Save it for Sunday

The Highlights

On Monday I dropped my mom off at the airport to head back to Michigan. I am so thankful to have had her here through the transition of saying goodbye. As if they planned it on purpose, our friends were here visiting that same day from Florida. Lauren became one of my best friends at Fort Campbell. A hug from her after saying goodbye to my mom and spending the day together was just what I needed. The sweetest moment of the day was seeing Harvey bond immediately with her husband Chris. It was like there was some unspoken, mutual understanding that Harvey just needed some guy time.

It is strangely weekends that I dread the most during deployment. Everyone else is absorbed in family time, as they should be. I end up missing our busy routine of school, dance class, swimming, and working out and look forward to Monday's arrival (crazy, I know). I decided to face this first solo Saturday square on and fill it with happiness. The three of us attended our zoo's stroller safari program where we met Matilda the wallaby, fed chickens, played games, and ended with popsicles and a sunny picnic. The kids were such angels and a true joy to be with. I had so many "this is perfect" moments soaking up the spring Colorado sun with them. When I set all of my reservations aside and force us out of the house just the three of us, I always end up surprised by how empowering and satisfying our adventures are.

This will be the tale of an extreme low point that I turned around into a highlight and laughable moment of the week. On Friday morning Harvey said the words no mom wants to hear immediately upon entering his room in the morning. "Mess. Mess. Mama help." SH*T. Literally. Everywhere. He has been blowing out his morning diapers for awhile now, but nothing to this magnitude. He was really flustered too, which only made the situation harder and more heartbreaking to manage. And of course this was all playing out at 7 am when I had plans for all of us to be dressed, fed, packed, and out the door no later than 8 for my workout class, a post office trip, and the kids' swimming lessons. We made it to all three events. On time! I easily could have skipped out on my workout and buried my pity in a pile of poo laundry, but I didn't. Definitely my gold medal moment of the week. Of course I had to take a picture of Harvey to send to Brad. I am thinking I'll just take a mom vacation when he gets home perfectly timed with potty training. Kidding! Sort of.

The Small Moments

Meet Sir Phillip! A little of my crazy cat lady must have worn off on my sweet husband who has befriended a deployment cat buddy. This little guy waits for Brad outside of the gym every day! Yes, he named him. Yes, I already sent a package of cat treats in his first care package. This selfie of them together makes my heart burst.

For whatever reason FaceTime has not been working well for us this time around. Half the time our calls were dropped or the video image didn't come through for one of us. There is nothing more frustrating than poor connections during these times. We decided on a whim to try Facebook's video chat. It is AMAZING! There had to be a military spouse on the development team. The connection is crystal clear, and there are really cute little games that Eloise loves to play with Brad. We are into a routine now where she knows for the first little bit of the call she has to really talk to daddy and fill him in on what she has been up to, and then they get to play the silly games. Hearing them laugh "together" is music to my ears. My friend Ashley snapped the sweetest pictures of us talking to Brad in the middle of dance class on Wednesday. When Dadford calls, no matter where we are or what we are doing, we answer. The rest of the world can wait. Bravo and thank you, Facebook, for helping military families stay connected so beautifully.

We had an equally wonderful wake up before our zoo excursion on Saturday. The kids must have known I needed a happy day. Eloise wanted to "read" to Harvey. They sat in the chair together in Harvey's room and went through a whole stack of books. I loved watching Harvey stay so captivated and hearing Eloise's rendition of some of her favorite board books. Earlier in the week Eloise fell in love with this dumb pig at the pet store. It has the most obnoxious squeaky toy noise. But she started to throw a fit about leaving without it. So I bought it. Because, well, choose your battles. I am so glad that thing came home with us! I laughed until I cried watching Harvey run laps around the kitchen with the pig tucked under his arm. He squeaked/oinked with every step and occasionally said, "excuse me" whenever the pig let out a louder than usual noise. It was hysterical. As all of this was happening, I remembered I had forgetten to give Eloise her thyroid medication. She has to take it first thing upon waking and wait awhile before she can eat breakfast. Of course by the time I remembered the kids were hangry and ready to eat. On my way upstairs to grab her pill, I heard Eloise's little voice say, "It's okay mom. Accidents happen." Be still my heart, and thank you, universe, for a laugh-out-loud Saturday morning.

The Ways We Grew

When we were hanging with Lauren and Chris on Monday Harvey did a big wipe out. He was running to chase a ball and had one of those classic feet slid out from under him in slippery socks moments. As it always is when someone does an epic fall, it was funny but not funny. I knew he was okay, so we were all stifling giggles as I comforted him. Eloise rushed right over to comfort him too, looked Lauren right in the eye and in such a serious tone said, "It is not funny." She was right, it isn't funny when someone gets hurt. But that kind of maturity and compassion from a four-year-old really shocked us all. Man, don't mess with Harvey P...he has one protective big sis watching out for him. In addition to looking out for her favorite little dude, Eloise has been busy perfecting her selfie skills. She gets a bit of iPad time at the end of quiet time every day. The pictures taken on the iPad automatically end up on my phone. I look forward to seeing these gems pop up every night. Such a pleasant little surprise that makes me laugh every time. Here are some of my favorites.

The Witt-isms

"Mom, you are my one true love." -Eloise

"It is a little foggy outside today." -Eloise
"RIBBIT." -Harvey

"You did it, mommy." -Harvey, anytime I do...anything. He said it to me today after I cut up his grilled cheese, when I got his shoes on his feet to play outside, and after retrieving a lost car from under the pantry door. My own personal cheerleader.

Practicing putting her whole face in the water in the bathtub:
"Mom, I dove so deep to the bottom of the sea!" -Eloise
"Awesome! Did you see any fish down there?" -me
"Nope. Just Harvey's booty." -E

Looking Ahead

10 year date-aversary | 5 days --- On March 15, 2009 I agreed to be a certain someone's girlfriend. I wish you could have told me on that day to fast forward a decade and I'd be crushing deployment number two with the two tiny humans we made together. Wouldn't change a thing (but you might have scared the snot out of 20 year old me). I am not sure yet how we will celebrate, but I am looking forward to it nonetheless. 

Easter weekend | 40 days --- My parents just booked their flights to come spend Easter weekend with us! I always love having my dad in town and so do the kids. I can't wait to have them here together for the holiday to see the kids hunt for eggs and bounce off the walls on a chocolate bunny high. Best part though? My mom is staying for FOUR GLORIOUS WEEKS. I cannot wait for her company and help. Every tough day or lonely night right now is eased by the reminder that relief is right (ish) around the corner.