It’s been a little over a week since Matt left, with Ben and I truly on our own. And the more time that goes by, the easier it gets.
One of the hardest things about the training work-ups and then the actual deployment this time around was that there was a very short amount of time between when Matt got home from training and when he left for deployment — less than two weeks. But the upside of that, now that he’s gone, is that Ben and I have been able to pretty easily settle right back into our routine without much fuss.
I worried that Ben would be stressed or upset …
Now that Matt is gone for his actual deployment, it’s time to start doing everything I can to make sure that Ben remembers his dad when he comes home. But how do you make a nine-month-old remember someone when they’re gone for months and months on end?
Ben’s got a Daddy Doll already, which he sleeps with every night. I’ve got videos of Ben and Matt together, as well as more pictures than I can count. Hopefully, we’ll also be able to Skype over the deployment occasionally, and Ben can see and talk to his dad. But will it be enough?
I have this almost-nightmare that we’ll get to the homecoming …
All the months of training have finally culminated in the event that could not be avoided: deployment. Matt left yesterday, and it’s the real thing this time. No coming home in a month for us.
We ended up waiting around five hours to see him off because we had to be there early so he could get some work done. Ben did remarkably well considering he usually gets a nap in the morning, and didn’t get really get to sleep at all yesterday. He had a little episode where he wouldn’t stop crying because he was so exhausted. But after a little while he snapped out of it, and went back …
Ever since Ben was born, he was a total momma’s boy. He has always been, for the most part, attached to my hip. He loves his dad, but if it ever was between Daddy and Mommy, Mommy always won. I was the number one person in Ben’s life, hands down, no contest.
When Matt came home from training, it understandably took Ben a day or two to adjust to having his dad around again. But after that period of adjustment? Suddenly, Mommy no longer mattered.
If I left the room, Ben could care less. If Matt left the room, however, Ben would start bawling — even if I was there with …
As every military spouse knows, spending the holidays — or any important days — together is not something that you should count on. Matt missed Thanksgiving, his birthday, Christmas, New Year’s, and Valentine’s Day last year, and almost missed Ben’s birth. This year, he missed Thanksgiving and his birthday. He won’t be here for Valentine’s Day, for our anniversary, for Ben’s first birthday, or the birth of our second son. When you have to miss all of these holidays, being able to spend one together is a rare blessing that you have to take advantage of.
We decided to have a relatively low-key day just lounging around the house in our …
Once again, Ben has been reunited with his daddy! After almost eight weeks away, Matt’s home from predeployment training in California.
When Matt was finally released to leave, it was almost 9:30 at night. Ben was exhausted and it was very cold outside, so I had decided to just turn the car on, crank up the heat, and leave him in the car seat, where he passed out almost immediately. But Matt had to load all of his gear into the van, and when he opened up the back gate, the lights and noise woke Ben up.
He was OK at first, but once Matt saw that he was awake, he immediately …
