Once again, I can take a deep breath—my husband is home! He was only gone 118 days this time (that’s four months), but it truly felt much, much longer than that. This
deployment was easily the hardest and one of the most trying four
months of my life. Not every day was difficult, of course, but I grew and learned a lot in the past several months.
The first couple months were absolutely miserable and
I found myself at my breaking point over and over again. I was in my
first trimester, so I was sick all the time and beyond exhausted, and I was
dealing with a toddler who missed her papa, was weaning, teething, and
transitioning to one nap. It was rough—rougher than rough.
But over time
I grew to really appreciate my time with Julia; I realized that this
time would truly be our only time together, just the two of us for a very, very long time.
The day and time for his estimated arrival were completely up in the air, of course, and I juggled between preparing myself for possibly three more weeks of solo parenting. Three weeks, in the long run, isn’t much, but when that light at the end of a tunnel get smaller instead of larger, it’s a big setback. Luckily, it ended up being much less than three weeks before he came home.
This homecoming was different than any of the others we’ve experienced in pretty much every aspect, and to be honest, it upset me. Only around a dozen airmen returned home at his particular time, and we (myself, my daughter, and our photographer) were the only welcome committee there. No other families and no other signs; we were literally the only people waiting for the bus to arrive. And that broke my heart. My husband’s squadron deploys a lot and very often, but that’s no excuse to not make every homecoming special. After I have this baby I’m going try to make a difference here and hopefully change the way things happen. But now I’m going off on a completely different tangent. The point is, he’s home, and that is awesome!
We were extremely curious to see how Julia would react. She’s grown so much in four months, but would she get excited or scared when she saw him? Luckily, she was very happy, knew exactly who he was, and gave him a hug and a kiss right away. My husband also bought her a little stuffed dog to help break the ice, and that was a huge hit.
It’s so nice knowing my family is whole again, and it’s been wonderful just being together again.
*All photos courtesy of DreamLight Photography
Jess Beer says
11.10.2014 at 1:20 pmSo happy he's home safe and sound! <3
Bailie @ The Hemborg Wife says
11.10.2014 at 1:37 pmOk your posts should all have a disclaimer to get out a tissue! So happy for you to be all together again!
Vanessa says
11.10.2014 at 3:37 pmYay for having him home!!! But boo on there being no one else there. :/ I've always tried to make homecomings super special, even if he's only coming home from a 2 week training course, because any time apart is rough when littles are involved. Plus, making welcome home signs is a great craft for kids on those afternoons when you're at your wit's end 😉
Janelle Vannice says
11.10.2014 at 4:03 pmSo glad your family is whole again! Yay! 🙂
Girl In Beta says
11.10.2014 at 5:49 pmWhen I saw these photos, I actually thought your hubby was the only one on the bus.
The fact that he wasn't breaks my heart too. That's no way to welcome anyone home from serving our country, especially on a military base.
Anyway, I'm glad he's back safe, and your family is complete once again. Hoping you get some rest now that he's home.
Malia Lilinoe says
11.11.2014 at 2:54 amThat's so sad to here that there wasn't a bigger welcome committee, but I'm happy for you! Homecomings are always a special moment, no matter how long they are gone! Enjoy your family time 🙂
Callie Glorioso-Mays says
11.11.2014 at 4:08 amYay!!! These are great pictures of a great day! p.s. Love your husband's idea of bringing a stuffed animal home to help Julia warm up – I'm storing that away for later!
Tsoniki Crazy Bull says
11.11.2014 at 1:01 pmYay! Happy he's home! Too bad there were not more people there though maybe they had family at home waiting for them or they were jumping on a plane to go visit someone. 🙂
Carolann says
11.12.2014 at 5:50 pmIt makes me so happy to see your husband is home, and I love the pictures. <3
marielazs says
11.13.2014 at 12:13 pmThis made me cry happy tears 🙂 I have a daughter the same age as yours, so I can relate. Also, you look so pretty, definitely glowing!
Brita Long says
11.13.2014 at 9:21 pmI get really emotional when I'm sick (I cried like six times during The Princess Diaries 2 last night, okay?), so this story made me cry. Happy tears because your family is so dear, and I'm so glad your husband is home. Sad tears because yes, every homecoming should be special.
Fran says
11.13.2014 at 9:32 pmYay for having him home! I love the picture of him looking at your baby bump — so lame that you guys were the only ones there! that's just so sad 🙁
Kristen says
11.18.2014 at 11:26 amYay, yay, and yay! So happy your hubs is back home with you!!!
Crazy Shenanigans-JMO says
11.22.2014 at 8:48 pmYay! Congrats!