Well, we made it to Friday, folks, and that means we’ve made it a whole 4+ days without our favorite soldier home with us here. Adjusting to deployment life is hard. You have day one, which is basically shell-shock, then you pull it together and keep trucking along. Somewhere along the way though, the deployment denial starts to waver, and you begin to realize just how long deployment actually is. We’re still firmly planted in the wonderful world of deployment denial for now though. And, after a little bit of an emotional day yesterday due to a nagging cough that turned into bronchitis and a toddler having an epic meltdown, we’re still trucking along.
The key to us really kicking off the deployment is to stay busy. If I have time to sit down and think about it, I’ll wallow. Evenings are hard right now because I haven’t yet embraced the magic that is having control over Netflix and Hulu (sorry, honey…crap TV it is!) When the days are busy though, we can keep that deployment denial going just a little longer and let the reality sink in over time. So, busy is best for us without a doubt. Want to know what’s keeping us busy? Some things are fun, some things aren’t, but hell…that’s real life, right?
// Potty training Porter
A few of my mama friends have reached out to tell me I’m super mom to tackle this while 32 weeks pregnant with a deployed husband. No, my dear friends. This is selfishness. Or self-preservation. Take your pick, but it’s all about me. Look, Porter’s been able to tell me for a while now that he’s done his business in his diaper, and last week he proclaimed (first thing in the morning, mind you), “clean my butt, mommy!” Nope. Done. That was it. We dove in headfirst to 2-ish very messy, very traumatic days of potty training. This week has been much better, and he only had one accident yesterday. So, selfishness for the win!
// Keeping the Danny dog alive
So, here’s the thing. Last time Ryan deployed, Danny jumped out of my car 6 days after Ryan deployed and was hit by a pickup truck in front of our house. It. Was. Awful. I had one toddler in a carseat on the driveway, one still strapped in the car, and I was pulling my broken dog off the street less than a week after deployed. $4,200 later, a broken femur and fractured pelvis later, Danny was on the mend. But here’s the thing. I’m terrified of this BS happening again. So, for now, this pooch gets lots of playdates at the dog park, thank you very much.
// Looking at houses
Ahhh yes, my friends, the housing saga continues. You may remember I mentioned how we were 23rd on the list as of last week. Well, we got a call the day Ryan left to inform us a house was available for a March 5th move-in. We turned it down even though we wanted it. Until then, I’m scouring homes, hoping another house comes available in the right timeframe, and just shrugging. What can ya do?!
// Enjoying sun-filled days
I don’t want to jinx it, but we’ve had blue skies lately, and it’s been heaven. I think if the weather were worse, the week would’ve been much harder to bear. Instead, the boys and I have stayed busy and active, working hard to soak up as much sunshine as we can while it lasts. From playground days to bike rides down the road, we’re doing it all. And let’s be honest, these boys never want a moment of downtime, so we never stop moving.
Deployment denial is real, folks. It ebbs and flows, as do the good and bad moments of deployment, as a whole. It’s been a year since we’ve had to deal with this, and I know a lot of friends back at Drum are about to embark on this journey again, too. Solidarity, friends. It’s not an easy little life we chose, but dang, if it isn’t worth it.
