A.,
You did a fine job making such a tough decision. I can't say that I did any different back in the beginning. Now we are 13yrs later and 2 more children (3 total) and I find that my way of looking at things is a lot different than it was back then. My family lives here and my husband's parents live 8hrs away. It was their choice to move that far away. I can't say that I blame them. They are in SE GA and we are here in VA. It's much warmer down there for them and they love it. And even though my family could see our boys easier and more often than my in-laws, my parents are 10yrs older than my in-laws with many more health conditions too. This wasn't as big a factor 13yrs ago. I have so been down the guilty road and the frustration highway etc...etc....LOL The bottomline is this : you, your husband and your sweet, sweet baby are so very loved by EVERYONE! What a blessing! You can choose to see this as a good thing and rest in knowing that this is your family now...you, your husband and your son. You and your husband can decide what your family traditions are going to be from this Christmas on. How exciting is that?!
For us, we decided we didn't want our kids to be traveling on Christmas day after opening all of their presents. We wanted them to wake up on Christmas morning at home and to enjoy all of their toys, games, books and such right here at home that whole day. So we told our folks that this is what we wanted for our family for Christmas. So we all (my sisters and their families too) go to Mom & Dad's for Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve. We have a big feast, open presents and have a great, happy, stress-free time together. Our boys love it since they get to open some presents before Christmas morning. LOL
My husband has usually had to work the days following Christmas. So we decided that we would spend New Years with his parents in GA. This was so cool when we only had the 1 child. LOL His parents would watch him while my husband and I celebrated New Years together dancing the night away. (This was our only 'date' for the year back then.) Since having the other 2, that got to be too much for Grandma and Grandpa. My husband has since changed jobs and now our fun time with them in GA is the week of July 4th each year. They also come up 2-3 times a year to visit for the boy's brthdays.
I have come to realize that every moment that our children have with our parents is a gift. It's all about making memories. Memories to last a lifetime. You kow, I still remember my Popie (as I called him) coming to visit us at our home on Christmas. It was so much fun having Popie there! He took us to the store and bought us all the candy that our hands could hold. LOL And then we graduated to the Family Dollar store. LOL We could pick out anything that we wanted. We were what now days people would call poor back then so this was such a HUGE deal for my sisters and I. It wasn't about the money he spent on us, it wasn't about the things we bought, it was only about the fact that our Popie loved us so much! And we knew it! With all of our heart, we knew that he loved us!
A., I wish there was a way that I could make all of this easier for you. I know we had some hard times figuring it all out over the years and we still do sometimes too. It's easier to travel with 1 little one than it is traveling with 3 of them. And just when you think you have it all figured out, something will come along and change it. LOL It's called LIFE! LOL Be sure to enjoy this journey it's not a race to the finish line, okay?
May the miracle of Christmas fill your hearts with warmth and love now and forever!
Take Care,
N. :) SAHM homeschooling 3 boys and married to my Mr. Wonderful for 15 yrs. I love to help other moms, who want to become SAHMs, reach that goal!