Does look to be a seedling Japanese maple, Acer palmatum. Seed grown trees can - but not necessarily - resemble the parent tree. Any named forms are propagated asexually with any seed grown trees just a generic species JM.

Too small and too cold to keep outside in a pot over winter but also will be too warm just kept in the house. Find somewhere that stays cold but above freezing.....perhaps an unheated garage? If no space like this available, then sink the pot it is in into the ground and then mulch around it, keeping the mulch away from the little trunk.

where are you.. big city name .. and is the location different from where the momma was???

it is not a houseplant ...

it would same zone appropriate as momma ... and it should be outdoors.. in the ground.. like momma ...

it is a tree... not a child.. it should not need to be protected from the outside ... so put it out there ..

dont mess with a pot ... if you want to repot it in spring.. thats a different story and we can deal with it then ...

all deciduous trees lose there leaves.. its what the name means ... age is not a variable ...

and yes ... when you plant something that small.. my joke used to be.. it it needs a 4 foot orange stake .. for no other reason.. so you wont step on it ... it was always my fear with kids and snow cover.. that they would tromp on them all.. the rule was .. on our 5 acres.. just dont go within 2 feet of a stake.. crikey.. you have 4.999999 other acres to play on.. just step away from the stake ...

i dont quite understand that second pic .. gob of dirt.. thick stick.. small stem with leaves .. laying in a plastic bag ... indoors .... if i understood it a bit better.. i might be able to offer more advise ...

if you treat it like the tree it is.. and not baby it to death.. you should have very high odds of success ...

and dont worry about losing its leaves.. thats what they do in decemeber ...

ken

check this out about how to plant a tree: https://sites.google.com/site/tnarboretum/Home/planting-a-tree-or-shrub

Williamsburg VA is a good reference point for my new location, and not that far from mama tree. I have an unheated attached garage I could put it in. It will be okay in there without light? Or if outside, winters here aren't too bad but we usually get a week or so in the 20s.

The second picture is my now pathetic looking seedling. But seems the opinion is that it's alive! It's in there with the same chunk of dirt and sticks I took out of the ground with the shovel. Was going to pot it more properly today, but then again I wasn't quite sure it was still living. It would really be great if I could keep this little tree, sort of a sentimental thing for me. Will definitely put a stake next to it so it doesn't get stepped on!

Given your location, you could possibly plant out now. But the second half of December is not a great time for planting anything unless in a frost free zone.

Personally, I'd pot it up and keep in your unheated garage. It needs no light when out of leaf over winter and only enough water to keep the potting soil barely moist.

Awesome, that's what I'll do. Glad it's got a chance. Thanks!

garage will work.. after you pot it properly ... dampen some media ... water it in.. and then dont water it again for maybe the whole winter .. you need to settle the media.. without making it swampy .... another reason you need a good media ...

one trick for keeping media moist .. during winter is to use ice cubes ... that way you dont over saturate the media .... they will gently melt into the media.. and thats good enough

dormant leafless trees dont need light ...

your only concern.. is as soon as it starts warming up.. get it out of the garage.. and on the north side of the house ... you want it to stay dormant as long as possible to avoid it leafing out and getting frosted and then losing the new leaves ... just too much stress ...

keep in mind.. an enclosed garage can be 1 or 2 zones warmer ... so if left in there it will come out of dormancy early.. leaf out.. and then you have leaves that need light ... so you pull it out.. and then one night.. always the coldest night.. you forget.. and it gets zapped ...

6 of this.. half dozen of the other.. but in my sand.. i would just shove that dormant tree in the ground.. and leave ma nature take care of it.. why complicate your life ... its dormant.. and two zones warmer than minimum for it.. it simply wont care if its your version of cold out there ...

and finally.. if ID properly.. and i dont question gal at all on that.. they are good for my z5 ground freeze MI ... z7 VA doesnt have a clue what kind of winter these things can take.. so dont baby it too much ...

ken

"and two zones warmer than minimum for it.. it simply wont care if its your version of cold out there ..."

That may be true in theory....but not necessarily in practice. I would have no argument with that approach if this were September....or October. But soil and weather conditions are far different in late December and if this tree has sentimental value for you, I would not care to risk it. Heck, I can plant year round in my climate and I would still not risk this here with a tiny seedling. And I have a LOT of JM's in my collection!

Good advice Ken, especially hadn't thought about those issues come spring! Will keep all this in mind.

I just knew you guys would have the answers for me :) I went from a house with lots of sun to one that has a lot of shade and different soil, so I feel like I'm going to be learning all over again how to grow things. The first few years in my old house I was here a lot. I'm going to be here a lot again, lol.