Mateo amazes me everyday! (Guest Post)

Hi! My name is Heather, Kyle’s sister. I would like to proudly talk about my nephew, Mateo and how he has impacted my life in such a short period of time. When I first heard the news of Mateo being born and that he had a heart condition, I didn’t know what to think. Of course I was so happy for my brother and sister in law to welcome their beautiful new baby boy into the world but this unknown journey that they were about to face was worrisome..it was hard to not feel that way at first. My brother and I have always been close and to not be able to talk to him all the time while they were at sick kids and about how Mateo was doing was hard. But to know that Kyle and Anita were strong individual people to begin with and having them face this together made them even stronger.

I was counting down the days till I could meet Mateo and after a several weeks the day had finally come!! I walked in the NICU with mixed emotions..happy, excited, anxious, and a little nervous - but when I first laid eyes on sweet baby Mateo my heart was just bursting with love. He was beautiful. He was so small and with all those wires hooked up to him, my heart just ached for him. But I knew, just like his parents, he was strong and he would get through every obstacle that came his way. I remember one time, while chatting with my brother, that Mateo started to fuss and Kyle said that little pats on his tummy usually soothed him nicely, and even though I have kids of my own and know that they are not as fragile as you might think I patted Mateo so gently that Kyle looked at me and said “uhh, you can pat a little harder then that.” Lol We had a good laugh. Even then Mateo was a strong little boy. A few months later I was able to hold him for the first time and it was so precious. He looked up at me and gave me the biggest smile. I really didn’t want to put him down! I was so proud of him. He has gone through so much.

When they were finally able to come home, it was wonderful. We were able to see them a lot more and Mateo was able to meet all of his cousins. My son is only 4 months older then Mateo and it’s like they know they are close in age. They look at one another with such curiosity as if to say, can’t wait to play with you one day! So Cute! Watching Mateo jump up and down in his jolly jumper or spin around in his exersaucer always makes me smile - he looks like he is having so much fun! One of my favourite memories is of one evening when Mateo was sleeping soundly beside us and the adults were just chatting away about anything and everything while snacking and singing karaoke. The best!

A little side note that I want to point out is how amazing Kyle and Anita are as parents! They know everything there is to know about Mateo’s Heart condition, every dose medication or amount of oxygen he needs. I remember Kyle being so tired coming off the night shift after looking after Mateo, having little sleep but still being there 100% to make sure Mateo has everything he needs. I also remember when I was over at their home lot long ago with Anita and Mateo and I was astonished by all things you need to know when caring for a special boy like Mateo on top of looking after a typical little boy. Anita was moving around the room with such grace and giving Mateo exactly what he needs while still holding on to our conversation..Super mom and dad just like their super hero son.

Mateo amazes me everyday. He has the best uplifting spirit with everything he has gone through and I always see him smiling. He has taught me to live life to the fullest even when there are bumps along the way, be patient, don’t worry and just have fun. I am so happy that we have Mateo in our lives. He has brought us so much joy and love. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about him and how much he has impacted our lives already. I love you so much, Mateo!