My 1st Deployment..

[Kira]

..is days away. Ugh sucks knowing that sooner than later he's going to be gone. All these briefings and fair's really put you in the dumps, they should be banned..lol. I'm definitely going to try and stay busy but with Donovan starting K I'm going to be soooo lonely with just me and Gabe around. I foresee a lot of days I stop by the school to having lunch with him. Another part of me just wants to get the show on the road, there are a few goals I have set like finish school, read some books I've been dying to read, lose weight, etc..
Well anyways I just wanted to say Thank You in advance you ladies are truly amazing!!

[hlynnw]

I have yet to go through a deployment yet. Looks like we might be getting our first in only a few months. My heart goes out to you and your husband for this journey. I would be acting the same way if I was in your shoes right now. But you have the right mind set! You're looking forward on how to pass your time. Don't just sit around and be sad. Take each day as it comes, and reach your goals-- it will make you happier and him more proud of you with you are dealing with the distance.

You & your hubby are in my prayers!

[Erin]

Aww sweetie, we'll be here for you!!

All those predeployment activities were the worst, ugh!!

[snwalways41903]

hun im here for you. you can do this. if you want ill give ya my messenger, number anything ya need, you can call or text or chat on messenger. you have 100% support. i know how hard it must be for ya right now, but whenever you are ready im here. hugs!! get yourself into a tight schedule and stick to it. with the kids make every friday popcorn movie night. or do something fun every friday night. thats how i did with my boys it made the time go fast knowing i had something planned for each week. have the boys paint pictures for daddy. take a picture everyday that he's gone and put them in an album so he can see just how much the kids have grown. go to the gym and put the boys in the daycare there. for an hour to keep your sanity and still get a break. plan a trip home to see family every couple months so you have something to look forward to and plan for. im gonna be going through it in about 6months.. so we can lean on each other. if u have a group of friends, get them together once a week for cards. we did that when william was deployed. every wednesday the kids ran wild in the back yard and we all played cards till midnight. keep a journal so that every night you can jot down your thoughts before bed, clear your head and wake up fresh. when he gets back he will see just how much you missed him. best of luck to you hun. you and him are in my prayers till he is home safe. hugs!!

[Meredith]

Awe Kira!!

:bighug:

I honestly thing the predeployment jitters are the worst. All the crap and the "sense of impending doom". It just all seems to take forever. Enjoy the time you have left, take lots of pictures, hug and kiss him more often then normal!! Your plans to stay busy will help, we all know the lonely feeling and we'll be here for you along the way!! If you need/want to talk IM me :)

Hang in there girl! You can do this!! You're stronger than you think!

[Katie]

I agree Pre-deployment briefs are the pits... They always made me want to stand up and shout, WTF people? Do you not know how hard this is already???

Girl we are all here for you! I 100% agree with Sherry, That is how Darcie and I survived, we planned activities on certain nights, one night was pizza night, we had board game night, popcorn & movie night, nights where we all slept on sleeping bags w/ flashlights in the livingroom like we were camping and told stories, we did crafts all the time (even though I'm awful at being crafty it was fun)

Mostly.... we were honest about our feelings... I know it's everyone's own choice... but once in a while I was honest (in an age approp way) with my kids that I missed my hubs to open up the door for them to know it was ok to talk to me about their feelings...

I also agree that making time for yourself is super important, even if it is just a few minutes find a way to keep your mind from getting overwhelmed ;)

HUGS!!! Always remember we are here!

[MrsJoey]

aw girl, deployments suck- i know they do! i did the same thing: made plans to stay BUSY. that is SO the key to getting through a deployment. it sounds like you have a lot of great goals set for yourself-and of course you always have MTMH!
I agree with mere- hug and kiss him like crazy, take tons of pics, ect- enjoy it! and like sherry said: friday night popcorn movie night! make as many 'fun' themed days as you can, and set small goals for yourself throughout-itll make it quicker.

hang in there! we're here for you!

[Kira]

Thanks Ladies!

Donovan is playing soccer as well so that will keep us busy for a little while and hopefully I can get Gabe into part day pre-k 2 or 3 days a week so I can have time for me as well to go to the gym, groceries, etc..

Sherry, thanks for the ideas. I think I'll definitely take the idea for the boys to have a special night. I love that idea!
Katie, I agree I am 100% honest with the boys. My MIL wasn't so thrilled about how honest I was with them maybe I have a different outlook cause my dad passed when I was young but I think being honest with them and letting them know their feelings are normal is ok.

[Katie]

Kira,
I think your right, I don't see it as healthy trying to hide feelings, I think it just condones our children to bottle things up... especially raising little men.. I mean I didn't use them as my sound board or anything, but we would talk about how we were feeling so they would know it was ok to have a bad day, or to feel frustrated, or sad, or anxious, or confuzed... or it was ok to be happy when he was gone, that we didn't always have to be sad. I think it is a personal choice what people decide to share with their kids and neither way is right or wrong. I chose to be honest with mine as long as it's age approp I don't see a prob with it. I think you do what feels right in your heart. Kira your a great Mom and a great Wife, your going to do just fine while he is deployed, I have 100% confidence that you can do this!!! Remember that we are ALWAYS all here for you ALWAYS! We ARE the MTMH Mafia ;)

[Kira]

Awwe Thanks Katie!

[KristiMarie]

Kara girl we can be mopy together. JM and I got a slap in the face the other day after just getting back in May he deployes before Aug is over for a year but this time to afganastain. Its rough, but we will both get through it!

[Kira]

((HUGS)) Kristi, I can't even imagine. I'm already freaking out it's coming so fast.

[armywife08]

Kira just email me or I can give you my yahoo and we can IM each other and since I am here all of the time we can get together again. I'm going through my first deployment also but its half way over we hit the 6 month mark and having r&r shortly but if you ever need anything just shoot me a message and we can talk or plan a get together. hugs

[Kira]

Ok will do! I'd love to hang out again!

[Kira]

OMG this sucks..lol. WOW you really don't know what to expect until it happens. I feel like my heart was ripped out my chest, like we were breaking up or something...lol. Plus I just sent Donovan for his first day so it's only me and Gabe :0(
Man I really thought it was going to be easier than this.

[colleen]

Hugs Kira....I know it's a horrible feeling, but it will get better. You are strong willed and will be able to survive it, with friends and family help of course! I hope this year flies by for you! Anytime you need to vent you know we're all hear to listen. These first few days are the worst. More hugs for you and the kids!!

[BrooklynDB]

I'm with you, Kira. John left Friday. Chassidy started her first day of pre-k Monday and it's just me and the pets all day. It really sucks.

[Kira]

((HUGS)) I know the feeling! I still have Gabe but everyday it sucks. I heard it gets better, I'm still waiting..lol.