Breathtaking

"Life isn't about how many breaths you take...it's about how many moments take your breath away." Anonymous

Today I had a moment like this. The kids were running around and every now and then, one of them would run up and say, "I love you, mommy" and then run away to do something else. After each time this happened, Celeste would come over and go "mmmmmah" and then give her little rendition of "I love you." She loves giving kisses, and today wasn't any different. Each time the kids would run by, Tyler, who was sitting on the other side of the room playing by himself quietly, would look over and grin, and then go back to playing. One particular time, Terra was the one who came and told me she loved me, gave me a hug and then ran out of the room, little sister in tow. So, Tyler took this opportunity to come over, crawl onto my lap, give me a great big hug, and say, "I wub oo, Mom!" And then he nestled right back down in my lap until he decided he was done being held, and then he ran out of the room to go play too. Most parents wouldn't bat an eye at this simple phrase. I, however, was moved to sobbing tears immediately. This is the first time in his LIFE that he has said those words to me. He's 3 years old and he's just now beginning to say them. I cry still thinking about it. The joy that I feel at this moment makes all those trials, dealing with therapy sessions gone wrong and just plain wanting to give up on it altogether, WELL worth while. I told his Pre-School teacher, Miss Kirsten, about it and she cried with me. This is such a huge step for him and it just shows all the progress he's been making. I can't wait to hear what else this little guy has to say. I have a feeling he's got a lot bottled up in there and just can't wait to spill it all out!

So, tonight as I lay here in bed, getting ready for sleep to take me, I am basking in the feeling of being a mom...but not just any mom, I'm Tyler's mom - the proudest mom out there!