Hasta Luego

Round 3 has begun for the Pinheiro household. We took daddy to the office to get together the rest of his gear before heading to the gym. Having a little one present in the mix definitely changes things up a bit. Cole and I both found ourselves "bucking up" a bit for Sierra's sake. She was feeling the pressure of the changes for sure as we attempted to take a nap earlier that afternoon only to realize she'd snuck downstairs and colored with permanent marker on the carpet! Ahhhh! (I did manage to get it out by scrubbing it with a toothbrush and some Clorox 2... then shampooing it for about an hour!) We enjoyed some yummy food at Outback and Sierra got a flower balloon for some pre-dinner entertainment. It didn't make it out of daddy's office that night as it kept running into objects that popped it a little bit at a time. The time spent in the office went well as there were several other wives and children around to share the experience with.

When push came to shove and it was time to leave Sierra panicked a bit so she ended up walking daddy (daddy carried her) over to the drop off area. When the real goodbye came Sierra was a mess. Daddy and I had to buck up... Cole had to go deal with some soldier issues and I had to remain calm enough to help Sierra through and drive safely home. She cried the entire way home wanting us to be together as a family. Broke my heart and kept me from focusing on my own sorrow and fears. After watching the stories daddy read, cuddling with her daddy doll, and lots of hugs she was out quick. Now we are working on the frustrations and emotions that manifest themselves and come out in the choices she makes and some of her behaviors.

After a few days of keeping busy tonight was the time to melt... The tears came as it was time to rest and daddy wasn't home... again. After getting her settled down... my tears started to flow. I cannot allow my mind to wonder to the what if's, the could be's, but do know they are there in the back of my mind. Right now it's time to take it a day at a time and a chunk of the deployment at a time. Time to focus on getting a good rhythm down, enjoying our Cali trip this summer and preparing for Weston's arrival.

If you are reading this I do ask that you pray over Cole and his units safety and the perseverance of the families back home.

Preparing to say Hasta Luego at the office.
Ready to go...

Holding on tight to daddy

Reading one last story with daddy.