and ones he doesn’t, and he lets you know which is which!

March 18, marked three years, since we walked ought of the orphanage doors with Matthew and Micah. Wow, how we have all changed since then! Matthew had just turned six, but was like a baby who had never been touched or held. He was not walking, he was still drinking from a bottle and eating pureed foods. Micah was like a wild animal, who was starving for love, attention, and nourishment. Seeing Micah in the environment where he was, forever shaped how we see the plight of children born with disabilities here in Ukraine. These boys have opened our eyes to so much, and at the same time broken our hearts over what should have never been.

March 25, we will celebrate Mr. Eli’s eighth birthday. What pure joy and delight he is! God has used this simple little boy, to change the lives of so many. If we had not had Eli, most likely we would not have known the joy of adding Micah, Matthew, Eliana, and Ethan to our family. It is also likely that our good friends the Dickinson’s would not have adopted their three children with Down syndrome. Eight more children have found their forever families since we begun the Eli Project adoption ministry. That makes a total of FIFTEEN changed lives! All because God chose to bless us with a little boy who happened to have an extra chromosome.

Today , in honor of the day, we got everyone out and went to the mall near our house. It was the first time out with everybody, that it didn’t feel like a major work out! We ate lunch, and let the kids walk around, it was relaxing and enjoyable. And after several hard weeks, refreshing!