Last night I was sending a quick email to my mother-in-law, and it occurred to me that I've been doing some odd things to prepare for her son's return. It is not always easy for me to switch gears from independent, single gal to considerate wife again. I always want him to come home, but it is sometimes fraught with anxiety and conflict.
I'm sure he gets anxious to be home and anxious about coming home and trying to catch up on the year he missed. His sons have changed some over the year he's been gone, but they are at a slower stage of maturation than his daughter. She will have changed more than anything else. I'm sure he is a little nervous about coming into parenting her after she and I have developed our own ways.
While reintegrating has its challenges, I really do want him to know how happy I am to have him home, so I'm working on making sure this feels like a relaxing haven after his interlude in the armpit of the world. I started yesterday by steam cleaning with my Shark. I cleaned the foyer, some baseboards, the air intake into the A/C. Then I used my new steam carpet cleaner to start working on the carpets. I'm sure he isn't going to be licking the baseboards or worried about the intake grate, but while I've got the time, I want to do it right, make sure that it doesn't just look clean, but is clean.
Today, I went shopping for a couple of hours. With a one year old shopping is not easy, furniture shopping was an extra challenge. I spent an hour bouncing from mattress to mattress trying to find the just perfect combination of plush and firm to meet our sleeping needs. That was not entertaining for the baby. I had already walked around the entire store shopping the bedroom sets, twice. I took the baby home without buying anything because he hadn't emailed me back about the sets. I was afraid to buy something without at least asking him. I figured he probably wouldn't care, but when we spend money, we ask and talk about it.
I raced back to the store this evening after Lil Bit's nap to place the official order so that when he gets home, the bedroom set will be here, installed and ready for him to enjoy. Unless he gets home at the earliest possible date, the bed should be here and I should be able to have it decorated and ready for his first night on a bed that doesn't kill his bad back.
But that isn't really strange. I've spent the last two weeks gradually inching the thermostat up a degree or two every few days. After spending a year in 130 degree heat, he comes home to air conditioning that actually cools the air and freezes. We're all wearing shorts and sweating while he wears sweatshirts and jeans and complains about being cold. It happens every time. I got the idea that warming the house a little at a time might make it so I can be comfortable a bit warmer than I would usually keep it. We're still going to need it cool at night, but hopefully, he will be more comfortable when he gets home than usual.
Maybe these aren't really strange, filling the freezer, stocking up on food and wine, cleaning house, but I haven't done anything halfway. My plan is to prepare so well for his return that he doesn't have to think about a thing for awhile unless he chooses to be busy. He has worried about us, himself, his soldiers, their families, insurgents, people he protects, etc. all day, every day for the past year. He deserves to take some time to mentally relax as much as physically relax.
I think I've thought about almost everything, even if I haven't gotten to the liquor store for margarita fixin's just yet or bought his favorite toiletries. If you think of something special I can do to welcome him home, please let me know. We've already got a big sign from last deployment and are planning on having a bunch of family and friends here to celebrate. We're definitely under a month and may be with in a few short weeks. Doing all these special things for him (whether he will ever even notice) is really for me too. It keeps me busy and from losing my mind with impatience as this deployment winds down.
So going overboard, cleaning past 1 a.m. and shopping all day, etc. are just some of the crazy things army wives do to keep minds busy, hands busy and help the time pass by making sure he has the best Welcome Home ever.
I'm sure he gets anxious to be home and anxious about coming home and trying to catch up on the year he missed. His sons have changed some over the year he's been gone, but they are at a slower stage of maturation than his daughter. She will have changed more than anything else. I'm sure he is a little nervous about coming into parenting her after she and I have developed our own ways.
While reintegrating has its challenges, I really do want him to know how happy I am to have him home, so I'm working on making sure this feels like a relaxing haven after his interlude in the armpit of the world. I started yesterday by steam cleaning with my Shark. I cleaned the foyer, some baseboards, the air intake into the A/C. Then I used my new steam carpet cleaner to start working on the carpets. I'm sure he isn't going to be licking the baseboards or worried about the intake grate, but while I've got the time, I want to do it right, make sure that it doesn't just look clean, but is clean.
Today, I went shopping for a couple of hours. With a one year old shopping is not easy, furniture shopping was an extra challenge. I spent an hour bouncing from mattress to mattress trying to find the just perfect combination of plush and firm to meet our sleeping needs. That was not entertaining for the baby. I had already walked around the entire store shopping the bedroom sets, twice. I took the baby home without buying anything because he hadn't emailed me back about the sets. I was afraid to buy something without at least asking him. I figured he probably wouldn't care, but when we spend money, we ask and talk about it.
I raced back to the store this evening after Lil Bit's nap to place the official order so that when he gets home, the bedroom set will be here, installed and ready for him to enjoy. Unless he gets home at the earliest possible date, the bed should be here and I should be able to have it decorated and ready for his first night on a bed that doesn't kill his bad back.
But that isn't really strange. I've spent the last two weeks gradually inching the thermostat up a degree or two every few days. After spending a year in 130 degree heat, he comes home to air conditioning that actually cools the air and freezes. We're all wearing shorts and sweating while he wears sweatshirts and jeans and complains about being cold. It happens every time. I got the idea that warming the house a little at a time might make it so I can be comfortable a bit warmer than I would usually keep it. We're still going to need it cool at night, but hopefully, he will be more comfortable when he gets home than usual.
Maybe these aren't really strange, filling the freezer, stocking up on food and wine, cleaning house, but I haven't done anything halfway. My plan is to prepare so well for his return that he doesn't have to think about a thing for awhile unless he chooses to be busy. He has worried about us, himself, his soldiers, their families, insurgents, people he protects, etc. all day, every day for the past year. He deserves to take some time to mentally relax as much as physically relax.
I think I've thought about almost everything, even if I haven't gotten to the liquor store for margarita fixin's just yet or bought his favorite toiletries. If you think of something special I can do to welcome him home, please let me know. We've already got a big sign from last deployment and are planning on having a bunch of family and friends here to celebrate. We're definitely under a month and may be with in a few short weeks. Doing all these special things for him (whether he will ever even notice) is really for me too. It keeps me busy and from losing my mind with impatience as this deployment winds down.
So going overboard, cleaning past 1 a.m. and shopping all day, etc. are just some of the crazy things army wives do to keep minds busy, hands busy and help the time pass by making sure he has the best Welcome Home ever.
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