Can't sleep

It's 12:12 AM (as in past midnight) and I am wide-awake in a non-caffeinated state of surprising alertness. My SBG is snuggled safely in bed. I just finished yet another round of tackling wallpaper removal in the bathroom. Being unemployed has some definite advantages (i.e. trying my hand at much-needed home improvement projects).

My SBG and I were able to Skype with hubby this afternoon. It's always bittersweet when we Skype. I love seeing that he is okay and especially love seeing my daughter's eyes light up at the mere sight of her "hero-daddy". She asked him things like, "How ya doing, Daddy?" as she shyly snuggled her face into the crevice of my neck and shoulder wearing a smile that stretched across her entire face. Nothing is more sweet than that.

It's bitter because I don't want to see him on a computer screen half-way across the world. I want to see him interacting with his daughter here. Which reminds me it was the cutest thing ever as we were talking, my SBG reached her chubby little fingers up to the laptop screen and "held" her daddy's hand as she spoke to him. My heart melted.

But back to the bitter. I'm bitter because I don't understand why he has time to spend hours eating out with his Army friends, but talks for 10 minutes on Skype with me and falls asleep mid-conversation. I have no idea if he is sight-seeing on his down time or if he is working so long each day he goes back to his room and crashes.

I just want, for once, to be first on his long list of priorities. Just once I want to be the one who gets the best of him. I want to see him wide-awake, talkative, laughing. I want to be the one having fun with him.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnn... guess I am getting sleepy finally. Better get to bed, so I can get some sleep before I see those big, blue eyes and bouncing, blonde curls come my way.

good-bye again

Good-byes are never fun, never easy, unless it's saying good-bye to someone I don't care for or saying good-bye to a gray hair as I "wash" it away or maybe saying good-bye to a lingering ache or pain. But saying good-bye to your husband as he leaves again to serve our great country, just seems like cruel and unusual punishment, when he just returned 4 months ago.

I know where he's going and what he's doing and it's not an unsafe place, so it's not that I'm concerned about that. It's the physical separation yet again. Yet again me picking up the pieces for our SBG. Me having to watch as her behavior and attitudes have changed for the worse (and me having an "a-ha" moment, realizing the changes occurred after we mentioned daddy was leaving again). How much separation can a nearly 3-year old, very wise for her age, little girl take? Her daddy has already missed out on more than a year of her "time-is-flying-way-too-fast" life.

I think this gets harder for me as I feel like I am being pushed aside (and our SBG) for things beyond my control. I feel helpless and hopeless when I am left to sort out my feelings on my own. I want my husband to hold me and never let me go before he leaves, but he chooses to turn and run as fast as he can.

So here I am at almost 11PM pecking away at my keyboard trying to make some sense out of his departure and waiting impatiently now for an email to let me know he is safely at this destination. I have been up since 4:45AM when he woke up our SBG (her choice)to tell us good-bye. Other than the 30 minute or so snooze I had while laying in bed with my SBG at bedtime tonight.

Hopefully this too shall pass and quickly. I do need to shake the negative feelings I have, so I can celebrate my birthday tomorrow with friends and Sat. with my mom and of course, my SBG will be here every day.