Post Holiday…
This year, so much has changed for our girl, with adding to our family, that I wondered how she would handle herself, and if we would be recovering from Christmas for a while…
I knew baby J might also have a hard time, even though he is so different than little M in the way he handles stress, just because this would be his first Christmas, and we had planned a lot…

But little M was amazing. She handled spontaneous excitement, she travelled like a champ, she even handled new responsibilities… and I have never been so proud.
Amazing. And so different from previous years…
Baby J enjoyed his first Christmas with all of the gusto and joy that is baby J… He ripped open presents, he told everyone thank you, and he played his heart out.
His stress showed up in some small ways, and then he got so ill that it is hard to say how his behavior might have been affected by stress.
Baby J has become quite clingy, and doesn’t like me out of his sight. He has also become quite rigid, and hates to divert from his routine in any way. And baby J wants to be home. All the time. He does not want to leave his environment. He will… but he doesn’t want to.
Who know if these things are because of all of the changes that holidays bring, or because he was recently so ill and spent days in the hospital, or simply because he is showing some anxious attachment…
All I know is that, despite baby J becoming so sick, and the stress that was, this holiday…even this holiday being our first with two kids…this holiday was our easiest so far since we began our adoption journey with little M.
And I am so happy that this little guy had himself (baring sickness) such a great first Christmas…
I do so love my little family!
Your little ones have been through so many dramatic changes this past year. Sharing Mommy/Daddy with a sibling (who also needed ongoing medical attention) is hard work. Your little M (and J) are amazingly resilient. You've also had your own health concerns. I hope you can enjoy some much needed down time.