AS SHE soaks up the love and adoration of her daughters for Mother's Day tomorrow, Natalie Ezzy will remember the beautiful baby boy who should be celebrating with them.

The little fighter who would now be an energetic nine-year-old, had he not been taken too soon.

On Easter Sunday morning, 2006 Natalie was feeling on top of the world.

Surrounded by family and friends, the Warwick mum was preparing to leave the Brisbane hospital she and her son, William had called home for the past month.

Despite being born at just 27 weeks and weighing just 950g at birth, William was steadily gaining weight, out of intensive care and he was to be transferred to Toowoomba after Easter.

Natalie and her husband, Ken were elated he was getting stronger and closer to going home.

But when Natalie tried to take a friend to visit her son that morning, she was denied access and realised something was very wrong.

William had contracted a bowel infection and within eight hours, passed away.

His final moments were spent enveloped by his mum's embrace.

Although nine years has passed since that heartbreaking day, Natalie is overcome with emotion when she recounts the day she lost her only son.

"He was beautiful and I can still remember the way he was looking at me that day," she said through tears.

Although her time with William was short, Natalie said it was more than some families get.

"We appreciate every day we had with him, even though it was at the hospital and we never got to take him home," she said.

"Our friends and family got to see him and we got to hold him. Some people don't get that."

His photo adorns a main area of their home and Natalie and Ken often talk to their daughters - Jessica, now aged 11 and Alyshia, 8 - about their baby brother.

Natalie said going to the cemetery to farewell her baby was the hardest day of her life but now that same place is home to an important family tradition.

"On special days like his birthday, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Christmas, we always go to the cemetery to visit him," she said. "It is important for us to do that and remember him and the girls love going out there."

"Family is the most important thing to us."