Game On

Since September, my weekend warrior (MWW from here on out) has been driving the two hours to go to drill for one weekend a month. In October, he found another WW who lives nearby-ish to carpool with him, so they split the driving and the gas. Her friendship has been a real blessing to our family, a real reflection on what type of people the Guard JAG program attracts.

Back on the homefront, I think we have adjusted pretty well. Some weekends it was survival mode, and others we cruised right on by. I'm pretty sure I skipped church one Sunday because it was overwhelming to get the kids up, bathed, and dressed by myself. Another Saturday I had to miss my friend's baby shower because leaving the kids with a sitter would be challenging at best. I missed out on a "no children" dinner invitation last night because I couldn't find a sitter, but frankly didn't want to go by myself. If I'm going to pay a sitter, I'm going to get to spend some time with my husband. None of those things are necessarily because of the NG, but the single parenting thing is a challenge on those weekends.

MWW joined the National Guard when the baby was a week old. Can you imagine how overwhelming that was to think about being left alone with my little one and my new toddler? It's not quite as daunting now, five months later. These adjustments over the last few months have mostly had to do with parenting two children, rather than just one, more than having a spouse gone for one weekend a month. It's just harder. Not impossible, but harder. I have two children under the age of two. Would it be easier if the kids were older? Who knows?

But it's about to get more challenging.

When he reported for drill this weekend, it was confirmed that MWW is leaving to go to his training (JAOBC) in four weeks. He will then be gone for 13.5 weeks, from the beginning of February to the beginning of May. I will be a single parent and a working mom. I HAVE to be organized. I HAVE to get my junk together in order to survive that adventure. I've been preparing since October on the off-chance that the government would get its own act together and send him to training with the rest of the lawyers who are scheduled to go. So it begins.

Game on.