Christmas Abbott is giving thanks to family and friends as she celebrates her first Thanksgiving as a mom. The Big Brother alum, who memorably made it to finale night on the 19 th season of the CBS reality show even while recovering from a serious foot injury that left her ineligible to participate in several of the show’s competitions, took to Instagram to share a new photo with her newborn son, Loyal Atticus. In the caption, Abbott thanked her family—both blood-related and chosen— for “stepping up” and helping her through “the most challenging year” of her life.
“I’m most grateful for my family,” the Big Brother star captioned a black and white snap of her and her two-month-old son. “This year my family really showed their strength in stepping up and helping me through the most challenging year of my life. I am forever grateful and humbled by the connections we create through this life by choice and/or circumstance. ”
Abbott sweetly signed her message, “Christmas & Loyal.”
Christmas Abbott’s new post comes after a rollercoaster year for the fitness guru and CBS reality star, and just days after she pleaded not guilty after being arrested and charged with criminal mischief in an incident involving the new girlfriend of the father of her baby.
Last Monday, Abbott entered a plea of “not guilty” in a Florida courtroom, after turning herself in after an alleged incident with her ex-boyfriend Benjamin Bunn’s new girlfriend, according to Us Weekly . The alleged incident occurred when Abbott reportedly confronted Samantha Morse at a Tampa gym when she was eight months pregnant with Loyal. After a heated exchange, the Big Brother star allegedly rammed her Mercedes-Benz SUV into Morse’s car, causing more than $5,000 worth of damage to the victim’s vehicle.
In October, shortly after Loyal’s birth, Bunn told Us that he and Abbott were no longer “romantically involved, and haven’t been since December.” The ex-couple announced the pregnancy in March.
Christmas Abbott has regularly shared her pregnancy journey and postpartum struggles with her fans on social media. Abbott also shared details of her difficult delivery with her fans, revealing that she had an emergency c-section after going through a full labor. The third-place Big Brother finisher is now focusing on raising Loyal as a single mom while slowly getting her pre-pregnancy body back. But Christmas Abbott is also focusing on gratitude as she heads into her first holiday season as a mother.