Pending Reunion

He's coming. Tomorrow morning.

That's right. There's something strange about this deployment reunion that doesn't quite feel like a.... reunion. It's almost impossible for me to believe that he has actually been gone for 8 months... longer than we have ever been separated before. It doesn't feel that long. I think this has something to do with the fact that he's actually had use of a cell phone over the past several days, so I can actually call him and text him like normal people do... that somehow makes everything seem less deployment-ish and makes our upcoming reunion feel less reunion-ish.

This reunion is just going to be what it's going to be. I really wanted to drive to the airport by myself and have a special greeting between the two of us. You know, one of those where our eyes meet and we both start running and then he picks me up and twirls me around and everyone cries. Unfortunately, though, I won't be running to greet him since at 38 weeks uncomfortably prego I can barely walk, and I have a feeling my ginormous stomach will deter him from the thought of picking me up and twirling me around. The tears are still up-in-the-air, though, but since I mentioned already this reunion doesn't feel very reunion-ish, I'm thinking we will forgo (sp?) the tears. That and the fact that past experience has shown that when we reunite after long separations, I'm usually too busy laughing and smiling to even consider shedding a tear.

Also, I can't drive to the airport by myself to pick him up. Because.... I'm pretty sure I have a broken rib. Ok. so maybe not broken, but it sure feels that way sometimes. At the very least it is very bruised and painful, and I can barely sit in a car for an hour and a half (the length of time it takes to get to the airport) let alone be in control of a vehicle while managing the PAIN. For this reason, my parents are going to be driving me there...

and then when I went out to lunch with Mike's parents for my birthday (which was yesterday, which was awesome. I am 29! so OLD) his mom very casually mentioned that if anyone is going to go with me to the airport to pick up Michael they would like it to be them. BAH. So now my parents, mike's parents, and I will all be at the airport to greet Michael, and as you can see my little fantasy reunion has now crashed and burned into tiny pieces.

which is to be expected, really. If there's anything I've learned about reunions and other such things it's that expectations can really get you into trouble. You will usually be disappointed if you have expectations of how things will go and disappointment + seeing your husband for the first time in 8 months = NO GOOD.

That's why I'm just going with the flow. It will be what it will be and what it will be will be perfect because we will be together again. FINALLY.

and as long as I don't go into labor sometime within the next few hours, then I think it's safe to say that Michael will actually be here for the birth of this baby... which pretty much feels like a miracle at this point.

that's as long as he doesn't oversleep and miss his flight, get attacked by a swarm of bees, stuck in a hurricane, get in a car accident, or any of the other wild things my imagination has managed to come up with in the past week. Worrying is a favorite pasttime of mine.

Crossing my fingers and storming those heavens with prayers that Michael arrives safe and sound tomorrow morning is what I will be doing for the next 24 hours. Feel free to join me if you'd like.