Heatwaves and Homecomings

This past week Connecticut had a bit of a heatwave, with four days in a row mostly in the 90s. Now, being from Texas such temperatures should not phase me, but in Texas people live in air conditioned houses, they don't have to just sit and bake amidst a puddle of prickly sweat. I was never pregnant in the heat before either, which might be another factor, but regardless, I was so very grateful when the weather took a turn for the cooler on Wednesday last week.

Before it was all over though, I got our patio area rigged out for Reuben to play outside where it was cooler. I installed a hinged baby gate and filled up a little $6 kiddie pool with about two inches of water. Since he discovered the great outdoors, he was often to be found clawing at the door to go out and play...and now he finally can.

This Thursday (which happens to be Jeremy's birthday) I drive down to Fort Dix, NJ to pick up Jeremy at 3:00p.m. for four days of leave time. He has to be back by 10:00pm on Monday, and they should be flying out to Kuwait July 2, then traveling to their new base near Baghdad by convoy.

It would be impossible to describe the cacophony of emotions rushing through me right now. I'm desperately looking forward to seeing Jeremy again, and to him seeing Reuben - who has learned so many things since the last time Jeremy saw him. Will Reuben remember his Daddy and just pick up where he left off as though Daddy had never been gone? How on earth will I manage to joyously embrace every moment we have together with that constant anticipation of an all too eminent goodbye just hours away. Pregnancy hormones are raging, and they certainly don't help at a time like this!

In the mean time, there are so many things I'm busily finishing and preparing before Jeremy's all too brief homecoming. It's rather encouraging to look back over the past three months Jeremy has been mobilizing at Fort Dix and see just how many things I've done and projects that I've completed. The time has been well spent, and that leaves me hopeful that I can use the rest of this year+ apart in a useful, meaningful, and productive manner.