It's been a while!

Well here we are going through another deployment. Eric was home for a year. It still amazes me how quickly that year went. We got pregnant (planned), and had a baby and 3 months later he left for another deployment. Luckily this one is much shorter. It was a bit harder seeing him say by to two kids this time around. Conner is older, but still doesn't completely understand it. I was sad that he is missing so much of Carter being a baby, he'll be about 9 months when Eric gets home and Carter turned 3 months shortly after Eric left.

Tomorrow marks a month into this deployment already, which honestly amazes me. The first few weeks were really rough. Dealing with my own sadness, while helping Conner cope with his. Dealing with everyday life and taking on everything that Eric use to help with on my own. We are finally into a routine and all doing much better. I have coped really well with this deployment, really have no other choice. I've been trying to do things to keep Conner busy and help our days go by quicker. We have our good days, and our bad days.

We've been trying to go home to visit, but I just haven't had it in me to want to travel with two kids by myself. A lot of people don't understand because THEY aren't the ones going through it, I am. Dealing with a 3 year old full of energy and a 3 month old who needs me every second. It would be tough. I do want to get home to meet my friends baby, so we'll see. I may just wait until May.

This deployment also seems a bit more tough because of Eric's location. Knowing he is in Afghanistan. It's hard. I try not to think about it to much but it still creeps into my mind. I don't think a lot of people understand how much that makes it tougher. Worrying about his safety. Especially since I don't talk to him everyday, it makes you wonder if he is okay. I felt a lot of support in the beginning, but people have all faded away. People who aren't Military just don't understand that it doesn't get any easier on us, we just learn to manage it better once the newness has worn off. I should be use to it by now, and I don't want peoples pitty but sometimes just knowing someone is thinking of you helps. I see some women post how they get "thinking of you cards" with a little gift just so they know their friends care and are thinking of them. I don't need things, but feeling support would help a lot more. I have found that I have been keeping my emotions bottled up a lot. It makes it harder on me since I end up taking it out on Conner and he doesn't deserve that. It will get better though. I just have to deal with things on my own.

So all in all we are here.. And surviving!

UT 1 Bayer!

Eric called me this morning around 2 am and he said "Babe, I'm a first class!". I was so excited and happy I woke right up (and was up for 3 hours after lol). I said Congratulations babe!

It's an honor that he is a 1st class. He missed the last test by 2 points, but he was promoted to 1st Class by the Command because of all his hard work. He has spent all of deployment doing a 1st classes job so he really deserves this. He has worked so hard this deployment and really turned around. While we were stationed in Spain he hit a funk because they didn't do anything and a lot of people thought he was a crappy person, but in reality he just was bored.

He'll start getting paid right away for 1st class. I can't even put into words how excited and happy I am. I am so proud of him!

It's almost time!

The time has come.. Eric is almost home! I can not believe we have been through 10 months already. Sometimes it felt like time was going so slow but now that it's here it's amazing! This year has flown by. I just can't wait to see what 2011 has in store for my Family. We'll have the whole year to be together. It'll be amazing.

Eric is waiting to find out if he is going to get a cap. Which means he'll automatically be a 1st class. It'll be awesome for him, and a nice pay raise. ;) We should find out this coming week sometime. So we'll see. Everyone keeps telling him to get a uniform with 1st class crows on it so it may be a good sign. But we aren't holding out breath because they have been telling him this all deployment.

I just got a call today saying the date they are coming home is a little late then I was hoping for. Only a few days but at this point a few days feels like forever. I just want him home. I can't wait!

So we're just getting the house ready and waiting out the days until our Hero is home. We are all so excited we can't stand it!

Just like Daddy

Conner dressed up like Daddy for Halloween 2010

Final month!

So November is the last full month without our Hero! I can't even put into words how excited we are all getting! October flew by, and I am sure this month will to since we have so much to do to get ready and drive down to Mississippi. I want to order a shirt for Conner to wear and get our home made signs made. I have the banner to hang on our house if we have one when we get down there. It's going to be amazing.

I know Eric, and all the other guys are getting so antsy. I can't imagine how they are feeling, since I am super excited and they are excited about not only coming home to their Families but to America! 10 months is far to long! I hope we never have to do one this long again.

It's been great being home, but it's time to be a Family again and start our new life for the next year or so. We'll be down in MS for a few weeks then come home for a couple of weeks for Christmas and then head back down. We will be back up here in July for my friends Wedding.

Soo wooooo hoooo Eric will be home soon!!

Remembering Daddy

It amazes me how much my 2 year old remembers Daddy. When Eric left, Conner was 3 months away from being 2. Eric came home on emergency leave in April, and even then Conner went right back into Daddy mode. He wanted to play with him, and be with him the whole time. That was 6 months ago. He will point to things and remember Daddy. He always points to his picture and says Daddy. He also loves his Daddy bear and sleeps next to him every night. Daddy bear even has his own blankie. Conner will talk to him on the phone, and knows there are video's of Daddy on the video camera.

At the beginning of deployment it was my biggest fear that he would forget Daddy. I wanted Conner to remember him so he can feel the excitement that I will the day we go to pick up Daddy. When he lays his eyes on him I can't wait for him to run up to him, calling his name and jumping into his arms. I know it may not be like that because, yes he knows who he is but Conner might be a little distant because he's been gone so long.

What happened today to bring this post about.. I was getting Conner dressed for his nap.. I put one of his old wife beaters on from last year because it's a little warm in the house. As soon as I put it on Conner said "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!". It melted my heart that he remembered that Daddy wears the same shirts. After 8 months of being apart he remembers that. It's not like we have pictures of Eric in wife beaters, it was just from his memory. To me that is amazing.

It's amazing how much kids do truly remember things. Conner has his Daddy's memory. They both remember the weirdest things. I love that about them.


On another note we ordered a Welcome Home sign for Eric today. If we have our house before he gets him it will be hanging on the garage. I can't wait!

2 months to go!

We have two more months until our Hero's return! Things are finally being put into motion so it is seeming so much more real!

The plan is I'll be heading down to Mississippi the beginning of December. I'll probably leave Ohio on the 1st or 2nd, maybe even the very end of November. Right now I am driving alone so I am kind of nervous about it, but we'll be making the drive in a few days so I can stop before dark and stuff. I am totally not an independent person, so we'll see how that goes. Not to mention having to drive, and take care of a 2 year old solo. I really hope he'll sleep a lot. I also want to get a DVD player and hope that maybe some movies will keep him occupied.

After I get down there I'll be getting our house, which is on base. I am hoping to have our stuff moved in, and all ready for when Eric gets home. This is also exciting because I can get a banner and hang up on our new house for when we pick him up. It'll be so awesome. We plan on paying someone to move our things out of storage, and deliver them to our house. It's a much further drive from our storage unit and base so this would be much easier, and faster. Then I will accomplish as much unpacking and organizing as I can before Eric gets there. This is also good because we don't leave leaving until the 16th so we'll have a home to stay at, and to come home to after Christmas.

We'll be taking Christmas leave, flying out of MS on the 16th and we'll be driving back with all of our stuff that is left here. Which will be another 2 day trip. I'm hoping Eric won't want to leave on the 26th because one of his Christmas presents are Browns tickets, which are for the 26th. I'm hoping we can just leave on the 27th. It's going to be a long month, but well worth it! I can't wait to have our Hero home and finally be back together again. I'll miss my Parent's so much, but we are lucky to have had this 10 months together. Especially for Conner.

Also Eric is still in Africa. Kind of looks like he may be there for the rest of deployment. They are staying pretty busy trying to get the fence done, but he still sounds in good spirits. Knowing 2 months is all they have to go probably helps. I can't wait!