And So the Countdown Begins

So John has been gone 3 days, and things have been going well thus far. Well as in, nothing drastic has happened and I haven't been breaking down crying, yet. Haha. I have gotten the bathroom super clean, kept up on dishes, and started going through the ridiculous amount of junk next to our computer. Even went on my first excursion with both kids today! We got our new monitor at Best Buy. And no meltdowns! Woo!

However, today was the first day I have noticed Brooklyn genuinely missing Daddy. She asked me at least 15 times where he was. And was very sad after she had to hang up the phone with him this afternoon after only getting to talk to him for a couple minutes. Tonight she wanted to cuddle with him, but instead was okay with reading the Toy Story book he recorded for them and going to sleep with his old Vennard College ID. She found it on Wednesday next to our bed and has put it in her pocket every day. She says "Daddy's in my pocket!" I explain to her that Daddy is working in the army and won't be home for a very long time, but that only makes her more sad. I just hope she will understand soon, I feel terrible for her.

I am even noticing it with Jake. He went up to the patio door several times tonight saying "Dada!" "Dad!"... and there really is no way to explain to him what is going on. He also seems to be very comforted by reading that Toy Story book. Sits calmly and lets me go through the entire thing. So that is a plus.

I am just counting down the days until I can have another real conversation with him. It has been nice with him being able to have his phone on his down time right now, but his downtime is about 5 minutes tops, and phone calls are never more than 2 minutes. I just can't wait to get his address, and write him a letter. And to get one back and finding out how everything is going, and how he feels about it all. I hate sleeping alone, but am getting more comfortable with it, since I know I have to. Last night it only took about 10 minutes, compared to Wednesday night when it took almost an hour.

It really hit that he is gone for a long time today after I was done at Pump It Up with the kids and Meghan, Addison, and Aaron. I had a lot of fun there, and started calling John on the way home to tell him about it and that I was going to be home a few hours earlier than normal. As the phone started ringing I realized I couldn't just call him and let him know these things, there was no one at home waiting for us to get back.

So for now I am going to keep busy working on projects around the apartment with my music blaring. Watching all my seasons of OTH; and having Criminal Minds on instead of Sports Center. Playing with the kids so that they stay happy. And going to Lifetime, where I can have 2 hours entirely to myself where I can workout for an hour, and spend another full hour in the locker room getting ready!

And I want to thank all of you who are being so awesome and offering help, and just understanding that hanging out for the next few months means hanging out with the kids too, not just me.

On another note, I am super excited for all the things keeping me busy this month! Brooke and I are going to Disney On Ice with my mom, sister, and the girls tomorrow; while Jake gets to spend some one-on-one time with grandpa. Jewelry party next weekend. Scrapbooking for 3 days in 2 weeks while the kids stay with Bruce & Nancy, and then Kaylee is coming for a few days at the end of the month! So a lot of fun events to look forward to :)

And as an update from John, he has said that reception has sucked. Lol. He has gotten about 3 hours of sleep the past 3 days and is beyond exhausted, but found a good guy to buddy up with these past couple days. Also, his basic training officially starts tomorrow, and his graduation is May 12th. I will find out his address some time in the next few days, and will send out an email/message to everyone finding out who would like his address then. He is very much looking forward to basic starting, especially because it means he is done with paperwork for the time being! 

Time to get to bed and prepare for a busy day tomorrow! And hopefully tomorrow night at this time I will be on our brand spankin' new desktop, instead of the crappy laptop! :)


Little Moments

• Brooke praying on her own before bedtime tonight. "Now lay me sleep, pray soul keep, take me night, him morning light" (Her version of the prayer we do every night!) I figure God knows what she means ;-)
• Jake saying "Hi Dada" when I started playing the Toy Story book before he went to bed... Yes I just about cried. 
• Being able to talk to John the past 2 days, I didn't think we would get to talk at all. I get so excited even for just a random "I love you" text during the middle of the day.