It begins...

I wasn't going to blog today, but decided I would while Grace watches the Winnie The Pooh special on Valentine's Day. Jasen left the house around 3 p.m. It was every bit as gut-wrenching as we thought it would be. The whole day, beginning last night even, were just not much fun. I think Jasen's been on the verge of a breakdown for a couple of days. He told me the impending separation was like a weight on his chest, almost like a heart attack getting ready to happen. Grace was awake when he left, which made things harder. She and Jasen traded special items to hang onto; he's taken her very first Pooh with him, while she's keeping a handkerchief of his to wipe her eyes with.

It just stinks, there's no other way to put it. Having done this before, we know we'll get through it. But we also know the pain associated with a deployment. Tonight, I felt like Davis could tell something was missing. It might have been me just projecting my feelings, but I swear it was there.

This evening wasn't too bad. Grace is going to be a big help to me with Davis. And she and I are going to get through it. It's going to be harder this time because she's going to be able to voice her emotions. I didn't realize how hard that would be until she kept crying after Jasen left. One day at a time.

Okay, on a lighter note, guess what Grace and I did yesterday, at Jasen's urging? We went and got haircuts. Grace's is precious, although a little shorter than I thought it would be. It's just above her chin in front, and a little shorter in back, so it's poofy back there. It is so cute! I was a little shocked at first, but it's what she wanted, so that makes it perfect. Jasen loved it, too, which made it even better.

And today, Davis took about three steps on his own! Jasen said "Well, we're counting those as his first steps, whether it takes him another six months to take anymore!" So Feb. 10th, Davis took his first steps!!

This week is going to be a crazy one, which will be good. I've got three meetings and Grace's Valentine's Day party at school. It will keep us busy, until the weekend, which I expect will be especially difficult. The weekends are always the hardest, because that's when you really miss the extra hands, the family time, seeing other families together, etc. But we'll be fine.