Six Christmases ago my husband and I had just started trying to conceive a baby. We were excited about starting a family. I was counting days and taking my temperature. Wouldn’t it make the greatest gift if I got pregnant during the holiday?
Five Christmases ago my husband and I had decided that this would be the last month we would try to conceive a baby, before testing. It had been a year. The excitement had worn off. Sex had become work and disappointment had ensued each month. But if we gave it one more try… Otherwise we were off for testing in the New Year.
Four Christmases ago we were getting ready to move out our small house into a four bedroom home in a suburban neighborhood. This was where we were going to raise our children. If we were ever to get to that point. The previous year had only brought sad news that we would not be able to have children naturally. At that point we decided to hold off on further testing and trying to pursue treatments. We were going to concentrate on our move.
Three Christmases ago we had just become active with American Adoptions. Our profile was listed on the website. We only had to wait now for a match. The previous year we decided that we would not pursue fertility treatments due to the high costs and no guaranteed success. Our health insurance did not cover it. We were once again excited about the possibilities of completing our family in the future.
Two Christmases ago, Connor was 3 ½ months old and we celebrated our first Christmas as a family. His adoption had been finalized in October. We went his Grandmother’s house where he met his cousins, Aunts and Uncles, some of which for the very first time. We opened gifts and took many pictures. We made him wear a Santa hat. We were thrilled that we finally sharing Christmas with our new son. We had much to celebrate.
This Christmas Connor is 15 ½ months old. We have watched him climb a ladder to help decorate the Christmas tree. We have pulled him in his new sled, given to him by Grandma and Grandpa, while being chased by his new puppy. He has cried in Santa’s lap, watched Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Charlie Brown’s Christmas. He has learned to say “Ho”, when you ask him what Santa says. We have watched him rip open presents, play with them for a moment, and then move on to the next.
Christmas is a time to reflect on the year behind us and what it brought. It is also time to look forward to the upcoming year and what adventures, joys, and challenges are to come. It is also a time to remember that the greatest gift we have ever been given is our son, Connor.
Happy Holidays.