Holiday Gatherings

We had a busy holiday season this year. DS saw all three sets of grandparents (hey, divorce can actually extend families!), which was really nice.

I must admit having everyone here made me realize that hosting so many can be just as much work as taking a trip. It was a lot of fun, though. I especially enjoyed sitting down to play games with everyone.

At times, I felt a little sad, as I guess I am still recovering from the miscarriage and probably will be for a while. I can be surrounded by people and suddenly feel very empty and alone. Some people seem to avoid talking about the miscarriage as if it never happened, but I am a talker, and talking almost always helps.

It was really nice to be able to talk with my mom about it. She was really understanding and was able to tell me about some of her experiences and some related things she found out or suspicions she had out about her mom. It was really great just to share and even to listen. That was therapeutic for me by itself. I was sad to see everyone go, as who wants to get back to work and normal life (getting back into the grind is always slow...still working on that now).

The trip up north to visit DH's family was nice, too, although we got thrown off by the engine light coming on in the car (we found out yesterday that it was just—ha ha!—a $200 valve and not the whole engine) and an unrepairable flat while I was out at the store. DS got spoiled rotten by DH's mom and family as usual (lots of clothes and some trains), but he enjoyed it. He's got enought presents and things to keep him going for a while, although I think the thing he's been enjoying the most is an old deck of cards that DH's mom let him have! ;)