Dear Tyler,

by @ngie on April 11, 2010

I have known you for a little over three years now. It has been a blast putting a face and a personality to a name. You are my redeemer baby. You have redeemed to me the joy of motherhood.

Speculations aside the fact is that when my first three pregnancies were confirmed I cried bitter tears. It was a selfish, ignorant, and immature act repeated three times that I deeply and sincerely regret. Many years past. We grew. Our Heavenly Father had begun a work of redemption in my spirit that was later evidenced in the flesh, the tiny flesh of your first cell divisions. The signs began to come that would lead a woman to believe she was carrying a child. Before I even talked with your papa I went before the Lord in serious prayer. I told God that I was very sorry of the way that I had responded previously at such news. I asked Him to please help me not behave in such a manner if I was indeed pregnant. He quickly answered me so sweetly that it makes me smile every time I think about it.

“You can be just as excited about this one as I was about the first three,” He said.

From that second a pure joy and thrilling happiness entered my heart. Miraculously that sense of redemption, peace and joy has never left me in all the moments of parenting you. Oh sure, there have been challenging moments (potty training, weaning, and getting you to eat vegetables to name a few), but somehow it has been hard to lose my temper with you. You are just my cuddly, cute Bubba Boo. Thank you for redeeming to me the joy of motherhood.

So, let’s talk about the meanings of your names. We chose these names because they sounded good together. That is the short and long of it. We just had a sense that you would be an all around good guy and needed an all around good name.

Tyler means: tile layer or worker in roof tiles.

Cole means: swarthy, coal black, charcoal.

I am reluctant to read into what the meanings of your names imply for your future. I feel as though I have given you to the Lord. I am at peace knowing that He is guiding and directing you. I am just so grateful that He put you in our family and allowed me to get to know you.

As I am about to go get you ready for bed and sing the nightly requested Barney song ‘I Love You’ to you for the thousandth time I am thinking about you. My heart swells with gratitude and spills over my eye-lids in warm tears of sheer joy. I love you little man.