I am oh so thankful.

On friday, right when I finished up my last post about my favorite finds, a really horrible thing happened.

My little Betsy was supposed to be napping, but instead, she was standing in her crib waiting for me to rescue her.  I could see her from our video monitor, and I knew that she needed to rest, so I avoided going upstairs until she got in a quick 20 minute nap.

But to my horror, she instead launched herself over the rails of her crib, and landed head first on the hardwood floor.  The sound was the worst thing I have ever heard in my entire life, and surely it will replay in my mind forever.  I rushed up the stairs to sounds of screams and scooped her up.

We sat in the rocking chair... her favorite...for a good few minutes until she calmed down.  Right about this time I noticed a huge goose egg forming on the top of her forehead and we quickly rushed off to the Emergency Room.

The Doctor sedated her and performed a CT scan.  My husband rushed over to meet us and we waited with a very sedated Betsy in our arms, to make sure that everything was ok.  Radiology called to tell us that she would be fine.  There was no bleeding on the brain, no fracture.  It was just a really bad fall, with a really big war wound.

Life is so precious.  It changed in just one minute on that afternoon.  Thank God for the outcome, but it was very, very scary.  For all the moments when I wished that she would nap just five minutes longer, and all the annoyance I felt when I wished she wouldn't throw her sippy cup across the table......  I am reminded that life is a precious gift than can be altered or taken away in an instant.  Hug your babies tight tonight!

Before I was a Mom;

I made and ate hot meals,

I had unstained clothing,

I brushed my hair every day,

I had quiet conversations on the phone,

I slept as late as I wanted and I slept all night long.

Before I was a Mom;

I cleaned my house each day,

I never tripped over toys or forgot lullabies,

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous,

I had never been puked on, pooped on, spit on, chewed on, peed on, or

pinched by tiny fingers.

Before I was a Mom;

I never thought about immunizations,

I never held a screaming child so the doctors could give shots,

I never looked into teary eyes and cried,

I never felt my heart break into pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt,

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

Before I was a Mom;

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down,

I never sat up late hours of the night watching a baby sleep,

I never got up in the middle of the night to make sure everything was okay,

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

Before I was a Mom;

I had complete control of my mind, my thoughts and my body,

I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside of my body,

I didn't know that having something so small could make me feel so

important,

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,

the wonderment, or the satisfaction of being a mom.

Before I was a Mom;

I never knew that something so small could effect my life so much,

I never knew that I could love someone so much,

I never knew I would love being a Mom,

I didn't know the bond between a Mother and her child,

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much.

~anonymous