Daddy is Staying with us

Hubby getting kisses from our baby

Our first full day together: perfect. Gorgeous weather and just relaxing time together as a family of four.

We also have encountered our first post-deployment adjustment issues.

Our 13 month old, Evie, has reintegrated her daddy with hardly a blink, but I can also tell she glad to have him back from all the hugs and kisses she gives.

Then we have our two-year old, Claire, who not only wants to be extra snuggly but clearly is apprehensive about the permanency of her daddy’s return. She repeats a mantra “Daddy is staying with us.” quite often, and is hesitant to go anywhere unless she has been reassured multiple times that Daddy is coming with us. For church yesterday she nervously got dressed and kept stating “Daddy will go to church too.” When we were getting ready for nap time (much the same as it was for bedtime the night before) she asked “Where’s Daddy?” and then would answer herself “Daddy is at home, he isn’t going anywhere.”

So now, I sit here precariously waiting for those little voices to announce my girls are awake. You see, daddy is not home this morning because he had to go in to the base to out process, and I’m not sure how my emotionally charged toddler is going to react to her hero not being here the moment her eyes open. I just have to reassure her by lunch he will be back home and validate her mantra “Daddy is staying with us”.