Half Way Done. seriously?

I am wowed and disappointed by the half way mark of this deployment.



Wowed because, hey, we survived 6 months, we must be able to survive the rest, right? His leaving still feels fresh and painful, so that must mean it hasn't been that long. AND things seem to be getting a little better with Nora.



Disappointed by the obvious. It feels like it has been forever. Nora has changed SOOOO much since he left and he still has 6 more months of her growing and changing to miss out on.



Of course, there is always a silver lining, even if it is a little tarnished sometimes. Ours is of course, Nora's improvement. We had a really bad month and a half, almost two months, and now she seems to be doing a lot better. We haven't had the night terrors for a while, and not as many random crying fits.



The best advancement that comes with this halfway mark is the addition of skype into our communication routine with Phil! So far we have been able to see him twice and it is absolutely the greatest blessing of the entire deployment so far. Nora has been over the moon about the fact that, "I talk Daddy on Mommy's 'pewter". I really think that seeing him and talking to him and getting to interact with him has helped her so much! It has certainly helped me.



We are coming up on the home stretch for all of this. We are approximately 1 month (hopefully a little less) from R&R-14 days of fun with Phil. The next month we will have Thanksgiving at my sister Terry's house to look forward to. The next month 2 weeks in Clarkston for my mom's winter break. The next month Nora's 3rd (I can't believe it) birthday. And only February and March left to survive alone. I am sure I can find ways to fill those :)



The summer has been long and lonely without Phil, but with so much action this winter I know the time will pass faster. HALFWAY DONE!