We are now back in Virginia settling back into relatively normal life. It's been quite an overwhelming task this week!
Now that things are quieting down I've started to turn my attention to things coming up. This week Phil will spend his birthday overseas and we will miss him so badly. Next month we will celebrate Nathaniel's first birthday without him.
Nathaniel woke a little while ago when I was thinking about all of this and even after he went back to sleep I just had to sit there and hold him a while longer. I have always felt a particular pang in my heart when each of the boys have approached this milestone. It's a turning from a baby to a toddler, an increase in independence and there's no going back. This time, with Phil gone, realizing all he's given up during this first year of Nathaniel's life, the pang is something much more. The solace is that this one major impending milestone will put us that much closer to homecoming when all that was missed can be forgotten while we enjoy the ability to finally be all together again.
