Christmas has come and gone once again, it seems like the time is just flying by. The kids are growing up way too fast.
Our holiday season was filled with happiness, joy, stress, and anxiety.... Just like any other family. We spent our fourth Christmas with Sam out of the hospital, happy that we are able to keep that track record going. The week leading up to Christmas I found myself just waiting for that fever to happen or for his central line site to change for the worse.
This was the first year that Sam really showed any interest in Santa, he was so excited as we stood in line to see him and went right up and started talking to him. Anybody who has ever tried to take a picture of Sam can tell you that it is almost impossible to get him to sit still and smile for a picture, but Santa has the magic touch apparently.
It is hard to imagine that at one point we never believed that Sam would make it to his first Christmas, let alone his fourth. I think because of that our holidays always have that little bit of extra anxiety. We have fought hard to get where we are and Sam is doing well. We have managed to stay employed through the recession. There are several very spectacular people out there who have continued to make it possible for us to take Sam to Boston and receive Omegaven. We have a lot to be thankful for this year.
Even with any extra anxiety that might occur because of Sam, I wouldn't trade away any of it. To see a look of pure excitement and joy on his face makes every minute of every struggle worth it.
Hopefully we can now make it through learning to ride a bike with no broken bones.