signs of strain

It's been interesting to watch the evolution of Oliver's behavior and how he deals with CD's travel schedule. The older he gets, the more aware he is of his world, the harder it is for him to deal with this sort of disruption. Case in point, he will be in the middle of a happy little baseball game and seemingly out of nowhere he will say to me, "I need a hug. I miss my Daddy." Or "Why is Daddy not at my home?" I love that he can verbalize how he's feeling but it rips my heart in two to see him so sad. Fortunately, he's not somber and depressed for any great length of time. It's just a minute or two here and there.

Eleanor is also letting me know she misses her daddy but it's a bit more subtle. No doubt that will change as she gets older. Tonight we finally had a video chat with him that worked. He's been unable to hear us due to an audio issue with his laptop but for some reason, his wearing headphones seems to solve the problem. Anyway, she lit up like a Christmas tree when she could talk to him.  

Unfortunately, this was day five of a twelve day trip for CD. I think we have enough planned for tomorrow that the day will go quickly, and then we'll be back to school days. Oliver is slated to be "line leader" on Tuesday. He has been talking about it for days. It's a pretty big deal for a three year old. 

Though CD will be missing the 10th anniversary of our first date on Wednesday, I am thrilled that he opted to take a red-eye home. He will be back Saturday morning, the gods of air travel willing. I leave Sunday morning for BlogHer in DC and will no doubt be more than ready for a break.