Thanks May - some great suggestions there. And yes, I have definitely decided I need to have a hard boundary around this behaviour and I need to communicate to him what that is during IC. I don't know when the next IC appointment is and if I will be going to it - I hope so - and I plan to check that with him tomorrow.
Otherwise, things have gone well since I last posted. There's not been one bit of unpleasantness of any kind. Both kids had their moments over a busy Christmas period, and I feel like we worked really well together. I also made sure that he got his decompression time. He was very verbally appreciative of my work cooking / hosting / organising and I felt very supportive in that he was encouraging the kids to help me and show some gratitude. He did take some time away for himself, but was also much more 'present' and involved than he was last Christmas.
We are coming up to one year since he moved out. It's been an awful year. I still do feel a bit sad and feel like I want a lot of reassurance and care around the anniversary of him moving out. I don't know if this is the time to take care of my own emotional needs, or tell him what's going on in my head and let him take the chance to get closer to me.
