If you're happy and you know it...

Eli is at such a fun age!  He's at a stage where he, near daily, does something new for us to smile and marvel over.  In the past two-three weeks he has learned to army crawl, started crawling off his belly, figured out how to click his tongue and make raspberries (and imitate others who do the same) and he can clap his hands.  More specifically, he claps his hands when I sing "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands."  Seriously.  It is so stinkin' adorable I can hardly handle the preciousness.  It melts my heart every single time. 

He's pretty consistent - does it about 8 times out of 10.  And, I'm going to guess that those other 2 or so times he doesn't do it, he's just not happy.  We can't be happy all the time, right?

Well, if I were doing "If you're happy and you know it", my record would be worse than Eli.  The hubs is away, which makes for a pretty unhappy wife.  I am oh so blessed to be married to my best friend in the entire world.  He was my best friend before we ever started dating, and has been ever since.  No one is as good a companion, and no one "gets me" as much as he does. 

He's in Charlotte two weeks early because our apartment isn't ready yet, but classes have started.  He's staying with the Andersons (who are soooooo nice and gracious to host him) and I'm at my mom and dads.  We're hanging in there, but it sucks.  A lot.  I have no idea how military wives or single moms do it.  Really.

When JP started applying to graduate schools, lots of people asked if I would be joining him.  There was no (thought of) Eli at the time, and people wondered if I would just continue in my job and stay in our place in Cville (or with my folks) and he would go off to whichever school he chose and come home on occasion to visit.  Both JP and I got this question from co-workers, and both of us were puzzled.  Was that really a viable option?  Did people really do that?

For us, it was never a consideration.  JP has been gone since Friday at 7:30am and I've missed him since Friday at 6:00pm (all day my brain kept thinking he wasn't really gone, that he was just at work).  I hate him being away - especially in the evenings, when I just want to cuddle on the couch and talk about our days, or our thoughts.  In moments of weakness I think I won't make it until the 31st (yes, I know I will in fact, survive until then) so I can not fathom doing a long distance marriage for 2 years while he's in school.  YUCK.  No thank you.

Anyhow, I'm glad this is just for two weeks.  Then, my little family will be reunited in Charlotte.  And when I sing "If you're happy and you know it" to Eli, we can both (all three!!) clap our hands!