All visits must come to an end...

Brent made it home Friday night and it was so nice to have him back home for a few days. Saturday morning he got Mallory out of bed and her reaction was priceless. Brent opened the door and she said "Is that Daddy?" She sprung out of bed and clung to him and wouldn't let go. She kept saying "I missed you Daddy." She also asked if he was just home for a visit. It was very eye opening to hear her tell him how much she missed him and that she was sad when he was gone. She rarely tells me those things while he is gone. I guess it showed both of us that the depth of her missing him is just as deep as it is for us. I bawled like a baby seeing her with him. I know in the grand scheme of things this time away from him is short. She knows (and I as well) that it is not forever, but seeing her with him breaks my heart for the goodbye that came too quickly. She sure is a trooper...


We spent all weekend just being a family and it was great. Mallory got to wrestle with her dad and in the first 30 minutes of playing together they went from wrestling, to having a camp out, shopping and then a sleepover. She was just trying to soak up as much daddy time as she could. She did everything her dad asks of her without giving an ounce of backlash. "Mallory lets get dressed." Ok, Daddy! "Mallory let's clean up your toys before we play with something else." Ok, Daddy! As I sit gritting my teeth knowing that she would be fighting me tooth and nail to do the same thing...he laughs. Just wait, I tell him. I give the honeymoon phase 4 days when you come back for good...just wait.


We knew the dog missed Brent as well, but we we were shocked to see just how much. The first night and next day she wouldn't leave Brent's side. She barked and cried and made such a stink when he left to take Mallory out on Saturday. Even the dog deals with distance...


We went out to dinner on Saturday, which was delicious. Cheese fries, steak, salad, potato mmmmm. Sunday we met Brent's family at Perkins and then had a relaxing rest of the day.


I really loved the guilt free time that I got to spend with myself. Brent took Mallory for a few hours each day which gave me some time to just sit and be. I've missed that :) I also quickly realized that this "false reality" would quickly come to an end and we would back to where we were 3 days earlier. Pulling myself up by my bootstraps I have to tell myself that this will quickly come to an end and in 87 days he will be home for good. Mallory and I hope to make a trip to meet Brent in Dallas in 6 weeks or so and then 6 weeks after that he comes home for good. That is manageable right?


We dropped Brent off at the airport this morning. I knew this goodbye would be harder on Mallory than last time as she actually had to watch him walk through the airport doors and realize what "missing Daddy" was all about. We talked to her a lot about this visit ending, daddy going back to Oklahoma to work hard, and then us flying in a plane to see him in a few weeks. She cried almost the entire way home saying "Turn around mommy. I want to go see my daddy." Good lord. How am I going to hold back my own tears and use my quivering voice to tell her its going to be ok? I found a way. I don't know how, but I did. I told her it was ok to be sad and to miss him. I also told her (probably more times than needed) that he wasn't leaving us forever and that he would be back for good in just a few months. "Before the baby?", she asked(He better be) "Yes, before the baby comes." I also told her that when he comes home for good, that her daddy would take her to get a chocolate shake because the weather would be warm by then. It stopped the tears for a few minutes :)


And now we move on, and get through the next 6 weeks. What isn't killing us, is indeed, making us all stronger, even my 3 year old.