They say the best things in life happen when you least expect them, and ain't that the truth. At 23, the last thing I expected to become was a mother. For nearly two months, I was in the doctor's office atleast once a week because I just felt "weird". I had extreme anxiety topped with naseau and headaches. The doctor I was seeing told me my job was too stressful and to take it easy. To me, that wasn't a good enough answer to why I felt so strange. Something in the back of my head told me to take a pregnancy test. The rest as they say, is history.

I found out I was pregnant on March 13, 2005. The mixed emotions lasted only about a week. The second I saw my amazing little baby on that ultrasound and heard that little heartbeat, I was instantly in love. In that same moment, I became a Mom.My pregnancy wasn’t the easy, carefree time I should have been. I went into premature labor at 19 weeks, and was told by an ER doctor that having labor that early in the game usually meant a miscarriage was eminent. For the next several months those words were all I heard and I had a really hard time enjoying my pregnancy. Throughout the Summer of 2005, I was in and out of the hospital, battling the premature labor and gestational diabetes but miraculously I made it to 36 weeks. On the evening of October 16, 2005, I starting having contractions that took my breath away. The contractions were so intense, you could see the outline of my baby in my stomach. Soon after, I had intense pain and felt like I had a foot "down there". Sure enough, after a pelvic, that is exactly what was happening.My beautiful, bouncing baby boy was delivered via C-Section at 12:17 PM on October 17th, 2005. But the miracle of this story does not even begin until a few minutes after he was born. Shortly after deliverly, doctors discovered that my son had a severe heart defect, called Transpostion of the Greater Vessels, that would require open heart surgery in order for him to survive.

At a mere 6 hours old, Maddox underwent his first procedure to prepare him for his major operation. At 8 days old, on October 25, 2005, he underwent an aterial switch procedure to correct his defect. After a long road of recovery and a few minor setbacks, Maddox is now a sweet, happy, normal and incredibly spoiled 21 month old. He has beat and surpassed every odd that he has faced and is an absolutely miracle in every way. The 3 inch long "battle scar" on his chest is the only proof of what a fighter this guy is. Everytime I look at his beautiful face, I am reminded that the best things in life are often the ones you least expect.