"The First 24"

It's almost a surreal experience. The months leading up to deployment seemed to pass by very slowly. We both got to the point where we just wanted the day to hurry up and get here. Then it got here and we could barely recall where all the time went between finding out about the deployment and the farewell kiss. Now it's just me and a little girl who I honestly think my wife injected with Red Bull and Pixy Stix as a prank before getting on the airplane! I forgot how difficult parenting can be when you can't say "go see your mother"!

So here we go. I know this isn't going to be an easy road to travel. But I’m up for the challenge! 

They say you'll learn a lot about yourself during deployment. Well, here are 10 things I learned in the first 24 hours:

1. There are crickets in the attic. It’s amazing the things you notice when the house is so quiet. They are so loud it feels like we’re camping.
2. I can surf the internet for 2 hours straight without accomplishing anything of significance.
3. Our 3 year old daughter can hold her pee for about 15 minutes if we’re in Wal-Mart; but with an iPad loaded with Dora the Explorer episodes, this time is easily tripled!
4. Letting your toddler sleep in the bed with you is supposed to be so you can help them sleep better, but sometimes it’s the other way around. Honestly, neither one of else felt much like sleeping, so we watched cartoons all night.  But when we did fall asleep, it almost felt like my wife was still here with the baby hogging the covers and kicking me in her sleep!
5. No matter how many times you watch a Sesame Street deployment DVD, try to explain that mommy is leaving, and do all you can to prepare your child for this time, there will still be plenty of tears and questions about when mommy is coming home.
6. I never thought I’d own anything with “Proud Army Husband” on it….that is, until my wife gave me one last kiss and a dog tag with an engraved message on the back of it that would make even the toughest man wear it with pride!
7. If it was up to me and my daughter, we could probably survive a year on peanut butter & jelly sandwiches or cereal! I’ll start with the healthy stuff tomorrow and make the wife happy!
8. Living in a digital age, it’s hard not to express how you feel about your spouse leaving via social media when you know you have to exercise OPSEC (Operations Security) and not give away information about troop movement (You’d be surprised by the number of people that go straight home from saying goodbye and post pictures online along with updates about their spouse’s travel to their deployment destination). 
9. Setting up a play date for the day after is a smart move. Our daughter had a blast playing with her friend and it took her mind off of everything, at least temporarily.
10. The urge to sulk in the house starts early. Get up and do something! I mapped out my plans for the week and went to the gym while my daughter was on her play date. Nothing lifts the mood like the endorphins triggered by working out.