Thankful

As a stay at home mom, there are days where I ask myself "what the hell did I get into?".. there are days that I would give anything for just 5 minutes of quiet.  Today is not one of those days.  Today I have to stop in the craziness that is the life of a stay at home mom and just be thankful.  Five years ago today, my nephew Tyler passed away.  He was 11 months old and just the happiest baby you ever met.  Tyler was a seemingly healthy, happy, sweet little boy.  One morning Tyler woke up for his morning bottle, went back to sleep, and never woke up.  He had a rare form of pneumonia that shows no symptoms.  No coughing, no wheezing, no symptoms what so ever.  He got a sudden fever that spiked extremely high, and that is what took his precious life.  Tyler's death took everyone in the family by complete surprise, and left us all in a deep state of shock.  After 5 years,  the pain still feels just as sharp, but it is a little easier to look back on the wonderful memories that he gave us.  That little boy in his short life taught us all that there is no other option in life than to be happy, he always had a huge smile on his face and an extremely infectious laugh.  It was impossible to be in a bad mood in Tyler's presence.  He would crawl onto your lap, and just dance around and make funny faces until you smiled.  There is not a day that goes by that I do not think about his sweet little face.

  This is my 3rd year as a mom on his deaths anniversary.  And this year I am pregnant, so I am really feeling the hormones, mixed with the memories, and it is a recipe for a very emotional me.  It is today that I must stop and look at my son, and the growing belly in front of me, and I am overwhelmed with how grateful I am.  I can not imagine for one second life without my son.  Yes, he may drive me nuts some days, but I would not change a single thing about him or my life as a stay at home mom.  So today, I urge everyone to hug your children, tell them you love them, and just spoil them a little. They are blessings and I pray that no one ever has to learn what life is like without them.